Karendy Cottage

10/09/2026

Always makes the list.✔️

Skip the tourist traps and explore 10 charming Florida towns filled with walkable streets, local flavor, and Old Florida character.

09/23/2026

Always a great trip.🍃

There’s plenty to love about downtown Mount Dora, but some of our area’s most remarkable sights are found beyond its charming streets.

Today, we’re taking you somewhere with more Spanish moss than storefronts.

Just beyond Lake Dora lies one of Central Florida's most remarkable waterways. The Dora Canal, often called "the most beautiful mile of water in the world", is a jungle of towering cypress trees, abundant wildlife and fascinating Old Florida history.

And you don't need your own boat to explore it. Chamber members Dora Canal Premier Boat Tours, Rusty Anchor Mount Dora and CatBoat Adventure Tours offer three ways to experience the canal, whether you prefer a narrated sightseeing cruise or taking the helm of your own two-person catamaran.

Our latest Meet Me in Mount Dora feature takes you through the canal's history, introduces you to its wild residents and shows you how to experience this incredible stretch of Florida for yourself.

Read the full story: https://business.mountdora.com/blog/meet-me-in-mount-dora-5704/post/mount-dora-has-a-jungle-you-just-have-to-get-on-a-boat-to-find-it-43380

09/23/2026

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We said what we said.

In this essay, we will make the case that Mount Dora is the Stars Hollow of Florida.

For anyone who did not spend years conducting “primary-source research” by watching Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow is the fictional Connecticut town where everyone knows everyone, local businesses are institutions, festivals require full community participation, and Christmas is basically a municipal identity.

So we applied the scientific method to Mount Dora.

We considered the festivals. We examined the Luke’s-to-Cody's on 4th hypothesis. We reviewed evidence of Lakeside Inn, Mount Dora's suspicious similarity to Stars Hollow's Independence Inn. We factored in the antiques, arts, hills, lake, Jane Austen Fest and an upcoming Ice Cream Stroll and Pup Walk that sounds exactly like something Taylor Doose would have put on the town agenda.

Then we got to Christmas.

Light Up Mount Dora. The Christmas Walk. The Christmas Boat Parade by Rusty Anchor. An entire downtown wrapped in lights.

At that point, the thesis practically wrote itself.

Read our deeply serious, definitely scientific analysis on MountDora.com: https://business.mountdora.com/blog/meet-me-in-mount-dora-5704/post/hot-take-mount-dora-is-the-stars-hollow-of-florida-43369

So let's test the theory with the scientific method:

IF a small town has beloved local haunts, historic inns, eccentric festivals, antique shops, familiar faces everywhere and an almost unreasonable commitment to Christmas, THEN it may be Florida’s Stars Hollow, BECAUSE we have watched enough Gilmore Girls to know what we’re looking at.

Checks out to us!

09/03/2026

Yup, here we are!🏠⏳🕯️⚱️🧺🏺🧸🪑🛍️📚

Uncover the Florida antique town treasure hunters can't stop talking about

08/23/2026

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Explore Florida's hidden Victorian gem

08/13/2026

No surprise that Mount “Adorable” is at the top of the list!💛

Florida’s cutest downtowns are packed with charm, cafés, boutiques, and walkable streets you’ll want to explore ASAP.

08/12/2026

For his fans.💿

You probably don’t expect to find part of David Bowie’s private design collection while walking through downtown Mount Dora.

But behind one door on Fourth Avenue is Modernism Museum Mount Dora, home to more than 75 pieces of radical Memphis design, including works once owned by Bowie himself. The museum describes its current exhibition as the largest gathering of Memphis objects ever presented in an American museum.

Our latest Meet Me in Mount Dora takes you inside one of the most unexpected cultural experiences in town and explores the bold design movement, the Bowie connection and why this collection is so remarkable to find right here in Mount Dora.

Read the full story: https://business.mountdora.com/blog/meet-me-in-mount-dora-5704/post/david-bowie-s-private-collection-is-hiding-in-downtown-mount-dora-43161

Did you know this was hiding on Fourth Avenue?

08/07/2026

Of course Mount Dora made the list!🏡🎥🎬🏠

See Florida towns beautiful enough for Hollywood movies

07/13/2026

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We've rounded up the most outdoorsy towns in Florida, from hiking and paddling destinations to charming communities surrounded by natural beauty.

05/20/2026

Lazy day at the cottage.☀️🐾🏠🐾