Recreation

When describing Lake County, of course the obvious attraction is the lakes. The 1990 count by the Lake County Water Authority showed 1,735 bodies of water 1/4 acre in size or larger. There were 17,297 boat registration decals sold in Lake County during the one-year period 6/1/97 to 5/31/98. The county is well deserving of its reputation as a water sports mecca.

Lake County is one of only a few destinations in Florida with rolling hills to climb, thus offering challenging golf, hiking and bicycling. A sport and nature lover's paradise, with average 75 degree temperatures in the "winter" months, we offer year-round outdoor activities:

	Golf, including professional tournaments. Numerous private and public courses offer challenging play year round. NCAA Division II Men's Championship at Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, May, 2002. Dragon Boat Festival, Art Festival, Bike Festival, Arts & Crafts Festival,...We're the Festival County!!!
	Antique Boat Festival. The 16th annual Mount Dora Antique Boat Festival is held in March. This event, the southeast's largest antique boat festival, will take place on the shores of Lake Dora, at Gilbert Park, next to the downtown shopping area, and opens each day at 9:00 a.m. This year, the festival will showcase the history of Chris-Craft boats built before World War II and feature more than 230 historic, antique and classic boats in the water and on land.  Also featured will be amphibian cars, antique outboard engines, a nautical flea market, the Antique and Classic Boat Society Ships Store and a Woody car display, children's activities, food and drink vendors, and more than 100 dealers selling furniture, pottery, glass, jewelry, silver and advertising  memorabilia.
	Dragon Boat Racing - Central Florida Dragon Boat Festival is also held in March at Hickory Point Park, Little Lake Harris, Tavares. Sponsored by the Tavares Rotary Club, the event, with free general admission and parking, will raise funds to help the local community.
	Bass Fishing Tournaments.  The Florida Citgo Bassmaster Tour Jan 6-12, 2003 was held on the Harris Chain of Lakes, and was be televised on ESPN2.  BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) has held several MegaBucks tournaments on the Harris Chain in  past years. The Southern Bass Trails Pro Team Tournament, was held Jan, 2002. Lake County hosts numerous local tournaments, weekly and monthly. Ramp and docking facilities county-wide.
	Water-Ski Championships. World renowned training facilities. Hosted World Disabled Water Ski Championships. Famous water ski school in Okahumpka.
	Sky Diving Competitions. Paragators in Umatilla; Skydive Deland, Inc in nearby Deland.
	Motorcycle Festival. 7th Annual Leesburg Bikefest. Tens of thousands of bikers from throughout the U.S. came to downtown Leesburg April 25-27, 2003. It was a non-stop street party featuring Live bands, Ms. Bikefest Contest, Rat's Hole Custom Motorcycle Show, Biker Games, Festive Food, Vendors.
	Bicycle Races. Annual Bicycle Festival in Mount Dora, each October; Paisley Woods Bicycle Trial in Paisley; north to south Florida National Scenic Trail; events hosted by CFT/Sommer Sports; Florida Freewheelers Club monthly bike rides.
	Equestrian Competitions. Fiddler's Green Ranch in Altoona; Sharpton Stables in Altoona; Continental Acres Equine Resort & Carriage Museum in Weirsdale; Rocking Horse Stables, Altoona..
	Triathlons. Great Floridian Triathlon XII USAT National Championship Oct, 2002, in Clermont, one of only three Ironman distance triathlons in the U.S.; Lake County's largest sporting event, is made up of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike and a 26.2-mile run. Triathlete Magazine has called it "one of North America's best triathlons." Also set is the World Corporate Games (triathlon/bicycle), Sept, 2002, Clermont.  The $7.9 million USA Triathlon Association's National Training Center, a multipurpose facility in conjunction with South Lake Hospital and Orlando Regional Healthcare System and CFT Sports (Central Florida Triathletes) are headquartered in Clermont.
	Shooting Sports Competitions. The Eustis Gun Club, Inc. with an outdoor range in south Tavares, hosts regular competitions in Single Action Shooting Society (SASS); sporting clay, trap and skeet; black powder; bullseye; IPSC; silhouette matches; and CMP program.  The range is open daily to members.  (P.O. Box 1284, Eustis, FL 32727)
	Polo. The Villages Polo Club in Lady Lake.
	Sailing Regattas. On Lakes Eustis and Dora. 50th Annual Mount Dora Yacht Club Regatta at Gilbert Park, April, 2003.
	Antique Boat Festivals. Annually in March on the waterfront in downtown Mount Dora; and annually in October at the Eustis Lake Walk on Lake Eustis.
	Glider Rides. Seminole-Lake Gliderport in Clermont.
	Parasailing
	Earth Day Celebrations. All-day event, annually in Wooten Park, downtown Tavares. Mount Dora Earth Day Concert, Donnelly Park, Sat., April 19, 2003. Free family event featuring popular music from the 50's to today.
	Art/Craft Festivals:  The 28th annual Mount Dora Arts Festival, a juried art show, with artists from 35 states showing paintings, photography, sculptures and other artwork in downtown Mount Dora, was held Feb 2003.  Lake Eustis Crafts Festival is scheduled for late February in conjunction with the Washington Birthday celebration and is a juried show, open to handmade original arts and crafts; on the lake in Eustis. The 26th annual Leesburg Art Festival will limit the number of artists accepted to as few as 175 in order to show only the best fine art and crafts; in downtown Leesburg in March. The annual Mount Dora Craft Festival is also on the downtown streets each year in October. Exhibits at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, the Lake Eustis Museum of Art and the Lake County Cultural Affairs Council's Art in the Round and Art in the Square shows in Tavares will continue to offer venues for dozens of artists from Central Florida. GeorgeFest 2003 - Eustis - a parade, carnival, juried craft show, and fireworks display was held February 18-23 with non-stop entertainment. This year was the 101st George Washington's Birthday Festival. This is the longest running parade in the State of Florida. (top of page)
Nature-Based Recreation Includes:
	36 County Parks
	Numerous City Parks
	Preserves (Crooked River, Double Run, Eagle Ridge, Fern Prairie, Flat Island, Flowing Waters, Hidden Waters, Lake Norris Conservation Area, Lake Tracy, Oklawaha Picnic Grounds, Sawgrass Island, Scrub Point, Tanner, Treasure Island, Wolf Branch Sink)
	Lake Griffin State Recreation Area, Leesburg
	Lake Louisa State Park near Clermont and the Green Swamp (near State Road 50 and U.S. Highway 27) is a 4,372-acre park and was recently selected by the park system to be the first park in the state targeted for construction of new cabins. Fifty "cracker-style" luxury cabins, a camping area, group-camping facility, park store, second ranger station, new picnic areas, hiking trails, boating concession stand and boat docks are scheduled to be built. The park has 19 miles of equestrian trails, five miles of bike lanes, two swimming beaches accessed by winding boardwalks plus fishing and picnicking areas. A large-scale reforestation project will begin in February, 2002.
	Emeralda Marsh Type II Wildlife Management Area (WMA), near Grand Island/Leesburg, on Lake Griffin. Approximately 6,476 acres of natural wetlands including stocked areas for fishing and a marsh flow-way system that will aid in the cleansing of water in Lake Griffin. The area provides bird watching, fishing, nature walks, waterfowl hunting, horseback riding. Air-powered boats, all-terrain vehicles, tracked vehicles and motorcycles are prohibited.
	Hickory Point Recreational Facility, in Tavares on Lake Harris. 68-acre public waterfront park offers 12 boat ramps, restroom and vending facilities, a two-story picnic pavilion, outdoor picnicking area, day slips for boats, fishing piers, nature boardwalk, a swimming beach, and soccer fields. Created and operated by Lake County Water Authority.
	Boating. The Lake County Water Authority was created in 1953 to protect and manage Lake County's lakes and wetlands. Since 1983, it has funded a Lake County Marine Patrol deputy and watercraft to help ensure that those using the waterways do so safely and in accordance with state and local regulations. Slow Speed Minimum Wake and Idle Speed No Wake zones are restricted. These zoned areas are established to protect the public's best interest. In Lake County, all public access man-made waterways that are connected to lakes, streams, creeks and rivers are designated Idle Speed No Wake unless otherwise posted. The Harris Chain of Lakes flows north to the Ocklawaha River, Silver Springs, the St. John's River and ultimately, the Atlantic Ocean. Lake County is home of the famous Dora Canal where boaters can enjoy stately moss-covered oaks, a rookery for nesting great blue herons, anhingas, cormorants and egrets, wood ducks and year-round and migrating songbirds. Several tour boats regularly cruise the lakes and canals and include trips to Silver Springs and special occasion cruises.
	Ocala National Forest, northeast Lake County. 70,000 acres dedicated to camping, hiking, horseback riding, bird watching, boating and seasonal hunting.
	Trout Lake Wildlife Preserve, Eustis. 230 acres, a bird watcher's delight, tropical plants & butterflies.
	Discovery Gardens at Lake County Horticultural Learning Center, SR 19, Tavares. Educational resource in a park-like setting with self-guided tours.
	Bird Watching. Countywide. Home to bald eagle, wood stork, sandhill crane, osprey, great blue heron, great (American) egret, limpkin, purple & common gallinule, cormorant, anhinga, Louisiana (tri-colored) heron, little green (green-backed) heron, yellow crowned night heron, wood duck, pileated woodpecker, kingfisher, endangered scrub jay and dozens more permanent and migrating birds. Click "lakes" for more information on waterways. top of page