I really appreciate the idea behind the Friends of the Library in Belleview--offering discounted…read morebooks is a wonderful resource for the community. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this location at this time due to its extremely limited availability. Being open only one day a week from 10 AM to 2 PM makes it very difficult for many people, especially those of us who work retail or have weekend schedules, to ever visit. It ends up feeling more like a missed opportunity than a true community resource. I understand this is a volunteer-based program, and I respect the effort that goes into it. However, expanding the hours--even slightly, such as offering more days or extending to a full-day schedule--would make a huge difference in accessibility. I hope to see this location grow and become more available in the future, because the concept itself is truly valuable.

Tucked away in Belleview you might miss this gem. So many books! So inexpensive. Mainly 25 cents…read moreto 2 dollars. Great for families. Nice selection of "once read" books plus lots of fiction and non-fiction. Only open Friday and Saturday.

William John Howey (January 19, 1876 - June 7, 1938) was an American real-estate developer, citrus…read moregrower, and Republican politician from Florida. He founded and served as mayor for the town of Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida where he developed and sold citrus groves, becoming one of Florida's greatest citrus developers. He was one of the first citrus growers to send fruit from Florida to England. In 1921 he opened Florida's first citrus juice plant. He ran for governor on the Republican ticket in 1928 and 1932. Mr. Howey's prominence led to many distinguished guests visiting the Howey mansion, These included Lord Bathhurst of England, H.B. McNeal, publisher of Golfer's Magazine, golf master Chick Evans, Kansas Governor Alfred Landon, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Phillip's of petroleum fame, and President Calvin Coolidge who was guest of honor at an all-male dinner party in February 1930. Mr. Howey's former home near Lake Wales, Florida became the site of Florida's Bok Tower at the Bok Tower Gardens. In 1925 Mr. Howey commissioned a 20 room mansion in the town he founded. The architect was Katherine Cotheal Budd. During WWI she designed temporary lodgings known as hostess homes for women who were visiting their husbands at military training camps. Budd is credited for creating 72 lodgings with a homelike atmosphere and the Howey House is one of a few existing examples of her work. The Howey Mansion was designed in the popular Mediterranean Revival style. The house is set back on a wide lawn with wrought iron gates and a long horseshoe drive. The entrance to the home features an elaborate, two story bas relief frontispiece .The massive front door and the woodwork on the first floor is made from peaky cypress. Leading to the second floor is a graceful curving stone stairway with a wrought iron banister. Other features of the home include three large fireplaces, a ballroom-size drawing room, enormous beamed ceilings, and a servant call-bell phone system. There is even a hidden passage behind a sliding bookshelf panel in the library. The original 15 acres grounds of the mansion were called The Park and included many botanical plants and shrubs. On March 6, 1927 The Park was the host site for an open air concert performed by the New York Civic Opera Company bringing the top opera singers of the day to the mansion for a concert for the community. The mansion was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Place on January 27, 1983. On April 12, 2017 it was listed for sale at $480,000. The new owners are Brad and Clay Cowherd, Orlando real estate investors who have made period-accurate restoration of the house. I visited the Howey Mansion for the Founders Day Festival. Admission for tours of the home was discounted to $10. The Howey Mansion is available for private rentals like weddings while historical tours are also available Monday through Friday at 11am. The Founder's Day event included a local market, food trucks, live music, and family activities. I enjoyed visiting the tents and touring the mansion including the hidden bar in the basement that was created during prohibition. Behind the mansion, is a trail through the woods that will take you to the Georgian marble mausoleum where the Howey family is interred including William J. Howey (1938), daughter, Lois Valerie Howey (1941), and Mary Hastings Howey (1981). This year Centennial Founder's Day Celebration, marked100 years since the town's founding in 1925.

What an incredible place! We really enjoyed the tour Fran and Mercy gave us. They were extremely…read moreknowledgeable about the property and you can tell they love what they do. The property itself is gorgeous. If you're looking for an event space, you're in luck they rent it out for weddings and other events.

Howey-in-the-Hills was founded by William John Howey. On May 8, 1925 Howey-in-the-Hills was…read moreincorporated as the Town of Howey. In 1927 the name was officially changed to Howey-in-the-Hills, this was done to reflect the location of the town in an area of rolling hills. The town's iconic water tower stands at an elevation of 85 feet, the fate of the water tower that was built in the 1920s has been the topic of many conversations due to some possible structural issues under full load and the aging infrastructure, well with the recent upgrades to the city's water system and the addition of a new storage tank it seems this iconic tower will be around for years to come - it will be interesting to see how the restoration will go to preserve a big part of Florida's history.

The current Mount Dora City Hall sits on top of a hill at 5th and Baker Streets but it is not Mount…read moreDora's first town hall. The original town hall was built in 1904 on the corner of 4th and 5th Avenues on the east side of Donnelly Street by volunteers with donated materials. This town hall existed until 1922 when a fire damaged it and most of the block. In the 1880's the land where the city hall now sits was owned by the Reverend Guller built a hotel called the Guller House. The Gullers sold it in 1889 and the property changed hands several times until the 1920's when Mr. Enoch Tompkins purchased the Guller House. He remodeled it and added columns to give it a colonial look. After that the building was known as the Colonial Inn. It was again sold several times and in 1929 Mount Dora leased the property for $1,000 a year, eventually buying it for $15,000 in 1931. City business was conducted in the building until 1963 when the building was deemed too outdated to be be functional. Architect Brandon Wald, was hired in the 1960's by the city to create a new building that looked as close to the Colonial Inn as possible while making the interior more functional for the city. The 1920's pillars were retained to decorate the front of the building. On May April 3, 1964. Mayor Jessie Wilmott, Governor Farris Bryant, and other government officials dedicated the new town hall. Although not a building from the 1920's, Mount Dora's City Hall looks like it came from that time period. Today it sits on top of the hill overlooking Donnelly Park and holding court over lovely historic downtown Mount Dora.

A decent and granduese looking city hall. Located in the heart of Mount Dora, very close to…read moreGilbert park. The town of Mount Dora began in 1874 when the area was settled by David Simpson, his wife, and two children. ... In 1846, the surveyors named Lake Dora after her, and in 1883 the town was renamed after the lake. The Mount in Mount Dora reflects the fact that the town is on a plateau 184 feet above sea level.

Mount Dora historical town deserves 5 stars. This little town is beautiful. There are so many…read morewaterfront parks, restaurants as well as beautiful and quirky boutique shops. Unfortunately, the person that helped us at the Chamber of commerce did not really know the town and could not direct us to the things we were looking for. Perhaps she just needed further training. She mentioned she wasn't from the area, but her lack of knowledge put us off. I hope this improves soon because Mount Dora historic district has so much to offer, it would be a shame to have people miss out on things.

How cool is this little town and the Chamber of Commerce?? Totally awesome in my opinion…read more I can't say enough good things about how proud they are of their town, and how amazing they are at organizing Festivals. We had heard about this quaint town by various friends but finally made it up to the Annual Bike Festival. A++ for organizing this event. It was cohesive, easy to maneuver and nothing but smiles and cheeriness from the volunteers. A++ for Pride in their town and showing it through hard work. So the Arts & Crafts festival and the Art Festival are coming up. Guess who is definitely coming up?? Yes.. ME!

Bad experience with two not disabled people parking for 30 minutes in handicapped parking. These…read morepeople were parked in the disability parking spot for over 30 minutes looking at their mail giving no consideration no others, and as you can see, they are not physically disabled. They were screaming at me when I asked them about parking there and even followed me in, still screaming at me inside this post office. They may rent a mailbox there, so be aware they are combative mean-spirited and rude.

The Summerfield Post Office staff was very friendly and a joy to work with on Passport Application…read moreprocess. 5 Stars to Dianna!

Very cool historical park. Been going by it for many years and finally stopped by. Being there in…read moreperson where one of the largest battles happened was really an emotional feeling. The old kapok trees here are beautiful. There is one in particular

The movie "Naked in the Sun" made in 1956 in an area where Disney World is today, was about…read moreOsceola, the Dade Massacre, and eventual war. My father was a producer for Empire Studios (NY & FL) that made it. I was a young boy then but went on location several times and saw the filming. I have the original script, on location 8x10 pictures, and a VCR copy of the film I bought many years ago. Having grown up in Orlando, I don't remember this topic in any Florida history class, maybe it was paragraph of two but having learned the history the way I did, I would have recognized it. It wasn't a big movie but Floridians appreciated it. It was made in color which was rare at that time. Local High school boys skipped school to be extras and play Indian or soldier roles, my father later told me. I was there when the massacre scenes were shot and remember the loudness of the canon and rifles. Actors in the movie were public-known but not as well as Clark Gable types. The movie ran 90 minutes. I'll copy my VCR to CD so it can last a while longer. For history buffs, it's worth looking for online.