Ditto!

Sandy and I made numerous "scouting" trips to FL over the past 2-3 years. We looked at all types of 55+ communities - TOTW, Stone Creek, Summer Glen up in Ocala, Lake Ashton further south in Lake Wales, etc., including a number of manufactured housing communities as well. All were very nice. We pretty much scoured greater central FL. We chose TV based on the infrastructure and the number of things there are to do and get involved in. Frankly, several of the other communities were more desirable to us based strictly on what kind of (and how much) house you can get for the money. But for us, the draw to TV was how active the environment is. Nothing else came even close. Not a sales pitch, just our perspective.

And if the house you're renting is within TV, you CAN get to the squares via golf cart.

Bill :)

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We have friends that live in Hawthorne which is on US27 south edge of Leesburg. It is on Lake Harris I believe. They are there for boat slip purposes and very happy. Also, we did check out, very thoroughly, Summer Glen, which is between Top of the World and The Villages. Other than "lifestyle" and amenities they have much better housing, price and quality wise, than the Villages. The Lifestyle hooked us, as many others. With the length of your stay you should find something that suits you and it may or may not be the Villages.

I should mention that when we get together with our friends in Hawthorne they always come to the Villages and we have never been down to see their place or ride their boat... Maybe there is a story there.

What if you car konks out? It is approximately 7-8 miles from Mulberry to Lake Sumter Landing. You can visit both squares with the cart on a full charge with power to spare. If your cart konks out you will have more helpers than you can deal with. Those folks telling you, it's really far, need to get out more.

Otow
 

Please RESEARCH CAREFULLY. "On Top Of The World" has recently abandoned its CDD (Community Development District) status with the State of Florida. I personally do not know what this means for the OTOW residents. But 2 couples I know of ..are now "MOVING ON UP" (south) to The Villages, because of that.

Terra Vista at Citrus Hills is another smaller community that has really nice homes. Quieter than TV and has a really nice large fitness facility. It's only about 30 minutes from TV. We visited there twice but decided on TV instead due to the variety of activities available.

http://www.citrushills.com/

By all means you can drive your golf cart anywhere in The Villages from where you are staying. You can even play a round of golf and get home with no problem. It will only take you about 20 minutes to get to Spanish Springs and a little bit longer to Lake Sumter. Please use the golf cart, you get a much better idea of what the villages is all about when you travel by cart. from where you will be you can go to Publix to do your food shopping in your golf cart.
Harbor Hills is very nice, large houses, not only retired folks live there, not to many activities, but worth a look.....and the Sunday brunch is excellent!
Don't know anything about Mt. Dora but my interest in a day trip there has been peaked.

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senior citizen: You are wise to explore your choices carefully.

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Good friends of ours have a place in Hawthorne with a boat. They love it there. Many things to do.
We are in The Plantation, about 2 miles south of Hawthorne.

The Villages is a one of a kind place. There are many nice communities in the area, all nice, all a bit different from each other. We have friends in Arlington Ridge, Legacy, The Villages, Hawthorne, Royal Highlands, etc,etc....

These places are like a rack of shoes...all look nice, all a bit different.....try as many on as you can....one will just "fit right".

Check on HOA's the rules, the fees, how stable they are money-wise, etc. I like the fact that the place we are in is all owned by US, not the developer.....the financials are rock solid, HOA fees are low, and no CCD or bond fees.

The good news is there is hardly a bad choice out there...there ARE a few, so look well. Congrats and enjoy!!

Frank