Living in the bustling urban sprawl of South Florida, I was looking forward to checking out the slower-paced Mount Dora area during a group meetup taking place there over a few days recently. The town was a little hard for me to find once I drove further northwest past the core of Orlando, but once I followed the bends and turns and made it there I was glad I did.
The town is nice and navigable on foot or bicycle (you can drive around too, of course, but the streets/parking can be a challenge). There are plenty of interesting and unique little places to eat and shop around the downtown area. Definitely venture all the way down the hill to Lake Dora, where you can take a cruise or even a seaplane ride, or just relax on a bench at the dock and enjoy the view. The locals are generally friendly and laid back.
If you want to stay overnight, there are a few hotels around, but the bed & breakfasts are really quaint. I stayed in one of the cottages of the Mt. Dora Historic Inn which was a relaxing and different kind of lodging experience. As for things to do besides stroll around and eat/shop, you can take a Segway tour, go for a walk along the nature trails at the edge of town, go boating, take an antique train ride, etc. The only downside I noticed was that the town seemed to "go to bed with the sun", i.e. many of the smaller stores and restaurants close just after dark, and unusually early on the weekend.
Overall, though, Mount Dora is really a hidden gem of a town and should be a place to consider checking out as a side trip to Orlando. read more