It’s hard to believe we’ve spent a whole year in Mount Dora. (That’s about 45 min NW of Orlando, in case you were wondering). We have really come to love this little town, so full of life and it’s own culture. There’s usually something happening on the weekend, whether it’s a craft fair, music festival, farmer’s market or charity fundraiser. That’s not to mention the nightly live music at just about every bar and restaurant, the monthly food truck bizarre, and the sea planes taking off from the lake all winter. It’s a boutique town, full of mom and pop shops, including a store catering specifically to your dog. The winter months do fill the town with snow birds, but even in the summer the locals keep it interesting; and every evening greets a beautiful sunset over Lake Dora.

Lake Dora

5th Avenue, night before the annual Arts & Crafts Festival

Wandering the Arts Festival. Not unusually, downtown streets were closed off and open to pedestrians only.

Enjoying a Maggie’s wine tasting

Our favorite place in Mount Dora is Maggie’s Attic, a wine bar/bottle shop, and our local beer oasis. We immediately felt at home there, and not just because of the craft beer. The friendly staff was quick to remember us and make us feel welcome, and soon enough we had become regulars. Maggie’s is obviously a great place to imbibe, but besides that it is a community hub. The people we’ve met there and the experiences we’ve shared at Maggie’s events will be remembered for a lifetime. We’ve had the pleasure of sharing the company of people such as the former mayor of Mount Dora, the couple who raises hunting dogs for charity, local home brewers and the ex-soldier retelling his encounters in Europe. It’s a special place.

Inside Maggie’s Attic

I did say beer oasis, right?

Swapping stories at the bar

Jimmy

Jerome