A city with a small town feel in Central Florida is Mount Dora. My son lives only 25 minutes away and yet I had never been. My sister came to Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday and my plan is to show her a few sights in Central Florida. Mount Dora is at the top of the list.

Here’s some of the city’s history: “Local legend suggests that the large, beautiful lake upon which the city grew is named for Ms. Dora Ann Drawdy (1819-1885), who homesteaded in the mid-1800s and befriended federal surveyors with her warm hospitality. In 1846, the surveyors named Lake Dora for her, and years later, in 1883, the small but growing town was named for the lake.” Why Mount? To reflect the fact that the settlement rests upon a plateau 184 feet above sea level – an unusual feature in Florida.

Upon arriving, we walk down to the Elizabeth Evans Park right on Lake Dora. You can see the iconic lighthouse across from the park. There are boat tours of Lake Dora and kayak rentals available. The tours allow you to also cruise the Dora Canal, a one mile man-made canal linking Lake Dora to Lake Eustis. In the late 1800’s it was a major commercial waterway before the railroad came to the area. The boat tour schedule doesn’t work for our schedule today.

Wandering the town’s historic district with the various shops, restaurants, and novelty stores is a nice way to pass a couple of hours. Many of the buildings are from the early 1900’s with a few from the 1890’s. Each historic building has a sign with the building’s history. The shiny signage does not make it easy to photograph because of glare in the day.

The oldest building is the Lakeside Inn. Actually, it claims to be the oldest operating hotel in the State of Florida. Sorry to have missed it – on the list for the next visit! https://lakeside-inn.com

We were focused on looking at the Lawn Bowling Club across the street.

The second oldest building in town is the Donnelly House. Built in 1893, now a Masonic Temple. It seems it is quite the place to visit as part of a nightly Ghost Tour.

Our plan was to have lunch at The Goblin Market; unfortunately, it is closed on Monday and Tuesdays. We opted for one of the Cuban restaurants, Las Palmas. Tasty Cuban sandwiches.

A few more shops after lunch and some pictures of the various Christmas decorations. Our tour is complete.

Mount Dora will definitely be worth a return visit especially to see everything we missed!