I signed up for a lifestyle visit to the villages in a few weeks...

[rayinpenn]

It will be DW, SIL, Pooch and me. Super SIL first comment “Isn’t that where all that stuff was going on? That isnt us” I did a little digging and there has been some allegations of the Villages being “the STD and partying capital of the world.” I then spoke to some residents and they said yes occasionally there are people that have a beer too many at some of the gatherings. But no excess partying is not the norm excess golf is. They did not see any validity to the STD comments.

First I figure nothing ventured nothing gained. We will be in Florida anyway a few days more in the sun cant be bad. If it is not us we will find out soon enough. And yes I could see myself playing pickle ball with some people my age. Golf just isnt my thing.

Anyone else out there give it a try?

 

[Red Badger]

Keep us posted, Ray.

We're currently "aging in place" in our SFH, but no real plans when (or if) upkeep takes too much toll. Retirement communities are not off of our list of options.

 

[MichaelB]

Anyone else out there give it a try?

There have been lots of threads on the Villages, Ray, and hundreds of posts. You must have missed them.

 

[HadEnuff]

ray, I've been in TV 5 times, this winter for the entire Jan-March period...I have friends who live here.
I've been to 7 or 8 dinner parties. I'm sure if one were single, and wanted to find a one-nighter of companionship, it could be done. However, my experience, being married, and my friends all being married, you won't have any problem avoiding that scene. My guess is that it would take much more work and effort to get an STD here, than it would take to avoid it.

Unless you can pick one up playing dominos (Mexican Train is big here), or some similarly risky post-dinner card table entertainment, I feel I'm pretty safe here.

Enjoy TV.

It is not hard to find a general antipathy towards The Villages in print media. I'm not sure what the genesis of it is, but I think there is a certain amount of envy of the folks who've made literally billions of dollars developing it, and the folks who've found satisfaction living there. It's not necessarily the cheapest place to live, so I suspect some of the negativity comes from folks who don't have the means to be included.

 

[rayinpenn]

There have been lots of threads on the Villages, Ray, and hundreds of posts. You must have missed them.

I have no doubt but I wanted a fresh view.

 

[rayinpenn]

HadEnuff: <b>“ray, I've been in TV 5 times, this winter for the entire Jan-March period...I have friends who live here.

It is not hard to find a general antipathy towards The Villages in print media. I'm not sure what the genesis of it is, but I think there is a certain amount of envy of the folks who've made literally billions of dollars developing it, and the folks who've found satisfaction living there. It's not necessarily the cheapest place to live, so I suspect some of the negativity comes from folks who don't have the means to be included.” </b>


Thanks,
You’ve been there 5 times which says a lot. I agree if you listen to the negative Nelly’s out there you’ll never do anything. At 64 I’ll Do research but I want to see for myself.

 

[MichaelB]

I have no doubt but I wanted a fresh view.

My brother was there recently and said not much is “fresh” there ..

 

[rayinpenn]

My brother was there recently and said not much is “fresh” there ..

Lol, I suspect not but I am afraid Im not too fresh myself.

 

[misshathaway]

Anyone else out there give it a try?

I was there earlier this month staying in an AirBNB. I'm not a golfer and I was just using it as a home base to look at other 55+ communities.

It was too big and busy for me. The traffic was like city driving at times. The golf carts, if you are a car or a pedestrian, make things worse.

But I didn't try to use any of the amenities except for a local "athletic center" which was too crowded to use at 7am on a week day.

 

[Dtail]

Never been there, but some things heard from folks who have been.
Tons of clubs and thus things to do with golf, pickleball and softball very popular.
Can get very crowded during the snowbird season.
Areas outside the Villages don't have many restaurants to choose from.
Ages of the different communities can vary greatly.
Will just say that the "leanings" of the area is way on one side.

 

[Nick12]

There were articles in the UK Daily Mail about the dark side of the Villages. Viagra galore, thriving swingers scene, 10 women to 1 man ratio, cheap alcohol. Anything to sell newspapers.

 

[Silver]

There are lots of other communities in central Florida so I wouldn't limit your "look-see" to just the Villages. Del Webb, Top of the World, High Vista at Ridgewood Lakes, Four Seasons, and others. Solivita is, to me, the "other" Villages because it's so large, but also very nice.

I've been to the Villages many times and I like it. But it's not the only game in town. Just the most notorious one.

 

[Col. Klink]

You may want to pick up a copy of this book prior to your visit. It is quite a satirical look at The Villages.

Leisureville: Adventures in America's Retirement Utopias
Report by Andrew D. Blechman

We live at Citrus Hills, about 45 minutes west of The Villages. We do go over there occasionally to shop and dine but it is too crowded for my taste. As was previously stated, look at other locations as well. Most have the Discovery Tour available.

P.S. if you go to Katie Belle's, keep the collar on your golf shirt in the down position and see that your wife does not wear silver shoes

 

[youbet]

I have no doubt but I wanted a fresh view.

So we should study the many previous threads and only add “fresh” comments and observations here in your thread? OK.

 

[Pellice]

RayinPenn, one question I think you should consider and evaluate IS about the golf. From everything I've heard and read about the Villages, golf is king there. Very large number of courses, and a population focused on golf. The rest seems to be secondary. If you aren't into golf, it might be good to look for other communities.

 

[ponyboy]

I had relatives that lived at the villages, they recently moved out. Not really sure why but they didnt seem to like it anymore.

If you're a golfer, it sucks. There's a lottery system where they pick your tee times, if you can even get a tee time. Thats really lame.

 

[HadEnuff]

I had relatives that lived at the villages, they recently moved out. Not really sure why but they didnt seem to like it anymore.

If you're a golfer, it sucks. There's a lottery system where they pick your tee times, if you can even get a tee time. Thats really lame.

the golf is pretty good here, not as nice as the private club my folks belonged to down in Bonita, but it also didn't cost 25K initiation and does not cost $500/month to maintain your membership.

There are a lot of golfers, and a lot of courses. In order to maintain some sense of equity there is a system in place to spread the golf around. It is not, however, a lottery.

I won't try to explain it all, but you put in several courses, and a time range, 4-7 days in advance, and they tell you where and when you will play. Selection priorities are based mostly upon how frequently you have secured times in the last week.
On top of that, if you are a single or double looking for a slot in the next 1-3 days, you can find openings based upon time, and/or course. It's crowded, no question. But unless you are paying big bucks for a super exclusive private club, most places in Florida, in the winter, are going to be crowded.

 

[ponyboy]

But unless you are paying big bucks for a super exclusive private club, most places in Florida, in the winter, are going to be crowded.

I wouldnt say that. I was in FL early Jan and had no issues getting on public courses..3 different ones. This was in Jacksonville though. Temps were in the high 60s to low 70s my entire stay. PRobably not quite as warm as the villages, but warm enough for shorts. I will say, it was busier than when ive been there in past in July. Rarely ever ran into anyone on the course, which is the way I like it. 95 and humid...bring it on!

You're right...its not a lottery, I said that wrong. I do remember about the 7 day thing. Either way, it still sucks.

 

[robnplunder]

I never visited the village but researched it before my RE. All you can play golf at multiple courses enticed me. But things like weather, snow-birders making things scarce in "on" season, lack of diversity, etc., turned us off. Also, many on this forum suggested looking at other FL options instead of the villages. It isn't for everyone but there is a bit of premium for what it offers.


There are a few threads on this topic if the OP has time to read through.

 

[HadEnuff]

I wouldnt say that. I was in FL early Jan and had no issues getting on public courses..3 different ones. This was in Jacksonville though. Temps were in the high 60s to low 70s my entire stay. PRobably not quite as warm as the villages, but warm enough for shorts. I will say, it was busier than when ive been there in past in July. Rarely ever ran into anyone on the course, which is the way I like it. 95 and humid...bring it on!

You're right...its not a lottery, I said that wrong. I do remember about the 7 day thing. Either way, it still sucks.

Yeah, I was visiting a friend in J'Ville and we played a public course. It was nice and not crowded. We were discussing that, and we decided that a big factor was that it wasn't in a "retirement" enclave. Working people lived there, and they were, well, working, so during the week it was pretty open.

Also, of note, the "free" Villages golf is all on the "Executive" courses, which are 9 holes, mostly all par 3s, some have one or two very short par 4s. There are "Championship" courses which typically have 3 nines. If you are a resident, or a renter, they cost 42-59$ depending upon some other stuff, too complicated to get into here.
It's a retirement community, so for a large segment of the population here, the executive courses are perfect.

All of the courses get a lot of play this time of year, and grass grows slowly, so conditions can get a bit scruffy in certain areas. But generally, pretty good IMO for the cost.

 

[Midpack]

We were resigned to finding a home in a 55+ community mostly because they seemed to be the only developers building modern ranch plans - we do want a 1-story. Fortunately, lots of production builders are offering ranch plans, with more coming all the time - clearly due to Boomers. 2-story homes took over and they're still the most popular, much lower $/sqft which appeals to McMansioners.

We visited several Epcon and Del Webb communities, and concluded we would NEVER live in a DW community. Epcon was better because their communities are deliberately smaller, and their home selling approach is much less shady than DW. I detailed my DW experience here a few years ago, total BS. We seriously considered Epcon, but we're over that.

Now you couldn't pay us to live in a 55+ community even though we're 62 & 65 YO. IME old people in groups love to complain, some people are happy with that, we wouldn't be at all. And the new 55+ communities look all bright and shiny when they are new and the median age of residents is 60's - but 20 years later when the median age is much higher, it's a pretty sad community, no thanks. When I go for a brisk walk, I just don't want to see more people with walkers and canes than without. YMMV

 

[Dtail]

We were resigned to finding a home in a 55+ community mostly because they seemed to be the only developers building modern ranch plans - we do want a 1-story. Fortunately, lots of production builders are offering ranch plans, with more coming all the time - clearly due to Boomers. 2-story homes took over and they're still the most popular, much lower $/sqft which appeals to McMansioners.

We visited several Epcon and Del Webb communities, and concluded we would NEVER live in a DW community. Epcon was better because their communities are deliberately smaller, and their home selling approach is much less shady than DW. I detailed my DW experience here a few years ago, total BS. We seriously considered Epcon, but we're over that.

Now you couldn't pay us to live in a 55+ community even though we're 62 & 65 YO. IME old people in groups love to complain, some people are happy with that, we wouldn't be at all. And the new 55+ communities look all bright and shiny when they are new and the median age of residents is 60's - but 20 years later when the median age is much higher, it's a pretty sad community, no thanks. When I go for a brisk walk, I just don't want to see more people with walkers and canes than without. YMMV

+1 despite the myriad of activities offered.

 

[HadEnuff]

We were resigned to finding a home in a 55+ community mostly because they seemed to be the only developers building modern ranch plans - we do want a 1-story. Fortunately, lots of production builders are offering ranch plans, with more coming all the time - clearly due to Boomers. 2-story homes took over and they're still the most popular, much lower $/sqft which appeals to McMansioners.

We visited several Epcon and Del Webb communities, and concluded we would NEVER live in a DW community. Epcon was better because their communities are deliberately smaller, and their home selling approach is much less shady than DW. I detailed my DW experience here a few years ago, total BS. We seriously considered Epcon, but we're over that.

Now you couldn't pay us to live in a 55+ community even though we're 62 & 65 YO. IME old people in groups love to complain, some people are happy with that, we wouldn't be at all. And the new 55+ communities look all bright and shiny when they are new and the median age of residents is 60's - but 20 years later when the median age is much higher, it's a pretty sad community, no thanks. When I go for a brisk walk, I just don't want to see more people with walkers and canes than without. YMMV

+1 despite the myriad of activities offered.

I don't see too many canes and walkers here in TV...I see lots of old folks though. On bikes, inline skates, walking, running, playing pickleball, dancing, doing yoga, swimming etc etc...I played golf with a 91 year old guy the other day and he took a nice athletic swing...could hit it 175...not bad.

I was tooling around in my golf cart the other evening, after hitting some golf ball and I definitely smelled the distinctive aroma of burning marijuana.

But I agree, it's not for everyone..It is a strange sort of culture. In a way it reminds me, somewhat ironically, of when a certain segment of baby boomers were preaching the "turn on, drop out" philosophy, in that the culture of TV is one of sort of having "dropped out" of regular society.

adding to the irony IMO is the tendency that I see for those most critical of the lifestyle are the ones who would have been most supportive of the 1960s version of "dropping out".

 

[Col. Klink]

There are also master planned communities in Florida and elsewhere that are not age restricted. I live at one of these. Many offer amenities just like the 55+ over type. When I go to the gym early in the morning I see the 30 - 50 crowd in there working out prior to heading off to w*rk. You see the younger folks early at the gym or for happy hour at the Tiki Bar. Probably 75% of the residents here (at Citrus Hills) are in the 55 - 70 category. The really elderly are in one of three eldercare communities that serve the area or have moved back north to be near their kids. We really don't see the wheelchairs and walkers.

 

[Tom52]

The Villages (TV) has approximately 125,000 residents, it covers approximately 32 square miles, the developer is completing/selling approximately 10 new housing units per business day. Sale prices of new/used homes increased 8.6% last year and are expected to increase the same amount in 2019.

Based upon my research there is no other 55+ community that has as much to offer, for the price, as in TV. It is much more than a golfers paradise. It is often referred to as a Disneyworld for seniors. If you have an interest or hobby there is likely a club already organized that you can join. There is free live music at three different town squares every night. There is always something to do. You will only be bored if you want to be bored. We want to try pickleball as well. Sounds like a good way to meet new friends.