[Seasonal]

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

[champion6]

Originally Posted by Seasonal

<snip>"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.<snip>

You are describing every warm-weather, southern state during high season.

[Bjeanj]

Ditto.

[Tom52]

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. If you are snowbirds you will always see TV at the peak of population. I think comments about the crowds and heavy traffic are all relative to where you are coming from and what you are used to. Being from Chicago suburbs the peak traffic volume in TV is nothing. Grocery stores and restaurants are busy but not as busy as what we were used to..

If you are a golfer tee times can be a more difficult but we still get in as much golf as we want. I can't speak about crowding at pools, but you could always look for a home that has a pool or room you could add one.

During normal times the squares can, for sure, be busy. During normal times we only go a couple times a month during peak season. We take our old car to cruise nights and sometimes if there is a particular band we enjoy. My experience is most people that have been Villagers for awhile don't frequent the squares all that often.

If you are active people I can't think of a better 55+ community than TV. Yes, we love it here, but do your own due diligence and check out other interesting communities. We rented here three winters before we bought our home.

Good luck to you.

[kathyspear]

Some snowbirds come down in November and December but many don't leave home until after the holidays with the grandkids. January and February are the most crowded months. Some seasonals are gone in March. In early April (when many more have left for home) you will notice a huge difference.

We have only been down here for about 2 1/2 years but I don't find things super crowded. The main exception is evening entertainment at the squares when one of the most popular bands is playing. (Villages LOVE their Hooligans!)

Definitely rent for a while, in both high and low season. Good luck with your decision.

kathy

[tvbound]

To the OP, having researched and visited numerous retirement communities in Florida and Arizona, it quickly becomes apparent that during the high season they are all crowded. Given the popularity and growth of TV, with its almost unbelievable amount of activities and amenities, we don't have any expectation that it will ever be less crowded than it is right now. However, the same can be said of any other upper-scale 55+ retirement community. So, unless someone wants to build a home in the middle of nowhere or live in another country, I think it's just a matter of making up ones mind on whether having lots (with more every day) of other like-minded people, is something you can live with. We've decided that we can live with it.

[rustyp]

Originally Posted by Seasonal

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

You described The Villages perfectly. The largest retirement community on the planet. We even have over 50000 golf carts.

[JohnN]

Originally Posted by tvbound

unless someone wants to build a home in the middle of nowhere

I agree in that if you want to just sit back and relax - and not a thing wrong with that at all - you can find a smaller community pretty easily, but you can do that here too. The Villages is big, but not overwhelming to us after 12 years. Sure, at times in high season, we do plan and time our trips to wherever. But we like having the amenities that are here which you won't find anywhere else, plus the resort feel to the whole community. Best wishes on your retirement.

[rjm1cc]

When you look around you might look at small, medium, large and very large communities (Villages). Decide what amenities are available that you are interested in and the crowd situation. That should help narrow your search.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Seasonal

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

The Villages and almost everywhere in Florida is kinda crammed during high season; January, February and March, but not so much the rest of the year so if you plan to be snow birds you will usually have a lot more folks around you.

However, in going to the rec centers for activities such as I do; painting, clay, crafting, etc., it is never crowded. Exercise classes in rec centers are crowded during high season, but not so much line dancing and the plethora of other activities.

I think it wise to come and rent when you would be snow birding to get a feel. The Villages is very beautiful and sought after.

[Malsua]

Originally Posted by Seasonal

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

I will also add that where you live makes a huge difference as to how quiet your home is.

My wife and I own two villas, one is nearish to a gate and a "thru" area from the Multi-modal path to the gate. Cars and carts all day.

The other backs up to a preserve and is not through to anywhere. Out back on the Lanai there at night feels like our home in the woods in NJ. It's super quiet and peaceful. It's also further away from the stores, squares and food.

Each place has its merits. You need to decide what's right for you.

Echoing what the others have said, it's definitely more crowded during high season. My wife and I are snow-flakes or sunbirds or whatever you call it. We come down all year round, more in the summer in fact. We are going full time this year though.
It is nice in some ways when it's easier to get into a meal, but it also seems like that feeling when you're visiting a NJ shore town at the end of September. Think "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley

[dhdallas]

I am only here in TV because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing nonstop developing. Homes are crammed together. Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read The **************.com for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and crimes.

I am more prejudiced than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t swim or like pools, and would rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here 3 months and haven’t even needed or would use a TV ID card for anything. I prefer solitary pursuits, cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc.

TV is a marvel of cookie-cutter overpriced homes in town that reminds me of The Twilight Zone episode where a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The place is just plain weird.

Get outside TV and this central part of FL is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.

Last year we stayed at Navarre Beach which is near Pensacola and absolutely gorgeous. Sugar white sand with the turquoise water of the Gulf on one side of Santa Rosa Island and the sound on the other. It is in the Central Time Zone. No bugs or alligators (at least on the island).

There is 20 miles of protected seashore with wind swept dunes and sparsely populated beaches with a bike/hike trail almost the entire length of the island. At one end of the island is a historic fort dating back to the civil war and toward the eastern end is a Marine Science Station. Golf carts are used by some residents but really very few. Overall traffic is extremely light on the island. The 4-lane on the mainland can be busy but there are no roundabouts and traffic moves right along.

There are many fresh seafood, authentic southern BBQ restaurants and local markets (as in real markets, not the imitation overpriced ones in the TV pretend town squares). Navarre Beach is NOT a tourist trap. The summers there are bearable too, not 100 degrees in the shade like here.

Beautiful homes and condos (some <$300k) on the waterfront at reasonable prices (2019). The condo amenities/fees are next to nothing compared to TV. From our rental condo's bedroom window, we could watch porpoises playing in the water. I thought Navarre was a slice of heaven. I wanted to buy there but my wife insisted on TV. I got my summer lakefront home though for most of the year so all is not lost.

I admit, I am not the typical TV resident and my comments will generate plenty of “Yankee go home” comments but you asked for opinions so there you go...to each his own.

[Oneiric]

ALL nice places in Florida are crowded during Snowbird season. If they weren't that nice, they wouldn't be crowded.

[Ele201]

Originally Posted by dhdallas

I am only here in TV because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing nonstop developing. Homes are crammed together. Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read The **************.com for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and crimes.

I am more prejudiced than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t swim or like pools, and would rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here 3 months and haven’t even needed or would use a TV ID card for anything. I prefer solitary pursuits, cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc.

TV is a marvel of cookie-cutter overpriced homes in town that reminds me of The Twilight Zone episode where a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The place is just plain weird.

Get outside TV and this central part of FL is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.

Last year we stayed at Navarre Beach which is near Pensacola and absolutely gorgeous. Sugar white sand with the turquoise water of the Gulf on one side of Santa Rosa Island and the sound on the other. It is in the Central Time Zone. No bugs or alligators (at least on the island).

There is 20 miles of protected seashore with wind swept dunes and sparsely populated beaches with a bike/hike trail almost the entire length of the island. At one end of the island is a historic fort dating back to the civil war and toward the eastern end is a Marine Science Station. Golf carts are used by some residents but really very few. Overall traffic is extremely light on the island. The 4-lane on the mainland can be busy but there are no roundabouts and traffic moves right along.

There are many fresh seafood, authentic southern BBQ restaurants and local markets (as in real markets, not the imitation overpriced ones in the TV pretend town squares). Navarre Beach is NOT a tourist trap. The summers there are bearable too, not 100 degrees in the shade like here.

Beautiful homes and condos (some <$300k) on the waterfront at reasonable prices (2019). The condo amenities/fees are next to nothing compared to TV. From our rental condo's bedroom window, we could watch porpoises playing in the water. I thought Navarre was a slice of heaven. I wanted to buy there but my wife insisted on TV. I got my summer lakefront home though for most of the year so all is not lost.

I admit, I am not the typical TV resident and my comments will generate plenty of “Yankee go home” comments but you asked for opinions so there you go...to each his own.

I agree with you about Navarre! I was there last year with my husband, just before the pandemic hit. It was quite memorable. The beaches are beautiful and the infrastructure manageable. A highlight was visiting the turtle museum/observatory.

[mike1946]

I have lived on the historic side for 20 years ... no thru traffic ... the traffic we've got is all it's ever gonna be !!! facilities include 1 CC with the best pool in TV & 18 hole championship GC, 2 REC CTRs one with Family pool, 2 more Pools, 2 executive golf courses Softball field, floodlit tennis, business center., library, archery range, horseshoe pits, Bocce Courts, small dog & Large dog parks, walking trail with fitness machines installed, lakeside BBQ area, convenience store and gas station, post office, a couple of Banks and other businesses e.g. Dental/Tire and car service and a pretty decent Mexican Restaurant. The adjacent golf cart bridge takes you to Spanish springs in a couple of minutes exiting into the parking lot behind Ruby Tuesdays.
We also have a gate that exits TV and allows golf carts to travel up the east side of 441 to places like Lowes, Wal Mart, Bealls, Aldi etc. Property prices here are significantly cheaper than way down south - mine is a massive stretched manufactured (about 2,500 sq ft total footprint) on a full size lot overlooking the championship golf course on a quiet side street 2 bed 2 BR and would probably sell for the $185-195K region ....what more could a person want ... big live oaks and mature landscaping with none of the busy TV.
Lots of luck in your search.