This location is shaded by trees with lots of benches. It is great for people watching, though…read moredoesn't have traditional park play equipment. It reminds me more of a town square, versus park. The benches are old and could be refurbished. Despite that, it is still a great place to relax while shopping the Mount Dora Marketplace.

Christmas Lights Hopping is a must in Mt. Dora…read more Sunset Park is another must stop spot for this. This is where they put their huge Xmas tree. It's pretty nice. It's a block or two away from the Main Street Donnelly. It's also a block away from Lakeside Inn which is the historical inn with Lake Views for days. We go there for the sunset bc they have beach chairs right next to the water. Across the street is also a beautiful house with candy cane lights. I took a pic of tj at one too because u just can't miss it. This is a great central area! Check it out. There are also restrooms here for your convenience. Parking can be a challenge. Be patient or walkover. It's street and lot parking nearby. There are also cute shops around the corner as well!

If I ever need to chill and recenter I walk up to this trail and just mosey around. Theres always…read moresomething to see, year round.

I thought I had already reviewed this long ago. Fenney Trail is great, unless you are an invasive…read morearmored catfish, in which case you are on the menu. Love to see the occassional gator, all sorts of birds, and several turtles all sunning on the same tree branch, all in a line.

We visited Hontoon Island State Park on Saturday morning, 9/25, for a hike with some friends and…read moreour girl Lulu. This was my second time visiting, and it was just as enjoyable as the first! One of my favorite parts has to be the little ferry ride over to the island. Lulu was NOT convinced she wanted to get on , but the captain reassured us that lots of dogs get nervous about the ferry, so I scooped her up and carried her aboard. Once we got across, we started our walk and immediately enjoyed all the shaded areas along the trails. The park is HUGE and there is so much to see and explore. Honestly, one day doesn't feel like enough time to really experience everything, and we're already considering coming back to camp! We didn't come across any major wildlife this time, but we saw plenty of birds and heard something scrambling around in the trees that we never managed to spot -- which honestly just added to the adventure. It was another beautiful day surrounded by nature, good company, and my favorite four-legged adventure buddy. Definitely looking forward to coming back and exploring more of Hontoon Island!

Every Florida State Park has a unique feature that it offers. This one is very quaint, small and…read moreoffers some simple amenities. The quick boat ride was cool. They also have cabins and the grounds are well maintained by the staff. If you have a boat, this would be a great place to dock from if that is acceptable. I had a great time here, my first time.

P.E.A.R. Park, which stands for Palatlakaha Environmental & Agricultural Reserve, is a decent…read morelittle Park located just off of State Highway 27. There are a few tennis courts, a little walkway oh, and a nice, little dog park. They do pretty good with the space that they are allotted. On the particular morning that I visited P E A.R. Park, it was gray, chilly and dismal, yet the people visiting the park were friendly and only enhanced the experience. All in all, my visit to this park was a nice respite from the highway and stress and strain of modern living and all of the hassles involved with it. If you are cruising through Leesburg on 27 and are looking for a parkto takeabreak, this is a good place to head for. AsI have said, this is a small Park, however, Leesburg it's not a big place. I think this park fix the city of Leesburg quite well. I am giving it four stars overall.

This park runs along the Palatlakaha River and encompasses 318 acres. It's huge...with lots to do…read more The park is divided into two sections. One section is the Passive Wildlife Conservation Area and the other half is the Gateway. The Gateway is a combination of Active Recreation and natural areas. The dog park just off of the parking area and the tennis court/pickleball courts are very popular. Past that there are nice hiking trails, workout areas , pavilions, gardens, soccer field and more. This is a nice area to visit. It's clean, safe and well marked.

The park is a pickleball park, with a banquet hall, some benches and a open grass area. Perfect for…read morekiddos to roll down the hill or run around after having ice cream across the street. During Christmas they light up all the trees.

Donnelly park is the perfect place to visit with the family to see Christmas lights. It's quaint…read moreand old school Florida with great spots for pictures everywhere. My favorite was the huge trees in the middle of the park that have lights strung from the trunk up to the top from the outside making it look like fireworks. It truly is a stunning feat of light decorating.

We have been to this park a few times for large events over the years and the city of Mount Dora…read morealways does a wonderful job securing vendors, and entertainment. On our most recent visit we came on July 3rd 2026 for their annual fireworks display. We usually go to Red Hot & Boom in Altamonte Springs but when we found out Mount Dora booked Cat Ridgeway and Tonic as their main entertainment, we couldn't pass that up for anything. Parking for events like this are always a pain; however, Mount Dora was offering free shuttle service from two locations. We chose the First Baptist Church of Mount Dora. When we arrived, there was barely anyone using the service and one of the drivers called us over and invited us in. It was pretty sweet because he was driving a brand-new Mercedes passenger vehicle and we were the only ones in it. He dropped us off near the playground and main parking area and we had to walk around the lake to get to Elizabeth Evans Park. It was an easy walk for us but if you have a disability, I recommend bringing a wheel chair or having an Uber drop you off closer to the park. There is more parking close to the main event but you have to pay $20. Leading up to the park there was a playground and kid's zone with bounce houses and water slides. As we arrived to the entrance of the park there were several youth groups providing entertainment like gymnastics and aerial silks, which were amazing. There were plenty of food and drink food trucks available but unfortunately there was only one beer/mixed drink tent. I was able to get one beer the whole night, there was always a line and by the time I got up there they ran out of everything except Guinness which wasn't very cold, so that was a bummer. Cat Ridgeway and Tonic were phenomenal. They had a really nice stage with open seating for anyone who wanted to sit there. We were quick to grab a seat right up front, we couldn't have asked for a better show. The fireworks show was fantastic, we had great weather and there were no hiccups with that but they did have an issue with the drone show. It was getting late and the free shuttle stopped at 10:30pm and they hadn't started the drone show yet so we had to leave early. When we got back to the pickup area there must have been 200 people still waiting for the shuttle. We said the hell with it and walked back to the church. It took about 15 minutes but it wasn't that bad. It is mostly uphill so once again if you are not able to walk very far this could be a problem. Two things they need to improve on is the restroom and adult beverage situation. There are clearly not enough restrooms. Just one air-conditioned restroom where maybe four people can use them at a time. They could still keep that but get a bunch of Porto Potties as well. As for the adult beverages; they need more than one tent and they have to separate the lines for mixed drinks and beer. Beer people move much faster than someone ordering 4-5 mixed drinks. Setup two stations so the people ordering beer can grab, go, and get back to the show. Other than those two issues and the 15-minute walk back to the car at the end of the night everything else was great. I would definitely come back here again for another event like this.

This is a very nice park located in Mount Dora on Donnelly Street on Lake Dora. The park was…read morecreated in 1924 out of fill and named for five term City Council member and prominent citizen Elizabeth Evans who was also active in the Woman's Club and Community Church. She was well known for her work developing a public library and parks. You get a great view of Grantham Point and the lighthouse from the park. Park amenities include a hammock, lookout pavilion, picnic tables, and a grill. Located next to the park is the historic Mount Dora lawn Bowling Club. Parking is free and it's a good place to leave your car because all of the shops and restaurants are just up the hill. Elizabeth Evans Park is where the Annual Scottish Highlands Festival is held every year in mid November. The festival features Scottish musicians and highland games on Friday and Saturday. There are no restrooms here but they did have a port a potty.

Nice small park across the street from Snooky Park. It is a nice place to grab lunch or to just sit…read moreand watch the world pass you by. While small, it is tended with great pride and I am better for this discovery. We need parks and parks are a reflection of the community that they are in. This is definitely a pleasant park and I would recommend coming to check it out.

Beautiful historical park in Lady Lake. Wonderful place for photos!…read more I really enjoyed the garden. Great place to take a walk, watch the sunset.

The Fenney Springs Nature Trail is superb, and worth going to over and over again. There is…read morealmost always some interesting bird or beast to see. It is not punishingly long to walk. The Villages did an excellent job of restoring this genuine spring, after it had been ravaged by agricultural use. The boardwalk loops around, and one can experience this uniquie area without struggling through muck. The highlight is catching sight of alligators, who are attracted to the endless food source of catfish, and like to bask in the sun at various spots on sandbars and on shore. This is an opportunity to get close to an alligator with minimal risk, as they can not get through the fencing on the side of the boardwalk, and are unlikely to leap over it. If you just admire them they will not bother you. It is unwise to try the same close admiration at retention ponds as alligators can move very quickly despite their sleepy appearance. There are usually interesting long legged birds hanging out in the same area that the alligator favors as well. This attraction is not too far from Route 301, and the adjacent restaurant is pretty good as well, so worth a stop if you are motoring about.

I saw an alligator, and 5 turtles on a log. Great…read moreexperience.