Overview
The Villages is an active retirement community in sunny Inland Florida. With about 115,000 residents as of 2015, it is still growing and new homes are being built across three Florida counties: Lake, Sumter and Marion.
3 sights · 6 things to do · 2 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 6 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about The Villages
Spanish Springs Town Square
The original town square has a southwestern look and feel to it. Live entertainment and outdoor dancing nightly from 5-9pm. The Sharon Performing Arts Center makes its home here, along with the Rialto Movie Theater. Ther…
Lake Sumter Landing Market Square
This colorful waterfront setting has the look of a quaint seaside village. There is free nightly entertainment and outdoor dancing from 5-9pm. Look for the Old Mill playhouse movie theater, along with a variety of shops …
Brownwood Paddock Square
The newest town square is reminiscent of an early century Florida cattle town. There is free nightly entertainment and outdoor dancing from 5-9pm. Here you will find the Barnstorm movie theater, along with a variety of b…
Play 9 holes of Executive Golf
The Villages Executive Golf Trail consists of 36 nine hole courses. That's 324 holes of golf! These courses are primarily par 3 holes with the occasional par 4 or par 5. With 3 sets of tees, and difficulty rankings of 1 …
Play 18 holes of Championship Golf
Palmer Legends and Nancy Lopez Legacy are just two of the 12 Championship Golf Courses in The Villages. Ten of the courses have three nines for a total of 306 holes of golf. Visitors with Guest ID cards are welcome to pl…
Go for a swim
With dozens of pools to choose from, you won't have to go far to find a neighborhood adult pool or family village pool to take a dip. Resident or Guest ID cards are required. The Regional Recreation Centers have large sp…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Oct–May. Summer highs reach about 91°F; winter lows dip to about 53°F. Very hot (Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Aug and Jul. (climate data from nearby Central Florida)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SFB Orlando Sanford International Airport, Orlando — 45 mi away (major hub). Directions
- MCO Orlando International Airport, Orlando — 53 mi away (major hub). Directions
FL-44 runs through the city, crossing the state to New Smyrna Beach on the east coast. US-27 and US-301 are on the eastern and western sides of The Villages, respectively.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Spanish Springs Town Square, Lake Sumter Landing Market Square, Attend a Polo Match
- Lunch Palmer Legends Country Club
- Afternoon Play 9 holes of Executive Golf, Go for a swim
- Dinner Legacy Restaurant at the Nancy Lopez Country Club
- Evening Bar Kiosk
Day 2
- Morning Brownwood Paddock Square, Play 18 holes of Championship Golf
- Afternoon Try a Recreation Activity
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
There are more than 90 restaurants located within The Villages and all are accessible by golf cart. You can find everything from fast food to fine dining. Many are located in the town squares and all are open to the public.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Retirees are attracted to The Villages by its lifestyle, a combination of recreation facilities, entertainment venues and social clubs that are designed to enrich retirement living. The developer advertises The Villages as "Florida's Friendliest Hometown."
At the heart of The Villages are three old-fashioned town squares where you'll find plenty of modern day fun, including free nightly entertainment, modern movie theaters, and a colorful assortment of shopping and dining opportunities.
Residents own their homes in one of more than 50 named villages. The oldest, Orange Blossom Hills, was built in the early 1970s and is now referred to as the Historic Side. Each village ranges in size up to about 1,000 homes and has a mail station where residents collect their mail. All have a Neighborhood Recreation Center with an adult pool and facilities for shuffleboard, bocce, and horseshoes. Most have a larger Village Recreation Center that includes a family pool, meeting rooms, billiards and pickle ball courts. About a dozen Regional Recreation Centers include large event rooms, sports pools, tennis courts, basketball courts and a variety of limited sports like platform tennis and beach volleyball.
While visitors are welcome at all town squares, restaurants and businesses in The Villages, use of most recreation facilities is reserved for residents and their guests. Guest ID cards are available to those visiting friends and family, or renting a village home either directly from the homeowner or as part of The Villages Lifestyle Preview. Short term rentals in The Villages through sites like Airbnb usually include Guest ID cards.
Get in
By car
FL-44 runs through the city, crossing the state to New Smyrna Beach on the east coast. US-27 and US-301 are on the eastern and western sides of The Villages, respectively.
By bus
There is an Amtrak bus stop in The Villages for the Thruway Motorcoach, which goes from Jacksonville to Dade City.
Get around
The Villages is designed as a golf cart community and tens of thousands of golf carts share the residential roads with automobiles and bicycles. A system of multi-modal paths and tunnels keep golf carts separated from traffic on the broad boulevards where speed limits exceed 25mph. Dedicated golf cart parking can be found throughout The Villages, and it is common to see 4-5 carts parked perpendicular in a single parallel parking space, or 2 carts parked in a diagonal parking space.
A system of traffic control gates regulate the flow of traffic into residential neighborhoods. Despite the appearance of a gated community, all roads in The Villages are public. Residents swipe a card to open the gates and visitors need only to push the red button to open any gate. Numerous roundabouts regulate the flow of traffic on the boulevards.
Maps of The Villages are available for purchase at any of the Country Clubs. In addition, The Villages App is a free download and displays maps with routing for both cars and golf carts to any address or point of interest in The Villages.
See
See Spanish Springs Town Square
The original town square has a southwestern look and feel to it. Live entertainment and outdoor dancing nightly from 5-9pm. The Sharon Performing Arts Center makes its home here, along with the Rialto Movie Theater. There is plenty of shopping and dining, and special events like a monthly classic car Cruise-In. Look for the statue of Howard Schwartz, the founder of The Villages.
See Lake Sumter Landing Market Square
This colorful waterfront setting has the look of a quaint seaside village. There is free nightly entertainment and outdoor dancing from 5-9pm. Look for the Old Mill playhouse movie theater, along with a variety of shops and restaurants to choose from. Take a walk along the Lake Sumter Boardwalk, you just might see an alligator.
See Brownwood Paddock Square
The newest town square is reminiscent of an early century Florida cattle town. There is free nightly entertainment and outdoor dancing from 5-9pm. Here you will find the Barnstorm movie theater, along with a variety of boutiques and restaurants to choose from. From the square, walk south on Meggison Rd and get a picture of the impressive bronze sculptures of a Florida cowboy on horseback herding cattle across the road.
Do
Do Play 9 holes of Executive Golf
The Villages Executive Golf Trail consists of 36 nine hole courses. That's 324 holes of golf! These courses are primarily par 3 holes with the occasional par 4 or par 5. With 3 sets of tees, and difficulty rankings of 1 to 4, they will challenge even the most experienced golfer. Visitors with Guest ID cards are welcome.
Do Go for a swim
With dozens of pools to choose from, you won't have to go far to find a neighborhood adult pool or family village pool to take a dip. Resident or Guest ID cards are required. The Regional Recreation Centers have large sports pools for lap swimming and organized sports.
Do Try a Recreation Activity
The Lifestyle section in The Daily Sun newspaper has a schedule of recreation activities, or you can pick up a copy of the weekly Recreation News at any Recreation Center. You will find clubs devoted to every imaginable hobby, sport or social group, so you're sure to find something of interest. Resident or Guest ID cards are required.
Do Enroll in Camp Villages
Summer camp isn't just for kids. Grandparents join their grandchildren for nine weeks of daily summer fun activities. Try a Golf Cart Scavenger Hunt or Knockerball (think soccer and bumper cars), or dozens of other challenging activities for grandchildren of all ages.
Buy
Shop The Retirement Home you've always dreamed of
Start by taking an entertaining 30 minute Trolly Tour hosted by a village resident. You'll get a taste of village humor and see what's new in The Villages. Tours leave from the Lake Sumter Market Square sales office every 30 minutes during the day. If you want to see more, you'll have to ask for a sales agent. They won't come looking for you.
Eat
There are more than 90 restaurants located within The Villages and all are accessible by golf cart. You can find everything from fast food to fine dining. Many are located in the town squares and all are open to the public.
Eat Legacy Restaurant at the Nancy Lopez Country Club
Elegant dining overlooking the Nancy Lopez Golf Course.
Eat Palmer Legends Country Club
Fine dining overlooking the Arnold Palmer Golf Course
Drink
Drink Bar Kiosk
Look for a Bar Kiosk in the corners of each Town Square. Soda, beer, wine, cocktails and snacks are available. It is open carry for drinks in the Town Squares, so pull up a chair and enjoy the live entertainment.
Sleep
Stay safe
Be prepared for tornado events, a weather radio can be used to keep on top of any alerts.
Go next
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