MOUNT DORA, Florida

After hearing so much about historic downtown Mount Dora, Florida, we decided to book a weekend getaway to explore it ourselves. We left late afternoon on a Friday and arrived at Woods-N-Water Trails RV Park which is only a few miles from the town. We camped under a shady oak tree on Site #105 with full hookups and a cement patio. The RV Park has many permanent residents in mobile homes, but they are beautifully kept and the grounds are well maintained. It is pet-friendly and has many great amenities such as full hookups, free wifi, a clubhouse, woodshop, heated pool, boating, fishing, biking, planned activities, laundry facilities, and more. The back of the park is situated directly on Lake Saunders and has a nice boat ramp and dock.

The following day, we took an Uber into town and walked down to the pier to enjoy the water views. We walked up and down the streets, explored all of the unique shops and boutiques, and strolled over to see the Mount Dora Historic Inn. For lunch, we enjoyed Vaca Frita and Ropa Vieja at Las Palmas Cuban Restaurant and later stopped for ice cream at Scoops on 5^th. The time went by so fast that we did not get to explore the museums, take a boat tour, ride the train, or visit the Renninger’s Antique Center. You definitely need more than a day to see and enjoy everything that there is to do here. Don’t forget to pass by “The Starry Night” Van Gogh house when you visit. 

 

After a nice dinner back at the RV, we walked down to the boat ramp to enjoy a beautiful sunset on Lake Saunders. The weekend went way too fast and we will definitely come back again for a longer stay.

For more information about Mount Dora and Woods-N-Water Trails

please visit:

https://www.whattodoinmtdora.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Dora,_Florida

http://www.woods-n-watertrails.com/

BOK TOWER GARDENS, Lake Wales Florida

Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, Florida

In February 2018, we grabbed some friends and took our RV over to Bok Tower Gardens in Lakeland, Florida for the day.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the café and then explored the beautiful tower and gardens.  Afterward, we went back to the RV and enjoyed a charcuterie board with beverages before driving back. Since we didn’t arrive early enough to truly enjoy this treasure, we will definitely be back soon.

The history behind the creation of Bok Tower Gardens originates with Edward William Bok, who was born in Den Helder, Netherlands on October 9, 1863. Edward Bok immigrated to Brooklyn, New York when he was just six years old, and in 1896, he married Mary L. Curtis. The Boks began spending the winter months in the residential Mountain Lake Community located adjacent to “Iron Mountain”, one of the highest hills in Florida. While taking long evening walks to the hilltop to enjoy the scenery and wildlife, he realized that this place of peace and serenity should be preserved. The Bok’s purchased the land and hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmststead Jr. to create the gardens and serene nature paths.

View from the hilltop

The 205ft “Singing Tower”, built out of pink Etowah and gray Creole marble and coquina stone, was designed by architect Milton B. Medary and stone sculptor Lee Lawrie. It houses a 60-bell carillon that was designed and built in 1928 by John Taylor Bellfoundry, Ltd. of Loughborough, England. The “Reflection Pond” is a moat surrounding the tower filled with beautiful plants and koi fish. It was created to attract wildlife and capture the beauty of the Singing Tower in its reflection. The interior of the tower contains a library, archives, and the playing room where the carillon’s clavier is housed. 

On January 9, 1930, Edward William Bok passed away in Lake Wales within sight of his Singing Tower and is buried at its base.

The Singing Tower's reflection

Also located on the property is Pinewood Estate, a twenty-room Mediterranean Revival mansion on approximately eight acres. Built in the early 1930s by C. Austin Buck, and named "El Retiro", it was originally used as Buck’s winter residence. It was acquired in 1970 by Nellie Lee Holt Bok, daughter-in-law of Edward Bok, and fully restored so that it can be enjoyed by visitors to the gardens.

Pinewood Estate

For more information about Bok Tower Gardens, visit https://boktowergardens.org/.

ST AUGUSTINE / NORTH BEACH CAMP RESORT, St. Augustine, Florida

Welcome Sign to the City of St. Augustine

Our second RV trip was a weekend getaway in January 2018 to the oldest city in the United States. We stayed on Site #3 at North Beach Camp Resort, which is situated on a barrier island just 4.5 miles from historic St. Augustine off of Coastal Highway A1A. Its location was perfect! The front of the resort faces the beach access on the Atlantic Ocean next to The Reef restaurant and the back of the resort is located on the channel of the Tolomoto River, next to Aunt Kate's restaurant. It features cabin rentals, RV sites with full hookups, tent camping, campground store, laundry, bathroom, and shower facilities, an outdoor pool, and more.

Entrance sign to North Beach Camp Resort off of Highway A1A in St. Augustine, Florida

Site #3 was very spacious and semi-secluded

The camp resort had a nice pool area

We arrived late on a Friday afternoon and after getting situated, we walked across US A1A to the beach access. Although it was cloudy and overcast, we still enjoyed the beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. We then took a nice long walk around the campground and noticed that some of the sites were occupied by friendly, long-term residents who decorated their sites with landscaping, accent lighting, and other personal touches. Some strung tiny lights in the tall oak trees which looked like fireflies twinkling in the night. Unfortunately, our camera could not capture the beauty of everything lit up. 

After dinner, we enjoyed a glass of wine while watching a movie under the stars on our outdoor TV. The weather was beautiful. We kept the RV windows open all night, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore lulled us off to sleep.

View of the ocean just across the street from the camp resort

We got up early the next morning and took an Uber over to downtown St. Augustine. Founded in September of 1565, St. Augustine features Spanish colonial architecture and is home to the 17th century Castillo de San Marcos, and many historical sites. We entered through the Old City Gates and wandered down St. George Street and then up and down the many cross streets throughout the city, stopping in the many shops and historical sites. We had a nice lunch at Pizzalley's Chianti Room where we enjoyed their house salad and delicious deep-dish pizza. After lunch, we continued walking through the town exploring the oldest home, schoolhouse, jail, several churches, museums, bed and breakfast inns, hotels, unique shops, and other historical sites.

Entrance into the city

Castillo de San Marcos

Ripley's Believe It Or Not

Legendary Fountain of Youth

One of the most outstanding sites we explored was Flagler College which was founded in 1968 and features beautiful Spanish Renaissance architecture. The building was originally constructed as the Ponce de Leon Hotel by Henry M. Flagler and was completed in 1887.  During WWII, it was taken over by the federal government and used as a Coast Guard training center.  After the war ended, it reverted back to operating as an exclusive luxury hotel. Due to declining visitor numbers, Ponce de Leon closed in 1967 but reopened in 1968 as a private four-year liberal arts college. 

It was such a beautiful day that we walked halfway back to the resort before grabbing an Uber to take us the rest of the way. We made a nice dinner in the RV, then strolled down to the lake to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  

There is so much more to explore in this area, too much for one day, so we'll be back again in the near future.

For more information about North Beach Camp Resort, visit:

https://northbeachcamp.com/

OUR FIRST RV TRIP - Devil's Den Spring, Williston, Florida

Devil's Den, Williston, Florida

Eager to get acquainted with our new RV, we decided to camp at Devil’s Den Spring located in Williston, Florida.  We selected this campground after seeing recommendations from other RVers and travelers on Youtube.  Lily, our 15 year-old calico Persian cat came along on our trip and enjoyed the ride.  

Having no prior RV experience, we packed up and set out after work on Friday afternoon and arrived just as it was getting dark. We camped at site #11 which had full hookups, was decently level, and surrounded by mature trees. Dan immediately went outside with a flashlight and hooked up the utilities while Ellen prepared dinner. Lily sat in the window and kept a close watch on Dan to ensure that he did everything correctly. Much to our surprise, he had it all hooked up in less than 20 minutes.  

Our campsite, Site #11

Lily supervising RV hookup

Full hookups at Devil's Den

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and sipped glasses of red wine to celebrate the first night in our RV.  It was actually cold that evening and needed to run the heat to stay warm.

The next morning, we set out to explore the grounds and spring. Devil’s Den Spring is an underwater cavern formed thousands of years ago when the ground collapsed creating a path from the surface to the aquifer below ground. The cavern spring maintains a year-round temperature of 72 degrees, contains ancient stalactites, fossil beds, and visitors can snorkel or dive in its crystal clear water. The surrounding property has separate designated areas for tent camping, full hookup sites for RVs, and on-site cabins that can be rented. There is a heating swimming pool, changing areas with bathrooms and showers, pavilions with picnic tables and charcoal grills, a gift shop, and more. 

Devil’s Den Spring is also a certified scuba diving training center. Groups of people arrived to snorkel and dive in the spring but we chickened out due to the cold weather. We will come back when the weather is more favorable to enjoy the spring and spend more time exploring the area.

Staircase down to the cavern and spring

View from ground level looking down in the spring

We will always cherish our first RV trip and were very blessed to have experienced it with Lily. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer and died peacefully when we returned home.

For more information about Devil’s Den Spring, visit http://www.devilsden.com/.

WHY AN RV?

We love to travel and own a timeshare, but in order to enjoy the many resorts located across the 50 states, we would fly roundtrip and miss out on seeing the beautiful and unique places in between.

About two years ago, we caught an episode of Going RV and our minds starting spinning. An RV would allow us to travel in comfort, use our own bed, restroom, and cook healthy meals along the way. Enjoying the journey is just as important as the destination and what a better way to do that than by traveling in an RV?

The next question was – what type of RV would fit us and our lifestyle? Class A, B, C, fifth wheel, travel trailer??? We decided to start getting educated. After two years of research, watching Going RV and countless YouTube travel videos, visiting several dealerships, and attending many RV shows, we were finally educated and knew which type would fit us best. We knew that we wanted a smaller RV that is easy for the both of us to drive and not be restricted from certain campgrounds and national parks due to its size. It also had to have comfortable seating and bedding, a roomy interior with plenty of storage, a nice bathroom, workable kitchen with good-sized appliances, ample outdoor storage, outdoor TV, a propane generator, and be self-contained for boondocking. 

In December of 2017, we purchased a barely used, fully-loaded 2016 Renegade Venetian 25VHAB Mercedes Diesel Sprinter with only 4500 miles on it, with everything we wanted and more! Needless to say, we love our RV and are enjoying every minute we spend traveling in it.

2016 Renegade Venetian 25VHAB