Mount Dora, Florida 🇺🇸

Part of my Real Florida Guide

Mount Dora is a city in Lake County (although it feels much more like a little town). It can be found 45 minutes north west of Orlando.

Fact: The name ‘Mount Dora’ goes all the way back to the 1800s. Dora Ann Drawdy led a self-sufficient lifestyle through agriculture, home grown foods and craft work. She befriended federal surveyors with her warm hospitality and in 1846, the surveyors named Lake Dora after her and so began the transition from a small country town into a small city. The rest, as they say, is history. Kindness does pay off.

Mount Dora is now a popular place with those who like to spend the day fishing or birdwatching, who have an appreciation for the arts or who simply want to browse the boutique shops and finish up with a spot of alfresco lunching. You’ll also spot some flashy sports cars cruising the streets too, as this is a wealthy area.

Life in Mount Dora is best lived relaxed, carefree and soaking up the sunshine. It is brimming with historic buildings, large canopy oak trees, antique shops and two public parks – Gilbert and Donnelly. Not forgetting, the large Dora Lake, around which the city grew. There is also a pretty fancy hotel called the Lakeside Inn which has been in situ since 1883 (albeit under different guises). If you’re staying in Mount Dora, this is where you want to be!

Like any small town – sorry, city – there are little independent eateries everywhere, selling their homemade versions of key lime pie, clam chowder and the Cuban sandwich. We had a lovely breakfast/ brunch at ‘Cody’s on 4th’ – eggs ‘sunny side up’ – naturally. For somewhere that traps the sun quite as well as Mount Dora does, it’s hardly surprising that there are multiple gelato stores intertwined with the crafty and boutique-y places too. When heat wins, get your spoon into a snow cone to cool off!

Dora Canal Tour

Continuing with the theme of relaxation – and a little bit of wildlife spotting thrown in for good measure – let me now tell you about the Dora boat trip you can take.

Lake Dora is a large one, at 4385 acre. It is publicly owned by Mount Dora and its neighbouring Tavares. It’s also one of the waterways in the Harris Chain of Lakes. If you have read the part of the guide that features the Apopka Wildlife Drive, then this will sound familiar.

Whilst water-skiing and wake boarding are popular pastimes on the lake, swimming is definitely not advised as it is also home to alligators. Of course it is – find me one that isn’t!

We took a fantastic two hour pontoon boat tour with ‘Premier Boat Tours’, located on Alexander Street, right opposite the aforementioned Lakeside Inn. I can’t rate this more highly, having done it twice over the 11 years I’ve been coming to Florida. It costs $32 per person (2022 price) and booking must be made in advance to secure your spot; the boat only seats 22 and operates tours just twice a day.

The tour will begin by taking you across the lake, where you can feel the full force of fresh breeze in your face and gaze at the magnificent houses and boats – the type you’d buy with a lottery win.

You’re then taken deep into the Dora Canal, which apparently has been called ‘The most beautiful mile of water in the world’. I don’t know who by or when, but I’m not going to argue!

For a relatively narrow canal (in parts), expect to see some traffic from kayakers and small boats. Those disinterested in wildlife may like to keep their eyes open for the ‘Gnome Village’ instead!

The ‘captain’ and his guide are both extremely helpful in sharing their local knowledge. They are also talented spotters of bald eagles, snakes, herons, anhingas, alligators and turtles – including the large, snapping turtle. So take your camera along for the ride too!

Here’s my video, so you can see a snippet!

Despite its old fashioned charm and serene boat tour, Mount Dora is not just a place for ‘those of a certain age’ – come the evening, there’s trendy bars, ghost tours and live music on offer too.

Even though the Florida brochures and holiday advertisements skip the bit about Mount Dora, I think it’s equally as worthy a morning/ afternoon/ day of your time as Mickey Mouse is, if not more so.