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America’s most notorious retirement community (48 hours in The Villages, Florida)

Explorcation

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Welcome to The Villages, the world's largest retirement community. Thanks to our sponsor, start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with Babbel 🎉. Get 20% OFF a Lifetime subscription with EXPLORE ➡ Here: https://babbel.yt.link/Zfe4YI6

The Villages is a 55+ community here in Florida that’s has over 150,000 residents and covers an area larger than Miami. Over the years it has become pretty infamous for some wild, mostly debunked, rumors about its residents maybe being a little bit too friendly.

Even though we don’t qualify to live here, we were surprised to find out we could rent an Airbnb which gave us Guest Passes to access amenities in the community as well as a golf cart, to navigate the over 100 miles of paths throughout the area. In this episode we spend 48 hours living it up in The Villages, to show you what life is really like in America’s most notorious retirement community.

At the end of the episode, don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments, is The Villages THE way to retire?

If you're interested in visiting The Villages and staying at the Airbnb in this episode you can book it here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12711047...

#explorcation #thevillages #florida
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Timeline:
00:00: Welcome to The Villages
02:26: Lake Sumter Landing Town Square
09:14: Morning in The Villages
13:42: Spanish Springs Town Square
18:10: Sawgrass Grove Town Square
23:35: Brownwood Paddock Town Square
27:46: Airbnb Tour
29:16: Eastport Town Square
31:16: Rec Center & Pool
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Disclaimer: Our videos are made for entertainment purposes and any recommendation made in our videos is our personal opinion from our research and experiences. Videos posted on this channel are our sole intellectual property. No content, nor any portion thereof, may be reproduced or distributed without our expressed written consent.
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Stock Videos Credits: All stock videos in this episode courtesy of Canva Pro & Filmora
Music Credits: All music in this episode courtesy of Epidemic Sound and the Youtube Audio Library.

20 Comments

@Explorcation Creator 1 month ago Pinned

Is The Villages THE way to retire? Let us know what you think!

Start speaking a new language in 3 weeks with our sponsor Babbel 🎉. Get 20% OFF a Lifetime subscription with EXPLORE ➡ Here: https://babbel.yt.link/Zfe4YI6

@MPerski 1 month ago (edited)

“Snowbirds” (like us) make up an est 25-35% of Villagers.
A lot of empty lanais right now.
We live in the Village of Newell (near Sawgrass) and the Citrus Grove pool is one of our “go to’s”.

Come back Oct-April to get the full effect when EVERYONE is there.

In addition to the “active lifestyle” and golf cart living, I’m still amazed how NICE everything is - landscaped & maintained … especially as big as it is. No debris, no telephone lines, no garbage cans, no mailboxes. There’s not a bad neighborhood or Village.

And most everyone you meet is happy & friendly.

@lanalohman8202 1 month ago

I've lived in The Villages since April of 2025 and I love it.

@ericmcgrane8000 1 month ago (edited)

Two days is NOWHERE NEAR long enough. I visited for 5 days, and it wasnt enough. The Villages gets a bad rap, but we had a TON of fun there.

@andyteach534 1 month ago

This is the best video we’ve seen from a visitors perspective. Thank you. We are moving there in 2 weeks.

@theresatitus-lawson3431 1 month ago (edited)

I've lived in The Villages for 10 years. When I moved here Sumter Landing had just been finished and Brownwood was starting to be built! I'm in The Village of Buttonwood and have wonderful neighbors. There is so much to do here that at times it's overwhelming. Your video showed up on my feed and I actually subscribed because I liked your video. The Villages is a fabulous place to retire. I couldn't have made a better choice. I live here full time! ❤

@DotComMomm 1 month ago

We have been here 5 years and love it!! It is like living on vacation at a resort everyday!

@markedwards5512 1 month ago

As a resident of Fenney, a few more points to consider... it's both a retirement and an active adult community since many people still have jobs. The Villages build over 3500 new homes every year and they have enough land for at least 15years. Central parkway in the Eastport area is called central for a reason. Also, there is Middleton, a non age restricted community next to Eastport with charter schools for Villages workers. A 2day visit is definitely not long enough to see or do everything. I bet you will be back.

@jaded5512 1 month ago

TV does not "feel" like a retirement community. So many ages and so much energy. I live 35 mins from there and 20 yrs to go before I retire. It is the place to be and you dont have to live there for a good time. We go all the time, unbeatable shopping, the best of the best dining and food overall, and entertainment is endless. It is clean and save and massive. Fantastic for a day trip as well as a vacation or place to call home. I hope you go back during the season to film all the other things. I will def be here to watch. I highly recommend "Harry and the Natives" restaurant (get the crabcakes) if you come back to the area! Thanks for another great video!

@MrFroglips69 1 month ago

A groovy and informative episode. Lite hearted, fun, and cute. Well done, well done indeed.

@Paintbug 1 month ago

I've been here for 5 years now and I still wake up grateful every day that get to live in this wonderful community. It's truly like living on vacation year round. I call it "summer camp for adults". With thousands of clubs and activities, there is something for everyone. It didn't take long to make a lot of wonderful friends.

@sonofmabarker 1 month ago

The HOA is called an Amenity Fee which is about $200 a month. There are over 800 holes of golf to play. About 125 swimming pools. In the summer music starts at 6:00pm because of the rainy season. Then back to 5:00 in September.

@ericroll 1 month ago (edited)

Starting at 13:13 thanks for showing The Villages app to help navigate by golf cart , it is essential! And you really need to pay attention when driving golf carts. It seems like it would be carefree, but there are some tight turns, narrow passages, and other carts and cars to be aware of.

@peggyannjohnson-hansen2746 1 month ago

You want to stay in the central area like the Villages due to the normal hurricane season that hits your beach areas. The beaches seem to have more types of sharks and rip currents . The Gulf jellyfish season is horrible. Red tides smells horrible and who wants to live near that when this happens at least once a year. Rivers are great to take a boat for viewing wild life. Parts of Florida are dangerous in the lower half of the state and outside the area of Orlando. Mid coast beaches can be great, however, check with local police first. It is best to live in Central FL and rent a Airbnb on a great day for beach fun and leave any problems that come up from time to time with the residents. Historically there is quite a bit to see in the state, take a day trip, overnight, or with a group tour, which are available through the Villages or other local Senior Recreations locations. The area around the Villages has more health care facilities available than most beach residential homes as they pack in the beach homes. Home insurance is higher the closer you get to beaches due to flooding and hurricanes. Warning with the Villages make sure you can find affordable home insurance. The biggest warning is the HOA fees. The Villages surround me and I can take advantage of items for free, or a slight fee andI use the medical facilities within the entire village area. Church is in the Villages and close for me. If any believe the crazy sexual stories you need to know these issues can happen in any location and state. The Village stories are over blown as they are in Arizona and the Gulf Shores area of the country. Make sure you understand all the rules about local wild life in Florida or any state you retire too.

@kd434 1 month ago

Thank you! We love the video! Finally, a video that depicts the lifestyle instead of focusing on the rumors. It was also a nice surprise to see you visited our village, Citrus Grove! Your videos are always top-notch! :)

@VetteGuy57 1 month ago

We live in the Villages and have seen some of your videos and was pleasantly surprised when this video popped up. Great job on the video! We have been here over 6 years and still feel like we are on vacation in a resort. We love variety and are never bored here.

@jcramton13 1 month ago

Thanks for visiting my new hometown! I've been here for a little over two years and I love it. I see that you went down to Eastport and that's the town Square I live closest to, but I'm so sad that you didn't get to Middleton because it's a very fun place also. The schools there are very impressive and there are lots of restaurants and more shops! I love it here. There's just so much to do. I'm glad you got a teeny tiny taste of what it's like to be in The Villages. I hope you come back again soon. PS you did a great job with your videography… And the information you gave was spot on!❤

@mickeystrek 1 month ago

One thing to remember about the Villages is their CCD's and the monthly amenities fees that can be high if you are living on a retirement income. Otherwise I would love it.

@markryan3124 1 month ago

Thank you so much for providing such a positive video about our home, The Villages. We do not live far from where you stayed and love everything about that area. Well done!

@rickychea8543 1 month ago (edited)

Your video is well edited and provides a very fair and accurate review of The Villages. I can’t believe all you covered in just two days. It is obviously you put a lot of time and effort into your videos and I look forward to seeing others. Based on knowing The Villages very well I anticipate the same accuracy in your other videos. Keep up the excellent work.