Wedged in the middle of the State of Florida between Gainesville and Orlando hot in the summers with snakes and spiders and cold winters but no polar bears. This is one of the most multi-task cities in Florida with a high end westside and a fun lower end eastside. The Westside is growing super fast with old farm lands being bought up and restructured for world class equestrian entertainment, golf and hotel purposes. The World Equestrian Center and the Golden Ocala Golf Resort are proof of that. A few miles east (very old and scary) is basically the mom and pop society with scattered restaurants and gas stations until you hit the historic downtown Ocala area. Plenty of cafes, quirky retail shops and breweries line the streets providing a fun family environment. read more

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Nice, small town vibe. Not a lot to do on a Sunday morning into early afternoon. Clean! Lots of free parking in the several municipal lots located near the town square. Several restaurants open, serving breakfast and lunch. One place had live music on their balcony. read more

City of Ocala - Town square - Local Flavor Near Me

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Well it's nothing personal but I have mixed feeling about The City of Ocala, although I've visited the area a number of times it's never been a destination city for me, really more of a crossroads. I came here to check out the World Equestrian Center RV Park to see if this might be a destination down the road, it's located in the heart of "horse country" and the venue itself is absolutely amazing but it's existence is only because of the horse culture here and not so much about Ocala itself. There are a few things that stood out to me while driving the through the city today - I don't ever recall seeing so many giant billboards advertising law groups there are so many one has to wonder why. Whenever I see so many of these types of signs along with an abundance of quick payday loan stores, buy-here pay-here car lots, pawn shops and a large number of transients walking the streets it concerns me, not only for the community but for our country as well. I think it's a city with great potential being it's located in such a beautiful area and surrounded by so many populated communities, however it's not an area I would pick as my hometown, hopefully with the number of people moving to the sunshine state the opportunities for this community will continue to develop and improve. There is some uniqueness and nostalgia about Ocala but nothing compelling enough to sway me to do anything other than visit here... read more

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I absolutely love it here! We are originally from up North but moved from Broward. I have heard of Ocala previously but not much so I did not know what to expect. Even after 2 years of residing here, we have not even made a dent in exploration! I'm a city girl so getting used to this country living has been taking time to adjust. I did not know Ocala was the "Horse Capital of the World" until moving here. If you are a horse person, then you will definitely be at the World Equestrian Center. We still have not explored that place! I hope the restaurants there have good food because that has been difficult to find throughout Ocala. Speaking of, there are hundreds of places to eat and drink in Ocala. I will say the food is not varied regarding ethnic cuisines. There are an abundance of activities to do in Ocala. Every Saturday, there is the Ocala Market that is located downtown. The market hosts so many other events other times besides Saturdays. There is a Drive In Movie Theater, the corporate movie theaters, and the Marion Theater, which features older films for cheap ticket prices. The Christmas parade is a big thing in Ocala, as well as Light Up Ocala. You can go zip lining! The nature is gorgeous in Ocala. There are so many parks, the National Forest, and Silver Springs State Park. We have cardinals visit us everyday and most nights we can hear owls hooting. It is all so relaxing and zen like. I do enjoy the sounds of nature a lot more than shit box cars of morons who overcompensate. Unfortunately, Ocala does have some crime. I will say the Ocala police are very friendly, are thorough, and have patrolled our area heavily. There are several prisons and jails also located in Ocala. Oh and Ocala will have a Bu-cees in a couple of years! read more

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Para mi no hay ninguna atención buena en ningun restaurante de ocala llevo 6 meses se que hay personas conflictiva que todo lo quiere la comida una arriba de la otra pero si tu estas sentado en una mesa y estas consumiendo el mismo mesero que apenas abre atener quiere ya pida que se demora es mentira aqui no saben de gastronomía y de atención esa es mi humilde opinión y si hay muchas personas cliente impertinente que jamás an salido ni a ningun restaurante pero ocala ningún restaurante para mi sirve ok sorry atentamente......... read more

City of Ocala looks like it got a bad Yelp rap. I guess I don't see the problem because I have family members that live here and they treat me fine. My cousin that lives here is a musician. He must be doing well because he's got a small boy and another baby girl on the way. I'm familiar with the scene because he plays rock at various bars and for a lack of a better Ocala description "Clubs". Maybe if I wasn't visiting family I would feel different about this city. Form your own opinion..... read more

Ocala has come a long way since I moved to Central Florida back in 2001 (I moved to Orlando, Florida, to be exact). As I said, Ocala has come a long way since I moved to Florida and heard Ocala described as "Slocala." It has a cool little downtown area going for it and it has certainly continued to grow and expand, as much of Florida has. read more

I had high hopes of impacting my city and improving my professional skills so I applied for several positions in their communications/design department in my job search. When the PIO interviewer saw me immediately he got a look on his face like he didn't want me there. It was like he got to a blind date and fat girl showed up and didn't want her there from the start. There were many red flags - the terrible indeed reviews from former staff members, disorganized calls, the fact that they're trying to hire several people in one department all at once, and that the leader is new. What's more disappointing than walking into an interview and immediately knowing the person doesn't want to hire you based on how you look? I definitely view the city of Ocala differently now read more

If you're someone that calls out loudly when you orgasm, then you're an O-Caller. One of my least favourite cities in Florida and not just because I was sexually abused in the bathroom here at the YMCA here a few months ago, but also because I found people to be not so friendly on the road or in person - for the most part - and the food quality here to be lacking quite a lot. Traffic can be annoying and in general it's just not a place I would ever want to live, after all if you move to Florida why live inland anyway. And no, the abuse thing is not a joke. read more

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Humane society of Marian County is a fantastic organization to find an animal for adoption. Ewe found our precious cat, named Dancy. We have renamed her as Sweetie She is the sweetest cat .she is one year old excellent health. Chipped and has all shoptd and neutered. Sooo playful and loving. She feels at home with us and we are happy to call her ours. All of the people at the Humaine society and at Petsmatt showing the precious animals are so helpful and kind and made the adoption so simple We would strongly recommend using them to select your forever loving pet The Holders​ read more

The poor and less fortunate are not welcome in the so called horse capital of the world! Why, you ask? You need not look any further than the inhumane practices of the monopoly that is the city ran power company. What better way to control the make up of your population than with an electric utility that you have to have, and can't get anywhere else if you're dissatisfied. If your budget happens to come up short, regardless of the reason, you'll get absolutely no sympathy from Ocala power! You get just a 10 day grace period from your due date on your bill. If you need an extension, you'll only get about another 4 days to pay and they will, strictly, only allow you to get an "extension" two times a year! When you speak to an Ocala power employee about getting an extension they will be very condescending and judgemental. It's clear they do not want people who are struggling in their town! read more

Beautiful city with a perfect combination of development and country setting. It is a place I love to call home!

Worst company to work for! Never again! I waisted 6 months of my life working for that horrible company. And the customer service is very lacking. read more

First thing I did was look for the senior center activities and found...none! My previous senior center had line dancing, parties, exercise, movies, trips etc. Come on Ocala, you can do better! Second thing I did was visit the county library to check out their activities and found...none! No book clubs, no lectures, no meetings of any kind. My former library had weekend music, movies, and clubs of all kinds and author presentations. Come on Ocala, you can do better! Why are you ignoring the seniors? read more