Mount Dora beckons with small-town charm, natural beauty TRAVEL

BY MARIA SONNENBERG

As a commercial airline pilot, Brian Stilke could literally live anywhere he wanted in the United States. Six years ago, he chose Mount Dora, 30 geographic miles from Orlando, but a million miles distinct in ambiance.

“I can be traveling for days and it always feels like vacation coming home,” said Stilke, who also owns the Olde Mount Dora Carriage Company and its fleet of horseless carriages.

It is easy to see why Stilke fell in love with Mount Dora, a town blessed with both the small-town charm of a well-heeled Mayberry as well as with an abundance of natural beauty.

“Not only am I drawn to the gorgeous Lake Dora sunsets, one of the most beautiful inland sunsets you will ever see, but I’m also drawn to the unique character of the town with its diversity of restaurants and shops because of the creative small business owners, residents and public servants that make it all possible,” Stilke added.

The city of 16,000 packs a lot of entertainment punch, with wallto-wall festivals throughout the year, an affable downtown perfect for meandering through boutiques, antique shops and restaurants and a calendar of outdoor pursuits that include the Dora Canal, one of the prettiest stretches of water in the world.

Why the name Mount Dora?

Locals are proud that their city sits on a plateau 184 feet above sea level, a considerable mountain for Florida. Pioneer homesteader Dora Ann Drawdy’s hospitality is credited for the second part of the moniker.

A popular winter retreat since the 1920s, the lakefront town cherishes its historic architecture and its grand old oaks. Beyond a slate of art shows and

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Storyteller Louise O’Leary helps orchestrate the Florida Storytelling Festival, held in Mount Dora at the end of January.

“It was my dream to live here and, 24 years after our first visit to Mount Dora, my dream came true,” said O’Leary, whose lively recorded narration of the town’s history is part of the tour on Stilke’s horseless carriages.

Come the Christmas holidays, Mount Dora’s massive display of lights attracts visitors from around the state and beyond. From City Hall to the marina, the town revels in Christmas cheer with a two-millionlight show that takes months of preparations.

The Dora Canal, which links Lake Dora with Lake Eustis, is only a mile long, but it is an unforgettable mile. Climb aboard a vessel from companies such as Premier Boat Tours, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, pilot your own lowriding, zippy cat boat from CatBoat Adventure Tours. Take your time and enjoy the incredible scenery that includes birds and wildlife galore, as well as majestic cypress trees already growing when Christ was an infant.

Whether your passion is antiquing, partying, dining, kayaking, fishing, sightseeing, biking or just sitting back and enjoying the view, Mount Dora is ready to oblige.

“Mount Dora has everything,” O’Leary said.

For more on Mount Dora, go to VisitLakeFl.com SL

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