South of us on US 441 is a high growth area called The Villages catering to retires. The Villages is an aggressively growing privately owned community that is adding about 250 new home starts monthly. They are expecting at build out to have over 30,000 homes.
At the same time they are building not only residences, but a whole community. The original town center, Spanish Springs, is a hub of activity with at least 7 restaurants and cafes and a square that hosts live music in the gazebo and dancing nightly. You wouldn't believe the crowds. Watching the old folk dancing and cutting up (they don't just ballroom dance) is a hoot!
The Rialto Theatre hosts 7-8 first run movies continuously and in keeping with the architectural requirements for the business district, is in an Old Southwest Spanish motif. As you stroll the sidewalks you find plaques on the buildings telling the "history" of that particular location. The stories are colorful and interesting, but don't get too involved in it. They are purely fictional. The "story behind Katie Bell's restaurant is particularly interesting.
As the community continues it's fantastic growth the developer is planning another town center to accommodate the crowds. In addition, they are building their own exit off I-75 and have built a private charter school for the residents with kids (there aren't many) but mostly as a perk for the employees of The Villages.
This is a really interesting destination for anyone visiting the Orlando/North Central Florida area.