An Outsider's Look into The Villages, Florida as the 2027 Snowbirds Fly in.
2026.
Estimated read time: 14 minutes.
There are three types of people in this world, and you are one of them. You're either someone who knows everything there is to fathom about The Villages (less than 1 million people), someone who has heard of The Villages but doesn't know enough to have an authentic opinion about the place (about 200 million people), or you're someone who has never heard of The Villages (roughly 7.5 billion people). I'm a 34-year-old guy living in Cincinnati with parents who just bought a house in The Villages, a place that I've heard about, but had no idea what it actually was until just now.
I typically write articles about my experience traveling to various Irish Pubs throughout the country, and I had no intentions of writing an article about my
experience here in Florida. After spending seven nights inside this massive community of craziness, I grabbed a barstool here at the Tampa Airport and said to myself, "I have to tell the world what they're missing (and not missing)." I didn't know what to expect before flying down to check out my parents' new lifestyle, and I wasn't afraid to turn around and tell them, "Guys, what the hell did you just do?" If you're reading this, then I bet you're unfamiliar with my style of writing, but to keep it succinct: I'm blunt, I can be curt, and I dish credit where credit's due. This article may not be very curt, though.
Whether you have parents who are thinking about buying a house down here, you're debating on buying a house here yourself, or you're simply curious about it all, here's my outsider's guide to what you should know about The Villages, Florida (I promise you there's more information about the place, but I assure you that your understanding of this central Florida assembly will be accurate).
It took my parents about three or four years of contemplation to finally pull the trigger on selling their house of 35 years in Charlotte, NC for a home near Sumter Landing. They would take one or two trips a year to check out the scenery to see if they could envision themselves saying goodbye to all of the relationships they've built in Charlotte to retire in a place like this. I never took the time to actually examine what The Villages was all about while they were debating their move. All of a sudden: boom, they sold my childhood home and bought a house. I know a lot of people, and I continually meet hundreds of new individuals every week; I've spent the last four years as the Cincinnati Reds mascot, I travel the country with the goal of Stepping Foot Inside Every Irish Pub In America, and I compete in steel tip darts tournaments throughout the East Coast. In the few weeks prior to hopping on the plane to experience The Villages myself, I asked a bunch of people, "What do you know about The Villages, FL?" The responses were all over the place.
"It's the STD capitol of the world."
"I know people there, I've heard it's incredible. There are like, 50 golf courses within a single golf cart ride."
"Ew, if it's in Florida then it sucks."
"People down there have different colored loofahs, and they all mean different things. It's a community of swingers and weirdos."
"Is that the big ass nursing home for old people where they trap everyone inside like that Simpson's movie? Have fun with that."
"Yeah, that's the place where you spend like $1,000 a month to play pickleball and drive a golf cart to happy hour."
"Oh my God, your parent's will love it there, there's everything you could want. Plus, you don't have to worry about any snot nosed teenagers anywhere you go."
As a little foreshadow before I begin to tell you about my personal experience, I can confidently say that nearly all of the negative things you hear about The Villages are from people who either have a political vendetta against the state of Florida who feel like they can't say anything positive about virtually anything that comes from the Sunshine State, or they're from people who either can't afford to move down there or just don't have the means to get down there, which puts them into a position of, "Well, if I can't enjoy it, nobody can." I'll address the rumors throughout this article, but just in case you stop reading right now; don't believe everything you hear about this place. For the most part? It's flippin' awesome. Like... Inconceivably awesome.
The perception of the place online is pretty bad, and to be honest: I think most of the residents in The Villages like it that way, as it gives them a bit of a "More Villages for Me." If everyone moved here, then it would change for the worse and it would suck. I'm in the minority for someone with an online presence (a small one at that) who wakes up every week annoyed, knowing that a lifestyle in The Villages isn't possible for another 20 years due to my age. You have to remember that social media influencers make the most money when people "engage" with their content, so the more they "bash" and belittle The Villages online, the more they know people will throw in their 2 cents, which ultimately rakes in more cash for their channels, despite the fact that most of the things they say are total crap (and they know it). The loofah thing? Total crap.
Let's imbibe.
It all started in 1972 as a little mobile home park. It picked up steam in the 80s, and it's now one of the fastest growing communities in the entire nation with roughly
100,000 residents. It consists of a bunch of areas (villages, if you want to call them that) with their own neighborhoods, recreational centers, swimming pools, golf courses, and downtown areas (squares). They all include dining, shopping, and entertainment. The entire community is a little over 60 square miles in length (over twice the size of Manhattan), and you can get to everything it has to offer on a golf cart (if you don't own a golf cart here then you're lame as hell). If you want to travel from the northernmost part of The Villages down to the southernmost part on a golf cart, then you can expect it to take upwards to two hours one-way. You better have a gas-powered cart, too, as an electric vehicle probably won't get you back roundtrip. This place is huge.
It has its own radio station, WVLG, which is actually very entertaining. It also has its own daily newspaper, The Daily Sun (I'll admit, it's pretty biased, and I love it). Oh, and The Villages has its own app on the app store which makes it easy to navigate throughout the town, find any homes for sale, and check out any events happening this week and next. The people who run this place have thought through everything and deliver one hell of a product, day in and day out. They should implement a lazy river as another mean of transportation, but that's just my useless opinion. How great would that be?
There are specifically two incredible golf courses and country clubs here, and those are both in the names of Nancy Lopez and Arnold Palmer. Both courses consist of 27 holes each and have immaculate restaurants/bars. You'll find many executive courses as you drive around, but these two championship style courses in particular are remarkable.
What's a Monday to a Friday here in The Villages? Nothing, actually. It's incredibly easy to not only lose track of time, but it's almost certain you'll breifly lose track of what day it is down here at some point. Each square (downtown area) throughout the community has live music and dancing every single night of the week. The music is a full-on band with about a four-hour long set, playing upbeat tunes all night. I'm not talking about a guy with a guitar; these bands are really, really entertaining. Every. Single. Night.
Even if you get sick of pickleball, shuffleboard, tennis, bowling, table tennis, pool, cornhole, kayaking, fishing, darts, or any of the other bountiful activities; you're in luck. Unlike the weird rumors that it's a "locked in" community where the residents can't leave (that rumor is laughable and fatuous), you can always hop in your car and go wherever you want. The surrounding areas are just like any other city with banks, grocery stores, churches, libraries, fast food, and literally everything you could ask for. Orlando is just an hour drive, Tampa/Clearwater is less than two, and multiple beaches aren't much further. Many residents here go on multiple cruises each year. There are assisted living buildings down there for those who get to that needed level, but for everyone else? You do whatever the heck you want. Take the grandkids to Disney World, nobody cares.
I spent about four days waking up early, sipping coffee, perusing the Daily Sun, and listening to WLVG before leaving the house for pickleball and golf. I got back to the house at around noon for lunch, took a nap, then went back out for drinks, darts, and music. Throughout all of the activities, everyone (for the most part) was outgoing. The guy teeing off behind us at the golf course said, "I'm retired, I'm in no rush," with a smile on his face and a genuine aura of "I truly don't care what you do or how long it takes you to tee off." Of course, you're going to find some annoying people (not one city in this world is immune to that) every once in a while, especially at 4 way stop signs. I did see a few honking matches throughout the squares. Don't get me wrong: for the love of Pete, do NOT take your sweet time on the course. Don't be that guy/gal. One time, we did get stuck behind a group of ladies who moved slower than molasses and I wanted to hit towards their direction to teach them a lesson, but I unfortunately digressed.
Each village/area/neighborhood (whatever you want to call them) have their own charm and uniqueness. Some of them are better than others, and some of them offer different things, such as movie theatres/gyms/bowling alleys/etc. As you drive around, you'll also notice worthy landscaping. A simple golf cart ride could turn into an escapade, certainly after a liquid lunch (that would be innapropriate and nobody should be doing that by the way...).
Click above for a fun surprise
Sumter Landing has a Charleston, SC vibe to it regarding the architecture and waterscapes. The radio station is here as well as a few great bars. Cody's has unbelievable happy hour deals and a fun bar area for watching sports.
Good Food: Chop House | Redsauce | VKI Japanese
Fun Food/Drinks: Lighthouse Point | Johnny Rockets | City Fire
Fun Drinks/Happy Hour: Cody's Original Roadhouse
The music stage is right in the middle of the square which overlooks the water, shops, and restaurants. The visitor building here is pretty immaculate: a couple of pictures of the interior below.
Click above for a special surprise
Brownwood has a western theme to it, and you can kill a few hours drinking and shopping. There's a nice shop called The Rustic Rose which has a Kirkland's feel to it with similar pricing. You'll find some interesting things in there.
Good Food: Harvest | Bluefin | Prima
Fun Food/Drinks: World of Beer | Gator's Dockside | Fiesta Grande
Fun Drinks/Happy Hour: Cody's Original Roadhouse
Spanish Springs is an older part of town with a Spanish atmosphere. The golfing, pool areas, and bowling alley are good draw factors here. The houses here are older, but also provide a more traditional neighborhood feel to them with tall trees vs the newly developed Eastport homes where it feels a bit more like a grid.
Good Food: Bella Vita | Coastal Del Mar
Fun Food/Drinks: Amerikano's
Fun Drinks/Happy Hour: Blondies
Eastport is the newest area to The Villages. It's modern, there's still a lot of construction, and it's my least favorite area. It's also a very long drive from both Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs.
If I could have it my way, I'd want to live in a house somewhere near Sumter Landing, as you are in the middle of everything. With that being said, I do plan on moving here one day, so for the love of Pete: don't buy a house there, because I still need the market value to be relevantly affordable by the time I get there, and like I said before; the more people that flock, the worse The Villages will get. Perhaps I should start bashing on the place like everyone else... Damn it.
Sawgrass isn't necessarily a "square" with its own "downtown" area, but it's definitely a spot for Villagers to venture out and kill time (yes, they're called Villagers). If you only have time for one "square," then don't come here or Eastport (my useless opinion). Although, there is a neat miniature golf course here at Sawgrass where some of the holes hug water and you have to putt the ball a good 30 to 50 feet.
Rec Centers
You'll find a bunch (and I mean a butt-ton) of rec centers. Some of them are smaller than others. The "regional" ones are where you'll find impeccable bathrooms, rental spaces, and full-on auditorium styled halls with their own stage. There are 14 regional centers alone throughout The Villages, all with their own charm. It's incredible.
Each center has its own theme, and the people who constructed these things left NO STONE unturned. Once you experience one of them, you're instantly going to want to visit the rest of them. They're cool. They range from presidential themed, to wilderness themed, "barbie-ish" themed, lake vibes themed, and... well, just take a look at these photos. Here are just a few different centers.
These photos don't do The Villages much justice, and there are way better attributes/areas that I failed to capture. Such as a really fun "miniature golf" course where some holes are over 60 feet long as you are surrounded by water, palm trees, and wildlife (not the one in Sawgrass from earlier, but a different one, and a better one).
One thing to point out as well, as briefly mentioned above regarding surrounding shops/grocery stores. There are plenty of estate sales, thrift/antique stores, and golf cart shops to get you started once you're down here. If you wanted to sell your home up north and essentially leave all of the bulky stuff such as the couch/heavy furniture that you don't mind saying goodbye to behind, you'll have no problem finding nice furnishings at anytime of the year to fill up your new home.
Fun tidbits about The Villages
Golf Courses: 50+
Restaurants: 100+
Golf Carts: 70,000+
Golf Cart Pathways: 100+ miles
Holes-in-Ones recorded each day: 2+
Pickleball Courts: 250+
Swimming Pools: 110+
Baseball/Softball Fields: 15+
Lifestyle/Hobby Clubs: 3,000+
US Veterans: 20,000+
Live Music/Nightly Entertainment: 365 days each year.
The Villages is over twice the total square mileage of Manhattan.
At the end of the day, The Villages is absolutely perfect for anyone who wants to retire where it's warm with an abundance of activities. It's perfect for both snowbirds and full-time residents. Keep in mind, nothing in life is perfect, and we all lay in the bed we made each night. The Villages won't tickle your fancy if you're someone who's going to expect everything to be catered to you with a smile. You still have to want to get out of the house and experience it all with a good attitude. There are certainly some grouches down here, and they'll help dampen your day if you let them. Just don't let them (that's everywhere you go, though). Personally, if life treats me well enough, I will 100% be a snowbird while keeping my summers up here in Cincinnati, the Appalachian mountains, and New England.
It's near impossible to get bored of the same routine here, because of the colossal number of things to choose from. If you're not into golf or pickleball, it's never too late to pick up archery, pottery, woodworking, moviegoing, dancing, boardgames, poker, glass fusion, or whatever it is. When I look at what it would be like living in Cincinnati in my golden years, I can name a hundred things I'd be missing out on in an average city like that vs here in The Villages.
Nothing is for everyone, but I stand firm on the fact that the vast majority of people who talk down about The Villages are those who simply don't have the means necessary to enjoy it for themselves.
The Villages slaps. I'm off to another barstool.
Hey WVLG, give me a shout! Let's have a fun radio session one morning!
Slainte.
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