NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT

You’ll want to start early with a run on the 10-mile clay loop, a former orange grove road that runners call nirvana. It’s common to see novice athletes alongside the pros, like Olympian Sarah Haskins or 800m World Champion David Rudisha. If there’s time, stop by Southern Hills Farm to pick blueberries and sunflowers before heading downtown. LAKE COUNTY FLORIDA

Clermont’s downtown is the historic, hip center of the arts and business district. For a power breakfast, check out Cheeser’s Palace Café. Amanda Walsh offers a welcoming atmosphere and extensive menu with Clermont-centric names, such as the Montrose Crunch Salad, named after the main street.

Clermont

Snap a selfie along the Art Walk, connecting Montrose Street to Minneola Avenue. Or watch artists create their next masterpiece at the South Lake Art League Gallery.

Doris Bloodsworth

Once a sleepy, citrus town, Clermont is now known as the Choice of Champions—a nod to the Olympians and elite athletes who live and train there. Surrounded by rolling hills and pristine lakes, Clermont was named the Best City to Live In by the “Orlando Business Journal” and was chosen as a Top 25 City in America for Retirees by two national magazines.

Why is Clermont so hot? Imagine this itinerary.

For lunch, Clermont offers almost every chain imaginable. But if you’re looking for local fare, you can have high tea at Erica’s Tea Room or legendary burgers and beer at the Tiki Grill on Lake Minneola. Customers come by boat, bike, car and even seaplane!

Recreation is a big part of the Clermont lifestyle. The Coast-to-Coast Connector, a trail that will go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, runs through Waterfront Park, part of the downtown district. The 2-mile park, which hugs the shore of Lake Minneola, offers a beach, playground, splash pad, championship disc golf course, fishing piers and a pavilion, where you will find triathlons and festivals nearly every weekend. Stop at Epic Cycles World next to the park to view Italian racing bikes like the pros use. And be sure to visit the Citrus Tower nearby. It’s one of Florida’s original tourist attractions, offering a spectacular view of seven counties.

As one goes through life, one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.

–Katharine Hepburn

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