Tavares

Tavares is a town in Lake County, Florida.

History
Tavares, like its neighbors Mt. Dora and Eustis, is a small town, and in 2020 its population was 19,000. In 1880, New Orleans businessman of Portuguese ancestry Alexander St. Clair-Abrams founded and named the town. St. Clair-Abrams hoped the town would be made Florida's state capital, but that honor ultimately went to Tallahassee, and Tavares was made the Lake County's seat instead. However, the businessman and founder continued his efforts to promote the town by building a railroad connecting it to Orlando to the east. Today, the town is known for its seaplane base and is consequently known as "America's Seaplane City".

Alexander's son Alfred, a local politician who killed one of his political rivals following an allegedly rigged election, lived in Tavares and died in the town nearly twenty years after the assassination.

Geography
Tavares is on an isthmus between Lake Eustis to the north and Lake Dora to the south. Meanwhile, the city of Eustis is to the northeast, and Lake Harris is to the west of Tavares.

By car
US-441 passes Tavares on its north side, between the lakes. From this road, North St. Clair Abrams Ave goes south to the downtown area near the north shore of Lake Dora. FL-19, Duncan Dr, goes from Howey-in-the-Hills north across Lake Harris to Tavares.

Get around
The downtown area is small, and the town is spread over a small area due to its presence between two lakes, Dora and Eustis.

Go next

 * Mount Dora to the east, on the other side of the lake