We stopped in Mount Dora to visit with some dear friends, and fell in love with the town. Mount Dora is a quaint and historic town which sits atop the highest point in Florida (184 feet above sea level). There are actually some hills here - small ones, but hills, nonetheless.
We stayed at the Lakeside Inn, which was built in 1883 and is on the US National Register of Historic Places. The building is gorgeous, and made me feel as if I were going back in time.
There's also a steam engine which still runs...
...with an old-fashioned red caboose.
Mount Dora sits on a huge lake - Lake Dora, as luck would have it. Lake Dora is part of the Ocklawaha River basin, which eventually empties into the St Johns River.
In the late 1800's, a canal was dug from Lake Dora to Lake Eustis, which became a haven for wildlife.
We took a guided cruise down the Dora Canal, and were excited to see alligators, three types of herons, and other wildlife.
An anhinga drying its wings after swimming with only its head and neck out of the water. Weird, huh?
The boat was moving and so were they, so I was not able to get clear photos of most of them, but we really enjoyed the ride.
... my favorite bird...
White ibises strolling through someone's front yard.
We went for a walk on Palm Island, a beautiful park...
... with what I believe is a real lighthouse.
Palm Island is a beautiful place to walk and enjoy the scenery and wildlife.
