[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I just noticed (I should've checked before, I know I know!) that there's no pool in my neck of the woods. The neighborhood pool is on the other side of the water tower. The regional center is on another "other side" of the water tower. Spanish Springs is on the other side of the golf cart bridge. As I was mapping directions to the pool, I figured I'd try and map directions to Spanish Springs.

BUT! Spanish Springs is only around a 1.5 miles away from my house. Well within walking distance and bike-riding distance!

I see how to get from my house over the golf cart bridge to Spanish Springs. But if I'm comprehending things right, that's exclusively for golf carts and foot and bicycle traffic is not permitted (or wise) up there. Am I correct on this point?

So, if I don't want to have to drive all over the place just to get 1.5 miles from home, how can I walk there? Or ride my bike there? Is there a walk light on 27 and 441 at Wales Place where it connects to Avenida Central? What about a golf cart tunnel and/or multi-modal to cross 27 and 441 at Morse Blvd where it connects with W. Boone?

Yes I know about the GPS. But I'm not looking for a play-by-play while I'm driving/walking/bicycling. I'm looking for written directions. When I'm driving, my attention is on the road, not on my cell phone. I don't do GPSs.

[anothersteve]

It's a "pedestrian" bridge also. You can walk and ride a bike on that bridge. There are signs that say so. Me personally, I would never walk on the bridge. And you can walk across 441, there is a crosswalk. Southside pool is in Silver Lake also
Steve

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by anothersteve

It's a "pedestrian" bridge also. You can walk and ride a bike on that bridge. There are signs that say so. Me personally, I would never walk on the bridge. And you can walk across 441, there is a crosswalk. Southside pool is in Silver Lake also
Steve

Oh that's AWESOME to know! Walking on narrow bridges doesn't bother me at all. Used to have a fear of heights but working construction to physically build the inside of a store cured me of that fear. Ever try to secure steel horizontal beams with screws and wingnuts to build an aisle in a store, while standing on a 24-foot ladder? Yeah.

Anyway thank you SO much for the info. I couldn't find it anywhere on this forum (did a search for spanish springs golf cart bridge) and on the main Villages website, came up with nothing.

I didn't even notice Silver Lake rec center on the map, but I just found it, southeast of the tower. I'll be living northwest of the tower but it looks to be around a 7 minute bike ride to any of the ones I want to visit - except the tower, which is just around 3 minutes by bike.

I can't wait for all of this preparation is over. We aren't putting our house up here for sale for a few more months so between now and then, I'm scrambling to get everything DONE. The final trip down will be IT. And then - I will sip my cappucchino on the lanai and wave to everyone on the golf course through the neighbor's back yard.

[Brawnwy123]

Originally Posted by Jazuela

I just noticed (I should've checked before, I know I know!) that there's no pool in my neck of the woods. The neighborhood pool is on the other side of the water tower. The regional center is on another "other side" of the water tower. Spanish Springs is on the other side of the golf cart bridge. As I was mapping directions to the pool, I figured I'd try and map directions to Spanish Springs.

BUT! Spanish Springs is only around a 1.5 miles away from my house. Well within walking distance and bike-riding distance!

I see how to get from my house over the golf cart bridge to Spanish Springs. But if I'm comprehending things right, that's exclusively for golf carts and foot and bicycle traffic is not permitted (or wise) up there. Am I correct on this point?

So, if I don't want to have to drive all over the place just to get 1.5 miles from home, how can I walk there? Or ride my bike there? Is there a walk light on 27 and 441 at Wales Place where it connects to Avenida Central? What about a golf cart tunnel and/or multi-modal to cross 27 and 441 at Morse Blvd where it connects with W. Boone?

Yes I know about the GPS. But I'm not looking for a play-by-play while I'm driving/walking/bicycling. I'm looking for written directions. When I'm driving, my attention is on the road, not on my cell phone. I don't do GPSs.

ANSWER There is a good paper map, it has the golf cart paths, and it is fine for us, it works well. GPS, we agree is a bummer, buy it and then well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, "it needs upgrade etc. etc." Note where going anywhere, the amount of cars doing U turns while they are staring at their cell phone and scratching their head and being quite upset. NO GPS for us, get a good map.
Bike stores also have some good walking and bike maps.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Brawnwy123

ANSWER There is a good paper map, it has the golf cart paths, and it is fine for us, it works well. GPS, we agree is a bummer, buy it and then well,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, "it needs upgrade etc. etc." Note where going anywhere, the amount of cars doing U turns while they are staring at their cell phone and scratching their head and being quite upset. NO GPS for us, get a good map.
Bike stores also have some good walking and bike maps.

Agree, I like the paper map, not the GPS. Although you can walk across the golf cart bridge, I would not want to do it as it is very narrow and I would be afraid of the golf carts. I have driven a golf cart over that bridge many many times and never seen a walker, I would take the cross walk across 466 if walking.

[CWGUY]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Agree, I like the paper map, not the GPS. Although you can walk across the golf cart bridge, I would not want to do it as it is very narrow and I would be afraid of the golf carts. I have driven a golf cart over that bridge many many times and never seen a walker, I would take the cross walk across 466 if walking.

You do mean 441..... right?

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I just really wish that google earth was updated and permitted to capture the Villages. Many of the streets are faded out because they don't have permission to include them. That's the #1 best method I use to find directions in smaller areas (like from my house to some random street on the other side of the same town, for example). I get the directions, and then zoom in to the street view map and move along with the directions so I can actually see the road, the houses, the stores, the landscaping, any and every possible landmark that I might pass once I get into my car or start walking or biking.

I'm unable to get to the street I'm moving to via google maps street-view. I can get to the tower and as soon as I turn the map to move onto the street, it fades and is not clickable. Many of the Villages roads are like that. It'd be amazing if the GPS version had that functionality. Or if the Villages official website had that functionality with their online map. That way we could see - photographically and cinematically - the movement of our own perspective down streets, up hills, through golf cart tunnels - and we could zoom out and see in advance where we went wrong, so we can correct it before we ever leave the house

[villagetinker]

If you are in the newer section of the villages, it takes a while for the maps to be updated. I use a Garmin GPS with lifetime maps, and i updated it 2 weeks ago, and it still does not have the village of Desota. In past I even sent them a copy of the villages paper map, I think this helped, but they appearently cannot keep up with how fast this area is growing. Sumter county has a great GIS system, and if you are careful, you can copy the maps into Word and printout, i have had to resort to this method a few times for the newest areas.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

If you are in the newer section of the villages, it takes a while for the maps to be updated. I use a Garmin GPS with lifetime maps, and i updated it 2 weeks ago, and it still does not have the village of Desota. In past I even sent them a copy of the villages paper map, I think this helped, but they appearently cannot keep up with how fast this area is growing. Sumter county has a great GIS system, and if you are careful, you can copy the maps into Word and printout, i have had to resort to this method a few times for the newest areas.

I don't use a GPS. I don't own one, not interested in buying one. I have Waze on my cell phone and don't ever use that, either. I'm not looking for a street map. I'm looking for directions to get from point A to point B. Such as:

Turn right out of your driveway to the end of Smith Street. Take a left. Continue for 3 miles til you see the sign of the potato sitting on a washing machine in front of Jake's Suds and Spuds. Take your next right, and a sharp left onto Jones Parkway. Go to Exit 6-WEST, and follow for 16 miles. The driveway to Sue's Wedding Chapel will be on your left.

That's what I'm looking to create. And since the Villages has paths that are ONLY for golf carts, others that are ONLY for cars, and others that are ONLY for bikes, carts, people, and ONLY for people and bikes but not carts, etc. etc. - I need to know ALL of these types of things. Those directions above would be absolutely useless if I'm in a golf cart, because in order to get to the end of Smith Street I'd have to go through a golf cart tunnel and the only way to get to that is to take a left out of my driveway, and around the corner.

Google maps has this, for cars, bikes, foot traffic, bus, and train. But it doesn't have one for golf carts, and Google maps doesn't include an entire section of Orange Blossom Hills (Paradise to W. Schwartz and that whole circle up there).

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by CWGUY

You do mean 441..... right?

Yes, my bad.

[charmed59]

There is a free Villages app that gives directions by car or cart. It includes the new areas.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by anothersteve

It's a "pedestrian" bridge also. You can walk and ride a bike on that bridge. There are signs that say so. Me personally, I would never walk on the bridge. And you can walk across 441, there is a crosswalk. Southside pool is in Silver Lake also
Steve

.....but don't walk slowly in crosswalk!!

[Dan9871]

Originally Posted by charmed59

There is a free Villages app that gives directions by car or cart. It includes the new areas.

Google maps gives multi-modal directions in The Villages if you chose walking directions rather than car directions.

[Nucky]

When we first arrived in The Villages we used Villages GPS but since it didn't work that well at that time we essentially were with the trial and error method. We learned our side of the operation first and it took a while to get it down but without a GPS I would take a quick look at The Villages Map which can be bought at any Mercantile Store for $5.00. This is your key to getting the lay of the land.

There are also 3 Pools on our side. South Side Adult Pool has a Hot Tub and is the furthest away from the area you described and was tough to find for many people we know. The next is the Paradise Family Pool which is fantastic, music played all day and little kids with pool toys, most people enjoy being around such lively action and then Hilltop Pool Adult Pool.

Many people learn their way around by trial and error and when you first get here you think you'll never get to know your way around. One of the most relaxing things to do is take a trip around with destination unknown and see the sites. It's the greatest you are gonna love it.

Remember to check out and do the necessary paperwork to obtain your Homestead Tax reduction if you will be a Florida resident. There is a time limit and I don't remember exactly when it is. If I had to Guess I would think it is the end of March. A really nice savings.

[Bogie Shooter]

After you are here for 6 months all this chatter about turn here, go there, will be all unnecessary. That is unless you cannot recall what you did yesterday.
Getting lost is not a sin and besides if lost, you will meet some great people.
Don't worry…..be happy.