Favorite Off the Beaten Path Destination in Central Florida: Antiquing, Festivals and Fun

Florida is noted for all it's beach resorts, theme parks and of course Disney vacations but, just a short distanc away from Orlando ,is a tiny little town, more like an old fashioned Victorian village, which turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise for me the first time we went a bit off the beaten track to get there.

This little town, located on the banks of Lake Dora, is considered to be part of a chain of lakes in this Central region. This sleepy little village of only 10,000 residents seems more in tune with New England rather than Florida but one year little Mount Dora woke up to find itself being called the New England of the South

Mount Dora was founded in 1874; its gentle hilly terrain filled with old oak trees and turn of the century houses.... Its old country charm still remains and most of the year it's the norm but things change when they host over 300,000 visitors yearly during the annual antique shows taking place throughout the year.

Many of the original sweet gingerbread houses, which at one time were private homes, now take in the folks that flock there on their antiquing hunts...the most sought after Bed and Breakfasts are the ones close to the lake which is adjacent to a lovely park and also hosts a big antique boat show during special times of the year....we just so happened to be there during that show and what a perfect day we had walking among the venders selling everything and anything you could possibly want or need for your boat.

We were hungry so we wandered into town to have lunch and just were so delighted at the town itself, just oozing with small town charm and friendliness. I couldn't decide which cozy little specially store to wander into first. I have a few collections, one contains little ducks, anothor, whales and marine life but my biggest obsession are my Eiffel Towers of every size, shape and variety.... Would there be anything for me in those shops I wondered...well, I wasn't lucky about that most famous of Parisian icons but I certainly found a few cute little ducks, including one that might be valuable which I bought in one of the many antiques shops that line the streets along with art galleries and stores selling many different kind of arts and crafts.

We passed quite a few pleasant and homey looking restaurants many with that small town feel and look...we decided on one that had a nice diner type of menu and enjoyed our meal immensely along with the delightful ambiance and friendly staff.... What I remember most about the meal was the homemade mango pie...

The reason for the popularity growth in Mount Dora are the Antique shows, held throughout the year ,called Rennigers Antique Extravaganza's ....these shows are some of the biggest in the country and always take place on the third weekend during the months January, February and November...For anyone who collect or sells antiques this is quite an event and is considered to be one of the the largest gathering of antique dealers throughout the south... it is considered an antique collectors dream, with over 1500 venders along with crowds can number as many as 40,000 people at any given moment during those times...

Attending this huge 115 acre flea market site where the festivities are held, along with other collectable treasures sold, is quite an experience and there is bound to be something for everyone and their collections... other festivals are held in Mount Dora throughout the year as well as smaller art festivals, an exotic car festival and a sailing regatta held each April on that most lovely lake...there are also smaller antique fairs held on the third weekend of each month

For added enjoyment, there is a unique vintage trolley / train car you can board for a terrific way to see the town, you can take also take a special train ride from Orlando and back if you just want to spend a day antiquing, without the drive...

I highly recommend a short or even longer visit to Mount Dora for anyone who would like to get away from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks and other very touristy sights in order to sample a small taste of a southern small Florida town, a bit off the beaten path.....a small town with quite a bit of ambiance, quite different from most of what you come to expect on a visit to Central Florida.... especially if you collect antiques!