First an apology—haven’t been around much lately—Sorry but I managed to hurt my back and have spent much of the last couple of weeks lying around than I have setting or standing up.  Anyway I’m back—so let the GAMES BEGIN.

 

 

The first white settlers in what is now Mount Dora began to arrive in the 1870s but already there were small community nearby.  The oldest and largest of these, Leesburg, 15 miles west of Mount Dora, was first settled in the 1840s on the strip of land between Lakes Griffin and Harris.

                                                        All quotes are from the Mount Dora Book by Laux

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s start on 46 out of Sanford to wander Nicely into Mt. Dora as is the way to learn the area, see the sights and find the THINGS TO DO.   Route 46 goes Almost coast to coast—stops at Mims on US 1 just before the Waterway—but that’ s for another week….we’re heading west this time and we’ll start just west of I-4 and continue on.  Here the road is a divided highway which passes shops and restaurant for those who need those kind of thing.  But keep on movin’,  movin west and we’ll see.  Oh and between Orange Blvd and N. Orange Ave the road goes from that two way divided to two lane and none too wide with vary little in the way of shoulder in some areas.  Now the area use to be wooded and rather country—all that has changed and a large highway is going into the area and destroying the wet lands as well as the ambiance of the—sorry it’s a mess and a destruction of the land but that’s what the 21st Century is all about I guess.

 

 

 

The  Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park 

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Lower-Wekiva-River

Stretches north of 46 just after Yankee Lane Road (on your right/north) for more information on the park activities and accesses and how to get there just click on the link above.  Note there’s fishing and hiking along this area and you might want to take a day doing Wekiva first and then wander on to Mt. Dora your next weekend adventure.  Oh and just before the river and at the western bounds of the park you’ll see Wekiva Park Road heading north on your right again.

 

 

Now you’ve entered (from the River all the way to 441 you have entered the construction zone.  I travel this on the weekends so no problems, but you might have some delays during the week.

 

 

On the right you’ll come to a bit of Florida you don’t see much of anymore that you and the kids might enjoy  it like everything else so far is on the right of the road and in one of the areas of less construction.

Cypress Things

https://www.cypressthings.com/

Who sells an interesting assortment of cypress carved pieces as well a furniture.

 

 

 

 

 

A major and crucial improvement for Mount Dora arrived in 1887, when the Sanford and Lake Eustis Railroad came through Mount Dora on its way to Tavares.  Now the world was at it door.

 

 

 

 

 

	The Historic Mount Plymouth Hotel
	Florida Central Academy occupied the building and grounds of the 150 room Mount Plymouth Hotel, located in Lake County, Florida. Finished in 1926 at a cost of $350,000.00, the building was the centerpiece of a golfing resort.

 

 

After you pass 429 (at the yellow blinker) on your left and then past A sign on your right denoting a road on your left to

Camp Challenge….

http://www.easterseals.com/florida/our-programs/camping-recreation/camp-challenge-history.html

The Camp is owned by Easter Seals Florida and was Florida’s first barrier-free camping facility.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Mount Plymouth

With a few stores and the like but along 46 not a lot to see.  But according to the records it has about 3,000 (0r close) people residing in its unincorporated area.  Once in the good ole days—in the 1920s it was a booming golf course (reportedly patterned on the Famous Scottish St. Andrews Course) winter visitors center.   If you check above you’ll see a picture and details on the hotel that graced the area.  The hotel that had it’s own airport was reported to host the rich and famous like Connie Mack, Babe Ruth and the singer Kate Smith.  Oh and legend has it that the infamous were represented as well in the person of one Al Capone and probably a few associates.   In addition to the hotel there were individual dwellings for the visitor’s alternative places to stay.  Though the boom died down the golf course managed to remain open until 2007.   The Hotel became a private school (Florida Central Academy) in 1959, remaining open until 1983, the building was finally condemned by the county but remained standing (sort of) until it burned down in 1987.

 

 

There’s not much to see in the town now…But if you go south/ left on Route 435. and after you pass Exmoor Rd on your left that marks the beginning of the old golf course with it old abandoned fairways and greens.   You can turn left on Prestwick Ave and follow it along the course on your left.  Continue on this road which will eventually turn north, until you get to Saxamaxon Drive and turn left—back west.  This follows the northern edge of the course.  Continue on in to Lockmore Circle (the road goes to the right and straight ahead—stay on the straight ahead past Plymouth Park (have no idea what if anything this has to offer) and turn right on 435.   While you’re making the drive be on the look out for a few of the old golf cottages that were alternative living spaces when the place was a resort– that are still in existence today.

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Dora grew slowly until about 1910 when it incorporated as a town, but it did grow, and expanded more rapidly in the following decade, because of its pleasing location—not many Florida towns were on hills overlooking a lake, because the railway reduced  freight costs and simplified access for winter residents who where accommodated in several hotels and boarding houses, and because town promoters and real estate salesmen such as J.P. Donnelly, succeeded in persuading visitors to buy lots or acreage and built homes.

 

 

 

 

 

Turn left onto 46 again and head to

Sorrento 

Come back next week when we’ll look at a farm and winery as well as a haunted cemetery in this town  on our way to Mount Dora

 

 

 

 

In the interwar years Mount Dora expanded as more northerners came south–often by car–to winter in a pleasant climate…The town enjoyed the land boom and survived the subsequent depression w/o thorny difficulties, but it remained a small town.