12 minutes south, the City of Tavares runs pontoon tours from Wooton Park. $25 for adults, 2 hours, and you see three lakes plus the Dora Canal. The boat holds 49 people and has a cover. Captain Mike or Captain Ron narrate. They know the lakes: Dora, Eustis, Harris. They
10 minutes north on SR 44, Wolf Branch Brewing is in a red barn. Lake County’s first craft brewery opened in 2016 and Mount Dora claimed it immediately. The barn was a real barn. Now the silo is the entry and the hayloft is the seating area. Tanks are behind
25 minutes north, the Umatilla Municipal Airport has a restaurant called Eagles Nest. It’s in a hangar. You watch planes while you eat pancakes. The airport is small. One runway, mostly Cessnas and crop dusters. The restaurant is all windows on the runway side. Booths, counter seats, and a ceiling
20 minutes northwest near Altoona, Blueberry Hill Farm is 15 acres of u-pick blueberries on a hill. Actual hill. You can see for miles, which in Lake County is rare. April to May is season. The farm gives you a bucket and points you at the rows. Rabbiteye and Southern
25 minutes north in Umatilla, The Hideaway is a bar and grill on Lake Pearl. Dirt road, gravel lot, and a building that looks like it might have been a house, a barn, or both. Inside it’s wood, neon, and locals. The bar is 40 feet long and usually has
10 minutes south off 441, Trimble Park is Lake County’s front porch. 200 acres on Lake Beauclair with camping, cabins, a boat ramp, and the best playground for 20 miles. The park opened in the 1950s and still feels like it. RV sites under live oaks, tent sites by the
12 minutes south in Tavares, Key Lime Bistro sits on the Lake Dora canal behind the Prop Shop. It’s technically Tavares, but Mount Dora boaters claim it because you get there by water. The vibe is old Florida fish camp. Tin roof, license plates on the walls, tables on a
8 minutes north of Mount Dora, 2301 E 5th Ave in Eustis, Trout Lake Nature Center is 230 acres of what Lake County looked like before orange groves. Pine flatwoods, cypress swamp, and a 20-acre lake with no boats allowed. The center started in 1987 when the city bought the
15 minutes west in Yalaha, a German family turned a roadside fruit stand into a full-blown beer garden. Yalaha Bakery is open Thursday to Sunday and it’s worth planning your week around. Hans and Heike Winkler started with bread in 1996. Now it’s 40 kinds: pumpernickel, sunflower, pretzel rolls, apple
28 minutes north of Mount Dora, inside DeLeon Springs State Park, is the most fun breakfast in Central Florida. The Old Spanish Sugar Mill Grill puts griddles in the middle of each table. You get pitchers of stone-ground batter and make your own pancakes while the mill’s 30-foot water wheel
