The Villages is like a cruise ship on land......only on steroids. You will NEVER be bored! You can kick back and relax if you like also.....just like on a cruise ship.

About 8-9 years ago , 1 of the women at work bought a home at Sun city Hilton Head. She was still going to be working for 3-4 more years. She said they are renting it till she retires. Telling me what a great investment it was. Soooo...that put the thought in my head. My husband and I took 2 weeks in the summer and drove from NY to Sun city Hilton head(visited with my past coworker who was now retired)and by the way, she moved from there and went somewhere else,. and then Florida and visited communities that I researched on 55 places.com and also from an ideal living showcase . We went to quite a few Del Webb communities, etc. After about 2 or 3 communities, I started telling the realtors, show me the life style first,and then I'll chose a house that I like. The next summer we drove again hitting a lot of communities on the East coast, crossing over to the West Coast and making our way up. We visited Solivita,other Dell Webbs, Sun City by Tampa, etc. I must of visited over 30+ communities. Did the stay and play at some.Before our last stop to the Villages before heading home we looked at On top of the World . I thought I liked their version of their tiny town square. But I was looking for more. Solivita was nice(still no comparison to TV)but didn't know TV yet. Our last stop was The Villages. Had a realtor take us around showing us all the amenities the town squares (only two at tht time)and the life style.I was in ore! THEN, showed me some possibilities for purchase. Our biggest concern at the time was if we would be able to rent it for the next 7 or 8 years till we retire. She was so positive and non pushy, and even told us to think about it and next time come back for another visit. Well, we thought about it that night staying at the Marriot in Spanish Springs, and there was an excitement in us about the community and I knew this is the place! With that being said, not only did I find a long term tenant who is still there today but we wound up purchasing another a few years later for investment. Over the years I come down to TV bringing family and friends and having a blast. I go to a lot of the clubs, restaurants and shows galore. Of course I'm on a mini vacation when I come. We are in the process of buying my home now that we will leave in when we retire in 2-3 years when we are 62 and 63. I keep counting the days!! There is no where else I rather spend my retirement. I have friends who say, but what about the grandkids, blah,blah, blah. (don't get me wrong. All my children and grandchildren are my world)! But they can come visit and have a blast here. Already thinking about what activities I want to do with the grandchildren at the villages camp, etc. Some of these other communities I visited, I think I would shoot myself if I lived there. Some of the older ones even felt like nursing homes. I love the idea that you still feel like you're in a community where you have the young and old all around you. I know some of my friends say, there is so much to do where I live (Long Island, NY). Yes there is .but not to much of a desire . Everything is so , how should I put it, YUCKY! I love the ambiance and feel and beauty of the Villages. Its just so calming and beautiful. I know some people say about rude people etc, but That's everywhere. I work in a great school with mostly great people who are like family. And of course there are a few ****heads!LOL You have to feel sorry for these people because they are so miserable inside that they
don't or can't be happy or pleasant.
Well, that's my take on this! And as I always say, Everyday in the Villages is like a vacation Day!!!
Enjoy life everyone, and cherish yourself and all the positive people in your life too.

When I am done I am done, no volunteering. We were approached by neighbors when it was found out we were medical, and expected we would want to be on the defib team. We both smiled said no, when you have been on call for your entire adult life, it’s time for someone else to be awakened at 3am

Snow birds for 4 years, permanent now for 6 months. Wish we came sooner. Neighbors are wonderful, so much to do or not do. With as many people that are here, Jan. Thru March, you are bound to see a few rude people but I don’t give them a second thought. I won’t let them ruin my day. I let them cut in, double park, or whatever, because in a few seconds we will part ways and they can move on with their hollow lives. Life is too short. I am not a gourmet chef, so there are plenty of places we like to eat at, some we will pass on, but again, if my napkin isn’t remolded when I come back from the bathroom, it’s not the end of the world. 😜. So love this place.

In the beginning, Florida was in our “NO WAY” list - too hot, too humid, too many bugs, too far from family, and - OMG it’s ‘the south’.

We had done extensive research in VA (to be near the kids & grandkids) visiting at least 5 different retirement communities that promised “activities” yet had no one was swimming, no one was in the rec centers, no one was playing billiards, etc. Also did some research in NC with same results. We finally visited The Villages (strange name) just to be sure the hype was as false as the hype in VA & NC.

Initially we were impressed with well-kept landscaping, the town squares, the pools (I’m a lap swimmer). We visited a 2nd time in August to check out the weather – surprisingly tolerable and enjoyed the pool, read about the clubs, & were impressed by all the golf opportunities although we had never golfed & we ran into TONS of friendly, happy, social people.

No place had the options, the services, the opportunities that TV did. In Dec 2018 we bought the kool-aid. ASOLUTELY NO REGRETS. Not everything is perfect – we’re in DeSoto & planned connectivity hasn’t materialized, local grocery store isn’t here yet, medical options less than hoped for, etc. BUT we have great neighbors, tremendous options for activities, have taken golf lessons, tried to learn bridge (& failed), bought bikes & enjoyed many rides, learned pickleball & play twice a week (some folks play 5 days a week it’s so addictive!), swim my laps, hubby is now involved with genealogy, we enjoy terrific sunsets and clear night skies for star gazing, no inside bugs, humidity actually feels good on my aging skin, etc. Life has never been better. :welcome:

WOW! Thanks for the extensive reply. Actually, it's my wife that needs convincing! So far, she's simply resigned to supporting "my wishes".

Thanks Denny!

Rent for 6months/year. if you find all OK, then buy.
Nothing lost if you don't like the place.
Been 'birding here for 20+ years, after trying other over 55+ communities.
IMHO TV is by far the best, and the few negatives are far outweighed by the positives.

Moved here 10 years ago. I was 53 wife was 57. Surpassed our expectations. You will not be bored unless you want to be. Got into pickleball which is awesome. Hardest part was leaving the grandchildren but we are still here. Guess it’s not that hard.

Yeah, that can be a problem.

We know of several couples who have moved here but the wife didn't like being away from her family, so they left and moved back to where they had come from.

In our case, our grandchildren were teenagers and we were not as involved in their lives as when they were younger, so it was easier to leave them behind and move to Florida. We have been here four years and love it. We feel like teenagers ourselves.

Good luck making the right decision for you.

If you are bored in The Villages it is of your own doing. You have enough opportunity to do fun things, volunteer opportunities are many. You will have the time to travel the world. So don't hesitate to move. We have been here 22 plus years. Have seen it grow but enjoy all that the growth has given. So come enjoy you will not regret it.

You cannot be bored in the Villages. So many things to do. On the negative side of things, the villages has become a hot bed for politics. If you are a republican you will fit right in. You can fly your trump flags and ride around in your painted golf carts.
And of course, traffic. It is bad now but it will get worse.

I will say you can take 3 classes a day, play 2 rounds of golf, but you still have 16 hours left in the day. You will find those in lates 60s and up, do not have a problem with boredom. If you are are extremely active, yes there are more hours in the day than activity’s to fill your day.
If your wife is coming to make you happy think twice.

Rent a home for a year, so you can be here for over flowing winter congestion, summer when it’s blazing hot. May save your marriage if you do

move to another senior community ! we live in Pennbrooke - cheaper and nice people !

Why do you think there are so many who drink to excess here ?

Thanks so much, Barborv, for sharing all of your research and conclusions! I do appreciate it.

:popcorn:

:popcorn:

:popcorn:

:D

Really?
Measured by what? Who?

All day happy hours where the booze is cheap?

Mental Reservations
 

A big personal decision for sure. Nobody talked about the people. When you reach the golden years you want to be around people that are approximately - give or take - the same age. Similar interests and struggles. Gen X or Y or Z or whatever wont give you the time of day because of age discrimination. When you are surrounded by people of your age group it is easier to relate and develop relationships. I am not an owner at TV but am very interested and have read quite a bit and viewed countless videos. I understand TV have softball. If you lived elsewhere and tried to compete with a city or county team it would be difficult to keep up with the young athletes of 30 - 55! My point in this rambling is to not forget to consider the peer groups in TV.

Once you move and live here you can't wait until the snowbirds leave.
Steve

we just moved here as well and I think WHERE you move makes a little bit of a difference. We moved into an older, established community and are finding that most of our neighbors are in their 80s (makes sense...the homes in my village were built in 2000-2001 and they are original home owners). We are starting to make friends and join activities that we were interested in. My concern is that there will be less activity up north (north of 466) when the Morse family is concentrating on the newest expansion areas south of 44. However its all what you make it and the neighborhood is starting to turn around as the neighbors move into assisted living, etc. I love how our block has mature landscaping and is close to shopping and the 2 market squares.

Some of our activities take us to rec centers far south but there is talk of a new one coming up north

Ah shucks you beat me to it. I was going to appropriate that line as mine!

Move here now. Don't wait.

The Mrs. and I, after decades of hard work, planning, and dreaming, have a house on a lake up north. We love it there from May, through October. We are snowbird renters. That's the bottom rung of the social ladder here, I know. If we did not have our roots so deeply set up north, between the lake, and the kids and grandkids, we would buy here in a heartbeat.

Don't forget to watch Skip Smith also!

You had better hurry. TV is turning into just like your place in Texas. This Winter there seems to be twice as many golf carts, cars, traffic.

As a full time resident we don't mind you leaving for the Summer at all. TV is a different place for a few Months at least.

If they are "drinking to excess" they have ALWAYS had the tendency to drink to excess. You do not just start drinking, it's a lifetime habit controlled by having to get up and work, after retiring (if the need to drink is there) you have no reason to stay sober.

Love it or hate it..I can promise you wont be bored!

For me personally, it is everything I could have hoped for and more. Most people will say TV is better run and nicer than where they came from. IMHO

You haven't indicated if you ever came for a visit. You would have to see TV to fully appreciate it's beauty and myriad of things to do. It's a feeling you get when you are here! I wish I was able to move here after I first saw TV, (long story).

You would have a lot of opportunities to volunteer if you so wish. As far as being in your fifties, my close friends are around 60 and they can't keep up with me and I'm in my 70's. There are 2,000 to 3,000 clubs you can join.

To be balanced, it does get crowded during snowbird season but one learns to adjust, As far as grumpy people, "I don't let anyone rent space in my head".

I have a medical advantage plan so I can go to MVP free of charge, as my plan pays for it. Everyone's situation is unique. There are a lot of activities that are available through your amenity fee.

TV isn't perfect but it is darn close!!!

You owe it to yourself and your wife to visit this wonderful place as no words can really describe it.