Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

and if you have a dog--a dog park and a dog beach!

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Hi Avista,

How do you find out where the dog beaches are? We know how to find the dog parks and have gone to a few.

The only beach we have gone to with pups is one at Honeymoon Island.

Thanks,

Susan

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Susan, You may want to google "dog beaches Florida".. We've taken our RV to Ft DeSoto and always have our dogs with us. We had fun with them at their dog park and their dog beach. Also google Ft DeSoto. It is not a state park. I think it is a Pinellas County Park. As I remember there is a separate camping area for those with dogs and and area where dogs are not permitted. Beautiful Park!

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Mt. Dora is definately a great day trip. Lot's of great shops and one of the best restaurants in the area...Goblin's Market quaintly located in a back alley.Enchanting. Hard to find but worth the effort. You may have to make a reservation, shop and go back to dine.

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

This was posted on another thread and I thought I would add it to this one.

Hyacinth Bucket

IT WAS POSTED BY SIDNEY LANIER

Talk of the Villages Forums / General Villages Discussion (Click Here) / Recommending a Great Day Trip! on: Yesterday at 11:43:11 PM
Our son Craig is an outdoors person, so when we were in TV around Thanksgiving, he took Quixote (his Spoiled Rotten-weiler) and went exploring/camping in our general area. He found Ozello, a delightful historic village on the Ozello Trail (actually in the Crystal River postal area), off Route 19 and barely an hour from TV. There he found an outfit that offers different types of water touring from Ozello.

We and Craig and his girlfriend took a Sunset Tour on a pontoon boat that holds six passengers max--and what a sunset we were treated to from among the offshore islands (just before the Gulf)--and as added bonuses got to watch dolphins 'playing' with their food (mullet) from as little as about 25 feet from the boat, beautiful huge white pelicans in the water, and ospreys in the trees!

The following day Craig and friend went back and rented kayaks for a half day and had the grandest time (while we ourselves had fun with Quixote back in TV)! Also available are airboat tours, guided kayak trips, fishing expeditions, snorkeling, scalloping in season, all at what we consider fair prices. If interested, take a ride down there--once off Route 19 it's a really pretty ride--or call Captain Russ at 352-212-6142 to make reservations for a particular offering. You can even say that "Craig's parents sent us"; that'll be a chuckle! There's also a great seafood restaurant another few miles down the Ozello Trail.

(Hope this isn't considered advertising; that's not my intention in posting but rather a suggestion about a question I've seen on TOTV asking about good day trips.)
Reply

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

We have decided to check out Ozello Trail on Sunday. Looking forward to it. We were mainly planning to hunt a place to see manatee not sure if there are any there. Thanks for the suggestion and will let you know what we think.

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

If you like a different type of "restraurant" try the Old Spanish Sugar Mill in Deleon, FL.

Nice ride, about an hour. Cook your own with a griddle in the middle of the table. Pancake mixes you never ever heard of........here's their web site:

http://www.planetdeland.com/sugarmill/

Before or after you eat take a walk around the spring fed lake. At one end there is a short walking path up into the woods...easy access...easy walk...safe!!

BTK

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Hi Everyone,

We went to De Leon Springs State Park and had a wonderful day. Ate at OLD SPANISH SUGAR MILL RESTAURANT and had pancakes. You have a griddle on your table and you make your own - cost $4.50 pp for all the pancakes you can eat. They have two different types of batter.

There is swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing and more at the park. The trails are accessible if you are in a wheel chair.

HB

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

HB:

Thanks for the info, sounds like you had a great day!

I can't wait til the end of the year when I retire!!! Planning on spending Feb - Apr in TV next year and then we can search out these local parks and recreational activities.

Wow! I've Got To Read Thru These Responses
 

But before I do, I'll throw in a destination that may or may not have been mentioned earlier. Try the two-hour drive to visit Cedar Key. You can play tourist in this Old Florida town, or you can take off from there to explore nature along the coastal waters or in the wetland estuaries that lead into the Gulf.

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Hi Village Kahuna,

We spent one week in Cedar Keys, there is a boat ride you can take around an island. I think of it as "old Florida" but even that is changing. There is now a time share resort in CK.

Cedar Keys - name originated from the Cedar that was used to make pencils if I recall correctly.

I will second VK on that suggestion. If I recall they have a fishing pier where you can rent fishing tackle. Did not catch anything.

HB

Boat Excursion & Restaurant Recommendation On Cedar Key
 

The bird watching and nature tour of the Suwanee River estuary was lead by Captain Doug from his dock on the Cedar Key waterfront. I think the name of his service is Captain Doug's Tidewater Tours. His cell phone number is (352) 949-1996 and his home phone is (352) 543-9523. He is a very knowledgeable naturalist inimately familiar with the Cedar Key and Suwanee River delta area.

A great restaurant on Cedar Key is Tony's Seafood on 2nd Street. Get their "oyster cocktail"; it's about 24-36 fresh-shucked oysters presented in a pretty seafood plate for $10. Tony's New England-style clam chowder is good enough to justify a 2-hour drive over to Cedar Key just to get some. And their "seafood platters" have more seafood than one can possibly eat for a very reasonable price.

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Hi Villages Kahuna,

Thank you for posting the information on the boat ride. That is the one we took. I have been looking through my files to find it.

I will second Villages Kahuna recommendation on the restaurant.

This is bringing back so many wonderful memories, I think we will definitely go back. The ride is an easy one.

Hyacinth Bucket

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

Thanks to all of you who have mentioned different things to do! Much appreciated. Please keep the ideas coming.

Re: What are some fun, interesting day trips you can make from the Villages?
 

In Jan. 2007 I bought my wife and I a 2 year pass to Sea World in Orlando. The pass cost us $135.00 each for the 2 year ticket. It gets you into the park, allows you to park free (that saves you $11.00) and gives you a 10% discount in their stores. You can get it if you are a Florida resident and a senior. It's a great deal. We have found that Tuesdays are a good time to go in the winter.
In reference to the state park in Homosassa, we love to go there. The last time we went, about 2 months ago, the boat wasn't running because the water level was too low. You'll love the walk through the park.
We also went on a St. John's river cruise our of Sanford. I believe the cost was $38.00 for the lunch cruise. It is well worth the money, great food and picture taking. The name of the boat was Romance, the day we went there was even a wedding on one level.
We just go back from the Tampa Hard Rock Casino, we decided to drive so we could go and leave whenever we wanted. It was a very enjoyable trip and we didn't lose everything. If you take the bus at the Walmart on 441, they leave at 7:30 am and return you there at about 6:00 to 7:00 pm (depending on traffic). You pay $25.00 for the bus, they give you $30.00 back in machine script and a $5.00 coupon for a buffet. The cost of the buffet is $15.00 for a card holder and $20.00 for a non card holder. I would still rather drive and control when we could come and go. It took us about an hour and 20 minutes to get there.
Paul

The New England Shire Center
 

This a great day trip for animal lovers. Great family run shire farm. Checkout www.newenglandshirecentre.com Reservations must be made for tours. $20 per person

bumparoonie.... as requested

Air Boat Rides
 

Don't forget the AIRBOAT rides.... Some are better than others as some boats hold 15 people and some hold 6. Lots of fun !!!

Winery
 

Great suggestion! It was easy to get to, relaxing, interesting and and educational concerning the development of unique Florida wines that goes back centuries.

We went to the winery in the morning and on the spur of the moment traveled a few miles south on 27 to the Showcase of Citrus roadside stand in Claremont. We picked our own oranges and tangerines. The country style shop had a lot of interesting products. They have a website and I suggest you check the harvesting times for various citrus products you are interested in

All in all......a very nice day.

Last Saturday we visited Kanapaha Botanical Gardens about 60 miles north of here. It is a 62 acre facility and is is just beautiful. There are water gardens, a herb garden, spring flower garden, fern garden, hummingbird garden, rock garden to name a few. We took a picnic lunch. Best of all it is dog friendly as long as your dog is leashed.

Stop by the AAA office in Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter Landing. They have some booklets on day trips in Fla. with maps and all.

Lots of good suggestions, but always looking for more!!

we've only been in TV since September, but so far we have done Disney, St. Augustine, Clearwater, Cedar Key, Mount Dora, Crystal River, and Dunedin. We've had a wonderful time at each location.

Although we missed the aforementioned art show, we visted Mount Dora yesterday and found it to be a great place with lots of small shops ( art, antiques, clothing ). I've heard it can be busy during the weekend, so we opted for a weekday trip. Mount Dora is less than an hour from TV and it will be high on our list to take our guests in the future.

We had a great lunch at The Windsor Rose Tea Room. This is a small unique restaurant that makes fantastic pot pies and also offers a great tea selection.

The Florida State Fair opens Friday, Feb 10 in Tampa at the fairgrounds, I4 exit 1.

If you Google "day trips central florida" you will see many great ideas and destinations!!

Thanks George! I would also like to add The Stetson Mansion in Deland. Great day trip...not only is the mansion beautiful, they decorate it for the holiday which is very nice.

Went to Rainbow Springs State Park today. Beautiful park with crystal clear spring water. Swimming, canoeing, kayaking available. Large picnic area and very clean restrooms. Nice trails to meander through the park. They are currently repairing the waterfalls which must be lovely when they are running. The visitors center is also currently under repair (had a small fire 5 weeks ago). So, if you go, bring water/something to drink and lunch.

Very easy to get to...44 West to 41 North. Took about one hour to get there. Also found a very nice Italian restaurant to have an early dinner on the way home. Called Little Joey's Pizzeria Restaurant in Holder on the corner of 41 and N. Lecanto Highway (About 10 minutes from the state park). On Wednesdays they have a 16" pizza for only $6.99...and it was delicious!!!

All around a great day!!

Things I want to try when i Get to TV

Mountain Biking in Santos
Santos–Bike Trails East
http://www.singletracks.com/blog/wp-...8/03/jump1.jpg

Zip line fun
The Canyons Zip Line
http://zipthecanyons.com/files/image...a2_500_0_0.jpg

Don Garlits Museum
Don Garlits Ocala, FL Museum/Swamp Rat AA/FD

Airboat Rides near the Villages
 

Airboat Rides Tom & Jerry's offers specials to The Villages.
One hour airboat tours,free gator photos,free fish feeding, clear springs, and lots of beautiful sites along the way. Minutes from Catfish Johnny's and Harber Lights Restuarants. They have coupons in Daily Sun :a040::a040:[IMG][B] 2 minutes of I-75 Exit 321 at turtleback rv resort

Crystal River - Swimming with the Manatees / Kayaking - River Ventures Manatee Tours

Homosassa Springs - Ellie Schiller State Wildlife Park - Low cost fun

Dunnellon - Tube down the Rainbow River - KP Hole State Park / Rainbow River State park

Chiefland - Manatee Springs State Park - Swim in the spring

Crystal River - Fishing - Captain Dan Clymer - Racin Mullet Charters

:DI like going for drives to my local CVS:D

Day trip.
 

Hi, Last March we took a trip to "Stetson" (hr's drive or less north) toured a beautifull old mansion and got great discounts from them for a rib place downtown, nice quait college town. Stetson, yes, invested the Steson hat. Worth the trip.

I think you are referring to Deland....that is where the Stetson Mansion is.

Yep, those all have been mentioned.
Welcome to TOTV!

Crystal River - Swimming with the Manatees / Kayaking - River Ventures Manatee Tours

Homosassa Springs - Ellie Schiller State Wildlife Park - Low cost fun

Dunnellon - Tube down the Rainbow River - KP Hole State Park / Rainbow River State park

Chiefland - Manatee Springs State Park - Swim in the spring

Crystal River - Fishing - Captain Dan Clymer - Racin Mullet Charters

Those are all very nice things to do and not too far away. If you are a disabled veteran and have your letter from the VA, you can get a lifetime free admission card to all Florida state parks for you and your spouse.

Go see it at Christmas time, beautiful decorations.
There was an ad in today's Daily Sun.

I am tellin' you Rubicon. You have a way with words and I am a huge fan.

Now that there is funny stuff. I have a feeling you won't stop for a pedicure.

We went to Silver Springs yesterday and I had very mixed feelings about this place. When I first got there I was very disappointed. The park is very old and run down. I like the feelings of old places as long as they are maintained and this place is not. There were very few patrons which may be why the place is so run down.

There are very few food places and two of them were closed. The main restaurant had a line out the door so we went to the pizza place and found out why people were willing to wait so long for the main restaurant. The pizza was terrible and the place felt dirty and unkempt. The rest rooms were old, musty and smelled awful. I did want to go back in a second time but it was either that or a nearby tree.

After we ate we headed over to Ross Allen Island where the alligators and other Florida animals are. Again the whole place was just dirty and run down. There were a lot of gators but we could barely see the few big cats they have as they were lying down in the far corners of their enclosures. We stopped for a "show" which pretty much was about insects and pretty boring. There is very little signage to tell you where to go and there are a lot of paths so it is quite confusing.
We left that area and took a ride on the glass bottomed boats. Now this was fascinating. Very interesting and very informative. Well worth the trip. It was interesting to find out how many old movies and television series were shot there.
After the boat ride we saw a place called treats so we went for an ice cream. Nothing special, just an ice cream in an old run down building.
We headed over to the other end of the park where we saw some cool animals. The giraffe ate out of our hands.
Also on that side of the park is a safaris ride which was pretty cool. Not great and again, everything including the vehicle seemed old, run down and not maintained. But the ride itself was pretty interesting.
We headed back over to Ross Allen Island and the big cats were moving around a bit, but one of them seemed very ill. He vomited several times. We went for the historical river cruise on that side and again it was OK. A lot of fake buildings and indian villages but it was nice.
I don't know exactly how I feel about this place. Some things make me want to go back and other things just make me never want to go again.
It's too bad the owners are letting it go downhill so badly. A lot of the buildings need to be torn down and replaced, but at least throw a coat of paint on them if you can't afford to replace them.
Don't know what to tell you. It's probably worth going to see once and it's a pretty good deal for Florida residents. Show your license and pay about $18.00. Food was outrageously expensive. $10.00 for two slices of terrible pizza and a soda. Five bucks for a small ice cream cone and $3.00 for a bottled water.

[QUOTE=Dr Winston O Boogie jr;579577]We went to Silver Springs yesterday and I had very mixed feelings about this place. When I first got there I was very disappointed. The park is very old and run down. I like the feelings of old places as long as they are maintained and this place is not. There were very few patrons which may be why the place is so run down.

Have you gone to any concerts? They offer a season pass for $60 to attend all their events. Silver Springs Ocala – Florida's Nature Theme Park