I’m back with another guide to another town outside of Orlando that I ADORE. Mount Dora, Florida is coined as “someplace special,” and to me that couldn’t be more true. Mount Dora means a lot to me and Mo as it is one of our first most memorable trips together. We visit a few times a year and the novelty never wears off. The city of Mount Dora feels like the Stars Hollow of Florida – it’s walkable, friendly, and made up of pretty much only small businesses if you are downtown. There are a ton of adorable little shops and plenty of bars and restaurants to try. It also happens to be a town with an open container policy (which of course has ~nothing~ to do with how much we love it lol)! See below for some of our favorite happenings and things to do in Mount Dora (PS, it’s about 45 minutes outside of downtown Orlando):
Shops:
The shops here are far beyond your typical tourist-y t-shirt shops. Most of the shops are either owned by the artist themself or source their merchandise from independent artists, which is so cool! There are clothing shops, craft shops, art shops, jewelry shops, gift shops, and more – I’ve listed a few below, the ones we go in almost every time we visit.
Checkered Moon – gifts, decor, and more.
Barrel of Books and Games – bookstore.
Jewelry by TFC – one of a kind jewelry store.
Under the Cherry Blossoms – jewelry and gifts made by over 20 different local artists.
Matamo Designs – unique gifts and home decor.
There are way more shops than I can list, so be sure to explore!! You can bring your drinks into most shops but look out for the signs asking for no food and drinks 🙂
Bars:
For a tiny, family friendly sort of town, this place has a ton of spots to grab an adult beverage. There’s a bar at every corner, but I wouldn’t classify it as a typical party place. The bars are all very unique and there’s really something for everyone! You’ll find wine bars, breweries, cocktail bars, live music, dark romantic ambiance, outdoor ambiance, brunch vibes, and more! And as mentioned above, with the open container policy, you can get your drink ‘to-go’ and shop with it!
The Nest at Papilio – a cute and tiny wine bar boasting live music, quaint decor, and a door straight into the gift shop.
Maggie’s Attic – part wine bar, part gift shop. You can grab your drink (we usually go for prosecco) and explore the shop or have a seat on some of the furniture around the shop. They’re super friendly here!
Goblin Market – restaurant with a cozy, bookshop themed bar upstairs. We actually had one of our anniversary dinners here. The restaurant area is really cozy and romantic and so is the bar upstairs. It’s small, but if you can get a seat upstairs, it’s worth the wait!
The Frog and Monkey – great cocktails in this basement bar. This is great spot if you are looking for seasonal craft cocktails.
Las Palmas – Cuban restaurant that makes the best mojitos. We almost always eat here if we’re spending the day in Mount Dora. During the week they have a happy hour on the mojitos: 2 for 1! And the food is amazing.
Pisces Rising – restaurant with outdoor seating and a beautiful view of Lake Dora. You can get great cocktails here but I mainly like it for the views. There is also usually live music outside as an added bonus!
Events and more:
Other than the unique shops and restaurants, Mount Dora hosts a farmers’ market every Sunday from 9:00am – 2:00pm in Sunset Park, which is just on the edge of the downtown area (easily walkable). They do have other events, but not regularly, so keep an eye on the community calendar if you want to visit for something specific. We’ve done a few things outside of the regular shop and bar crawl:
Ghost Tour – One Halloween season, we booked a Mount Dora Ghost Tour: a two hour tour of the town and the Lakeside Inn. It was a good blend of history and humor. That same night, we actually also booked something called the Donnelly House experience. It was a bit much for me after already doing the tour – the Donnelly House is a historic home in Mount Dora, but for this experience, it was more of a Disney style attraction. We were given ghost hunting props to find paranormal activity in the house (that had been planted there purposefully for the experience). It was a little cheesy in my opinion but might be a great activity to do with older kids.
Thanksgiving Eve – The night before Thanksgiving in the states, sometimes referred to as ‘drinksgiving,’ is huge in Mount Dora! All of the bars are open late and the town hosts a feast in the alleyway right outside of Maggie’s Attic. Members of the community bring different dishes for everyone in town to share throughout the evening. It was giving me major Stars Hollow vibes. The second year we went, we started contributing by bringing cookies.
Lakeside Inn and Lake Dora – The Lakeside Inn is a famous historic inn that sits on the edge of Lake Dora and boasts STUNNING sunsets. We’ve stayed here twice and the experience was wonderful both times. Each room is unique.
Overall, we adore Mount Dora, all times of the year! There are so many tiny nooks and crannies that you can find somewhere new almost every time you visit, even though the whole downtown area is only a few blocks total. I definitely recommend visiting if you haven’t before. Thank you for reading and would love to hear about one of your visits to “someplace special” to you! xo
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