Mount Dora

Mount Dora is a city in Lake County, Florida. It is a charming town consisting of 1,400 named lakes. Situated on rolling hilly terrain, Mount Dora sits 184 feet (56 m) above sea level on beautiful Lake Dora which is part of the Harris chain of lakes, including Lake Beauclaire, Lake Eustis, Lake Griffin, Lake Harris and Lake Yale.

Mount Dora is a short drive from the Walt Disney World area, Orlando, Ocala, and the beaches (on both coasts).

Understand
Mount Dora has been nicknamed "The New England of the South", "The City of Parks", "Antique City", and "The Festival City". Even Money Magazine seemed enthused, naming Mount Dora in their "Top Places to Live Today". With a population of around 12,000, it still holds a small town appeal, but provides many options in shopping, restaurants, and things to do and see.

In Mount Dora's early history, citrus was its major industry and even though you can still get a glorious whiff of the fragrant white blossom of the orange tree in springtime, as tourism has grown in importance, the relative importance of citrus has decreased. Mount Dora was the primary setting of the 1981 comedy film Honky Tonk Freeway, a box-office flop, though trivia enthusiasts will enjoy the fact that the entire town was painted pink for the movie (some remnants of which can still be seen today).

The downtown is on the side of a hill, sloping down to the lake, and there are pretty and immaculately maintained shops and restaurants in the center of downtown.

Get in
From Orlando International Airport, Mount Dora is just under an hour's drive away. From the Beachline to west Florida Turnpike, go to Toll 929 to FL-441 going north to Mount Dora. From I-95, to I-4 West to Sanford. Take FL-46 into Mount Dora.

From I-75 south of Ocala to Wildwood. FL-44 to US-441, and then south to Mount Dora.

FL-44 bypasses Mount Dora on its northern side, connecting Mt. Dora to the east with the college town of DeLand.

Get around
Mount Dora is a great walking town, with parks and alleys and little enclaves. You can also take an historic tour through the city by using the Mount Dora Road Trolley which departs at the Chamber of Commerce at 341 N. Alexander Street. +1 352 385-1023. Local bus operator LakeXpress connects Eustis to Mt Dora which serves as a local circulator bus around town on route #3.

Do
Walk the long lakeside boardwalk that leaves and follows Lake Dora. It is a beautiful walk and follows the shoreline for a good distance. Also, at the same park, check out the, one of the few freshwater lighthouses still in operation.

Buy
A wide variety of specialty shops can be found in Mount Dora. You'll discover great unique finds and can interact with friendly folks the South is known for.

Drink

 * Upstairs at The Goblin Market.

Go next

 * Greater Orlando to the south
 * DeLand and Sanford to the east