10/16/2026
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People are always surprised to learn that Florida has a genuine hill town, with real elevation, old oaks, and a New England feel, barely an hour from the theme parks. It is called Mount Dora, and it has been charming visitors since the 1880s.
Perched above Lake Dora on one of the higher points in the region, the town grew up around the Lakeside Inn, which opened in 1883 and still takes overnight guests to this day. Northerners came down first by steamboat and later by rail to escape the winter, strolling the bluff, sailing the lake, and rocking on that long veranda. The brick streets, antique shops, and little lakefront lighthouse give the place a storybook quality that feels a world away from Florida's beaches and interstates.
Mount Dora leans right into it too, with festivals nearly all year and a downtown that has kept its old bones intact. It is the kind of place that reminds you Florida is far stranger and more varied than the postcards ever let on. Have you ever wandered the streets of Mount Dora?