Nothing in FL is “like” The Villages… 5000+ clubs. As for outdoor activities, plenty of games to play besides Golf and Pickleball, shuffleboard, bocce, horseshoes, etc and no one has to have any experience to play. You can play those with a drink in your hand. I belong to the Habitat for Humanity club and volunteer time building houses and making sawdust. The adult pools have activities like water aerobics.

100% NoMo50! You summed it up perfectly.
That's why we chose the Villages. You can stay as busy as you want. And the number of activities available for no cost is truly amazing.

For me, Golf, sand volleyball, softball and mountain biking are my go to sports. But there's so much more, too much to mention.
My wife is in the beginner pickleball program and loving it. She's always been very fit, but not into sports in general. But the social aspect that goes with it really appeals to her.

We looked at other places, but nowhere came close to what we have here. Plus, the fact that they keep everything nice, clean and the facilities are all top notch. If you want to stay active, this is the place!

But as I tell anyone that asks, it's not for everybody. Depends on how you want to spend your retirement.

There's a happy place for everyone, I hope you find yours. For us it's TV.

Have fun on your visit!

You can visit anywhere you want, but in my opinion, nowhere else can beat The Villages when it comes to availability of restaurants, golf, softball, Pickel ball, activities, clubs, entertainment, miles of walking & nature trails, miles of golf cart paths, and overall beauty and cleanliness. At least by coming to The Villages first, you will have the standard by which you can judge all the rest.

Check out any of the Del Webb communities. Very nice and not so huge.

Take from the greedy billionaires and give to the hard working less fortunate!

Royal Highlands
 

Royal Highlands south of Leesburg about midway between Leesburg and Clermont. I've bought two homes there. One new and one preowned. There isn't anymore new builds there. There are 1500 homes. It's certainly no Villages, but it's much more laidback.

For getting around the area, either by golf cart or automobile, I recommend spending a one time charge of 6 or 7 bucks on The Villages GPS app. It has a listing and direction's to everything and everywhere in The Villages. There is also a free app, but not as inclusive. I settled in the north older area as more mature trees, restaurants as well as closer to medical facilities, plus, closer to Ocala restaurants as well as the World Equestrian Center which is a fascinating facility where events are held often. Either way, no where compares to The Villages if you want to feel like you’re on vacation everyday. Best to you!

Nice to have choices.
 

Over the seven years we were looking we visited numerous communities in Florida, North and South Carolina. Most had many activities. For me it came down to a few items. Weather for all twelve months of the year, access to health care, continuing education including clubs and activities I had never tried.

It might be time well spent to write down what really is important to you folks and let that guide you. Then do a quick internet search for communities in an area that works for you, make a few calls and ask some questions. Instead of asking do you have a billiard club I would ask how many billiard clubs do you have. Thirty minutes spent could save you a week of your time and $100's or $1,000's of dollars. Much more efficient process than spending days & dollars someplace that will not work for you.

I really liked that I could just go to a different club if I didn't click with the first one. Most communities will have a club but not many clubs for a specific activity. As an example, there is 42 Art - Clay Clubs, 35 Billiard Clubs and 63 Bridge - Cards Clubs listed in The Villages spreadsheet supplied in an earlier response.

I hope it helps and I am sure you will find your spot. You may have already found it???

Babcock range north of fort Myers

Very close to The Villages is Stonecrest and Spruce Creek South. Both are along U.S. 441/27 at the north east side of The Villages. They are smaller communities that have golf cart availability to shopping and you can also get into The Villages from there. I know of several that have moved from The Villages to Stonecrest and Spruce Creek South. Worth looking IMHO because they are close.

My sister in law and her husband live in Del Webb in Ocala. They like it, but it was way too boring for us. They thought the Villages was too busy. To each their own.

I can imagine that there are lots of folks there living very happy lives and enjoying their friends. Is it necessary to disparage the place?

compare
 

lots of places say they have them but contact them to see how many in it and do they ever meet

2023 was the HOTTEST year ever on RECORD! And climate scientists PREDICT increasing WARMING tor at least the next 8 years. Anywhere in Florida is going to be "brutally HOT" in the summer. That why we have so many snow birds, who descend on Florida AFTER the BRUTAL summer. Note: the chamber of commerce will NOT tell you that!

Not very golf cart friendly, golf can cost a lot and you have to drive your car most places, restuarants, golf, Dr's, shopping, etc.