When our plans fell through to visit some local springs, we decided to explore a nearby city called Mount Dora. By an act of serendipity we found such a gem in Florida! It’s a great place to visit several times per year since the city is always changing with its monthly festivals.

We had no idea there would be so many things to do in Mount Dora, Florida!

In case you want to visit Mount Dora, we’ve put together the guide below for you.

Click to jump to any section:

• The City of Mount Dora
• When to Visit
• How to Get to Mount Dora
• Flying to Mount Dora
• Driving Directions
• Things to Do in Mount Dora
• Festivals in Mount Dora
• Airbnb in Mount Dora
• Bed & Breakfast & Hotels
• Mount Dora Vegan Food Guide

The City of Mount Dora

Mount Dora is a charming little city in the middle of Florida located in Lake County. It was founded in 1880 and when you walk through you can sense the small town appeal. Even the main welcome sign coming into town says “Welcome to Mount Dora. Someplace Special.”

There are numerous antique shops in the downtown area and nearby museums giving the town a unique character along with it’s nickname as “The Festival City” with monthly festivals.

If you’re wondering why it’s called “Mount” Dora, it’s due to the city being on a plateau 184 feet above sea level. In a way it almost feels as if you’re in a northern town due to all the rolling hills which can give you a nice workout! At the base of the plateau the city butts right up against Lake Dora which is very popular for boaters.

Its population in 2019 was just over 14,500 people so not huge by big city standards. In the late 1800s it became popular with hunters, fishermen, and boaters so a two story hotel was constructed to satisfy the demand and soon after in 1887 a railroad was built through the town. This led to more industry and development which helped the city grow.

When to Visit Mount Dora

Mount Dora is a great place to visit year-round due to the nice Florida weather but the hot summer heat can be a bit too much for a lot of people. Generally the best time of year to visit Mount Dora is from October to April. You’ll enjoy cooler weather and less humidity in this range since it falls more in the cool, dry season. You can avoid most of the heat and also miss the main wet season at the same time.

It’s much hotter from May to September with an average daily high temperature of above 86°F. For more information, Weatherspark has a lot of great graphs to reference.

Weather isn’t the only factor though! Don’t forget to check out the events section for what time of year special events are happening. There’s a lot going on in this little city all year long!

How to Get to Mount Dora, Florida

If you’re visiting Florida, you’re most likely coming in through the Orlando area via the Orlando International Airport. While you’re visiting Disney World and many of the other touristy spots in the Orlando area, you might want to look Northwest only a short 45 minute drive to the very cute city of Mount Dora.

Flights to Mount Dora

The closest airport to Mount Dora is the Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) and next closest is the larger Orlando International Airport (MCO). It should be fairly easy to find flights to Mount Dora via those two main airports. From there you can get a rental car or grab a ride from Uber or Lyft into the city.

Airports near Mount Dora:

31 miles (49 min): Sanford, FL (SFB) Orlando Sanford International Airport
44 miles (49 min): Orlando, FL (MCO) Orlando International Airport
51 miles (1 hr 8 min): Daytona Beach, FL (DAB) Daytona Beach International Airport
112 miles (1 hr 55 min): Tampa, FL (TPA) Tampa International Airport

 

Driving Directions to Mount Dora

Mount Dora is conveniently located in the middle of the state so you can access it by a handful of main roads that connect to 441 or 46. If you’re coming from the Orlando International Airport, here are a few of the best options:

• 44 miles w/tolls (49 min): 528E to Turnpike to 429N to 414N to 441N into Mount Dora
• 43.6 miles w/tolls (1 hr): 436 to 408 to I-4E to 414N to 441N into Mount Dora
• 58.4 miles w/tolls (1 hr 10 min): 528E to 417N to 46W into Mount Dora

Driving distance to Walt Disney World, Universal, Sea World Orlando is about 45 minutes.

Things to Do in Mount Dora

Check out our video when we visited Mount Dora for the first time. Exploring, hiking, food, and more! Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more adventures. It helps us make more videos for you!

If you love walking around town, shopping, or want a nice bite to eat, there’s a lot of things to do in Mount Dora! Here’s a handful of great picks if you’re visiting for the day or a weekend. We definitely want to go back and check off a few more of these ideas.

 

1. Mount Dora Lighthouse & Grantham Point Park

This freshwater lighthouse rests on Lake Dora in Grantham Park. The park is very popular with boaters since there’s a boat ramp so there’s always action to see. Relax on a bench and watch the boaters coming and going. Stay long enough and you might even catch a sea plane taking off or landing right in the water.

2. Gilbert Park

Right across the street from the lighthouse is another local park and it’s where we tied up a couple hammocks for a relaxing afternoon. There’s a children’s playground, bathrooms, and picnic tables to enjoy an afternoon.

3. Lake Dora Boat Tours

A few boat tours operate in the area. One is 30 minutes and costs about $10 and another is a longer narrated 2 hour tour costing $28. You’ll see lots of wildlife on either tour including alligators, bald eagles, and many other forms of local wildlife. Arrive later in the day and enjoy a nice one hour $18 tour of Lake Dora at sunset!

4. Downtown Mount Dora

You could easily spend a few hours walking around downtown with all of the cute shops, restaurants, and unique spots to take a break.

5. Snap a #MountDoraHasWings Selfie

This butterfly mural is located at Papilo Mount Dora right next to a cute plant shop.

6. Renningers Antique Center & Flea Market

Pick up all kinds of unique items from antiques and more at this large flea market with hundreds of sellers. There are two large buildings and tons of open air tables that usually operate from Friday to Sunday.

7. Palm Island Park

Take a walk down a boardwalk and keep your eyes peeled for lots of wildlife including alligators!

8. Sunset Park

This park is located close to downtown and has a lot of benches to relax near Lake Dora. It’s close to the train tracks where you’ll see an old train car. It’s also close to many of the downtown restaurants and has bathrooms.

9. Trimble Park

This local park is the perfect place to go camping if you have an RV, but spots fill up fast! It’s located right on the border of Lake Beauclair and Lake Carlton. Have a picnic and enjoy old Florida, take a hike on the boardwalk, and keep your eyes peeled for wildlife like alligators! It’s also a great place to see many local birds and enjoy the views. There’s a boat ramp so it’s popular with boaters and also has a bathroom.

10. Modernism Museum

Located only a couple blocks from the heart of downtown, this small local museum features unique modern art in the form of furniture and other creations. You watch a video on modernism when you first enter and costs about $8.

11. Mount Dora Village Market

On Sundays from 9am to 2pm you’ll see tents featuring food vendors, arts and crafts, and a farmers market.

12. Historic Donnelly House

If you’re in the area check out the Donnelly house built by the first mayor of Mount Dora, John P. Donnelly. When he came to Mount Dora in 1879, he married Annie McDonald Stone in 1881 and built this house as a present to her.

13. Hike Hidden Waters Preserve Hiking Trail

Located only 10 minutes away in nearby Eustis, this one mile loop has a lot to see with a lot of wildlife and a sinkhole! Open 8 am to sunset, no dogs or bicycles, blue blazes keep you on the center Lake Alfred Trail around the sink hole, red blazes are on the upper outside Ravine Trail. You’ll find a shallow cool spring, possible snakes, birds, gopher tortoise, and many other wildlife. Be careful of the poison ivy.

Length: 1 mile

Trailhead Parking: Coordinates 28.838570, -81.660787

Smaller Alternate Parking: Coordinates 28.834413, -81.654613

 

Where to Stay in Mount Dora, Florida

Airbnbs in Mount Dora

Get up to $65 on your first Airbnb! << Use our link to sign up!

There are a handful of great Airbnbs in Mount Dora. Every time we travel to a new location, our first step in looking for a place to stay is always to see what local Airbnbs are available. Here’s a couple that caught our eye that we’d seriously consider:

Airbnb #1 – Liberty Cottage – https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21081559
Airbnb #2 – Mt. Dora Condo w/ view of Lake Dora – https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/25191262

 

Bed & Breakfast & Hotels in Mount Dora

You can make your stay in Mount Dora a unique experience by checking into one of their many Bed & Breakfasts. We’ve listed a few highly rated ones here but there are many more to choose with a quick search on TripAdvisor. We threw in one typical budget hotel that was rated well.

1. Grandview Bed And Breakfast Mount Dora
Highly Rated on TripAdvisor

2. Cinnamon Inn Bed & Breakfast
Highly Rated on TripAdvisor

3. Adora Inn
Highly Rated on TripAdvisor

4. Hampton Inn Mount Dora
Nice looking hotel on a budget

 

Mount Dora Festivals

Mount Dora is nicknamed “The Festival City” for good reason. They host several popular monthly festivals many of which occur year after year. This makes it a great place to visit many different times a year as the city takes on a different theme. Some notable festivals are:

Monthly Calendar of Festivals
https://www.whattodoinmtdora.com/entertainment/festivals-and-fairs/

Chamber Calendar
https://www.mountdora.com/mountdoramajoreventsandfestivals

 

Mount Dora Arts Festival – 1st weekend in February
Features fine works of art from hundreds of national artists including paintings, sculptures, clay, photography plus live music and food.

Mount Dora Spring Festival of Arts and Crafts – Every 3rd weekend in March
Hand crafted art for sale in the downtown area.

The Sailboat Regatta – April
Hosted by the Mount Dora Yacht Club, the Sailboat Regatta is the oldest boat race in Florida and attracts boats from all over.

Mount Dora Earth Day – April
Celebrated yearly on a Saturday around the same time as International Earth Day.

Mount Dora Blueberry Festival – Last weekend of April
A free two day event in Donnelly Park highlighting local blueberry farms that’s hosted by Visit Mount Dora.

Mount Dora Bicycle Festival – Early October
A three day event hosted by the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce featuring daily scenic rides.

Mount Dora Craft Fair – 4th weekend in October
The largest event held in Mount Dora bringing in over 250,000 people. Over 400 talented artists and crafters create paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and woodworking and is among a handful of most popular craft fairs in America.

Mount Dora Plant and Garden Fair – 2nd weekend in November
A two day event held in Donnelly Park where plant growers from all over Florida come to share.

Mount Dora Scottish Highland Festival – November
With a Scottish theme, musicians and bands gather to play music and competitors assemble to compete in Scottish Highland Games.

 

Christmas in Mount Dora

If you’re looking for a nice place to visit to get into the holiday spirit, check out Mount Dora in the wintertime. The city gets dressed up in twinkling lights and puts on a lot of great family activities. Here’s some fun things to expect during the holidays:

• Light up Mount Dora
• Mount Dora Christmas Parade
• Lighted Boat Parade
• Children’s Snow in the Park
• Polar Express Train Ride

Mount Dora Vegan Food Guide

At first glance finding vegan food in Mount Dora takes a bit of research, but we’ve listed some of the best vegan options in Mount Dora we could find.

The Salted Fry
Vegan options including hand-cut fries fried in canola oil, homemade ketchup, kombucha, and good beer options.

Fiesta Grande Mexican
Yelp reviews says vegan cheese option and soy chicken fajitas!

Duke’s Dogs
Yelp reviews state vegan hot dog options!

Living Green Health Foods
4 miles from Mount Dora
Several vegan options including smoothies, juices, coffee, kale chips, black bean burger, sandwiches, raw tacos with “walnut meat”, vegan ranch dressing, and raw vegan desserts.

Health Basket Grocery & Juice Bar
Vegan ice cream in freezer section, and typical health food store.

One Flight Up Cafe
Vegan options include hummus plate, chips & salsa, salads, hummus & black bean wrap.

Copacabana Cuban Cafe
Vegan options can be requested in their Vegetarian section including sauteed garbanzo gulsados w/white rice and plantains, veggie sandwich, and stuffed peppers.

Shiva Indian Restaurant
Typical Indian cuisine with some vegan options.

Mellow Mushroom
Vegan cheese option and veggie pizza, pretzel ordered with no garlic or butter, bruschetta no feta.

WAVE – Asian Bistro & Sushi
Vegan sushi rolls.

Cafe Gianni
Vegan dishes can be prepared upon request.

PizzAmore
Veggie pizza no cheese, Yelp reviewer claims no vegan cheese yet.

Publix
Full grocery store with great food.

Visit Mount Dora, Florida!

Mount Dora is a cute little unique town with so much character. Located on the water with an abundance of local wildlife, rolling hills, tasty restaurants, along with the fun of monthly festivals make this a great place to visit!

If you’re visiting the Orlando area, Mount Dora is only 45 minutes away and worth a visit. If we’ve missed anything or if you have any ideas be sure to put them in the comments below!

 

Tons of things to do in Mount Dora!