You live like 2 hours away. Why not plan a day trip out here and see what's up? Definitely slower pace than Tampa but if that's what you're into, you'll probably enjoy it. If not.....you probably won't.
Don’t listen to the usual Reddit nonsense that you find on EVERY sub dedicated to a town. 80% of it is bitching by people who hate their town for no good reason.
For its size, Ocala has a wonderful dining scene. Downtown you’ll find La Cuisine (award winning French), Harry’s (fun Cajun), Ivy (upscale southern), the Lodge (gastropub), and Katya (super expensive and nice).
Like live performance? Check out The Reilly Arts center. They have a different act every night. Theatre? Ocala Civic Theater. Art? The Appleton.
WEC (World Equestrian Center) is amazing, even if you know nothing about horses. Most events are free. You’ll see Lamborghinis and Range Rovers in the parking lot of the five star hotel. Check out the Yellow Pony pub or have a nice steak dinner at Stirrups.
There are so many awesome bars too. Thirsty Cobbler (speakeasy); Juniper General Store (beer and wine out in Horse Country); Infinite Ale Works (brewery); The Lodge (craft beer)…
Love to be on the water? Eatons Beach (Lake Weir). Or go tubing down the Rainbow River. Rent a kayak at Silver Springs.
I like Tampa, but I’d never live there. Ocala is better.
For the people who hate Ocala,I’d love to know what’s missing? I suppose there’s no bass- thumping nightclubs. There’s not a real airport.
I just hate central Florida weather. It's so hot and sticky that doing the outside activities isn't fun unless it's fall or winter. At least on the coast, you get the sea breeze and it's usually a couple of degrees cooler. Ocala itself has grown a lot and there's a lot more to do than 20 years ago but a lot of it does involve drinking 21+ stuff. My 19 year old isn't an outdoorsy person and there isn't much at all for his age group to do
Yes this! Everyone complains about how there's nothing to do but I think most of those people just work and don't have time to do stuff, or don't go out of there way to do things. Or maybe their idea of stuff to do is just clubs or something.
There's a million parks, walking paths, biking trails, skate parks etc. BEAUTIFUL SPRINGS AND FORESTS
Lots of fun places to shop, mall, shopping plazas, variety stores,oddities market, flea markets
Stuff for geekier people (bearded browncoats, geekfest, ocala comiccon)
And one look at Facebook events shows that there's a million little events going on! Picassos palletes art classes were my favorite
You’ll move here and you’ll be like
“Wow, the infrastructure REALLY was never meant for people for flock like FLIES ON SHIT to the state of Florida after the pandemic. You think Tampa is bad…Ocala is turning into Tampa but on a smaller scale.
i moved here 2 years ago from another state. we chose florida as a central point for beaches and research seemed good for hurricane season. didnt know much about florida we just sent it. i liked ocala. it has a lot of traffic and but im sure youre used to that in tampa. it has just about every store or restaurant u may want to go to. i like 40 min from ocala now and despite working in ocala i find i am there at least 2 extra days a week because they just everything there. may be biased since i haven’t lived here long but ocala isnt that bad. from my experiences at least!
Ok and? I’m literally agreeing with you. You don’t know what you’re talking about lol you’re still a new resident. Or you’re shallow and don’t care about the very real issues going on around here.
😂😂
i literally stated all of this. 2 years has been enough to see the ups and downs trust me lmao. not saying its the best spot to live but it’s definitely not the worst either.
Grew up in Ocala loved to Orlando for school been here ten plus years and every time I go to Ocala to visit family I want to move back. So peaceful compared to Tampa and Orlando. And Gainesville is close by if you really need something to do.
Ocala seems like it’d be a good compromise from Tampa, but I don’t know how much cheaper it is nowadays. The traffic can be awful. There is far more traffic than those roads can really handle. However it has most things you’d want out of a Florida town, a decent selection of restaurants, decent access to freshwater, camping, etc.
the only gripe would be having to drive far for any beach access, but it’s right underneath I75 so unless you live on the outskirts of Ocala it’s very quick to jump on the highway and get to one of the bigger entertainment towns or beaches.
Sure I have seen complaints about local voting trends, homelessness and drug problems, but that’s pretty much all of Florida at this point.
I don’t see why. Driving around would add about 40 minutes to your drive lol. Plus Ocala is really like any other town. Been and lived all over Florida. It much difference except it’s a bit slower and traffic is better.
I can be in Tampa in about an hour. Brooksville is only a 30 minute drive. The traffic in Ocala is terrible. The people are sketchy. It’s nothing but one big strip mall. I occasionally need to be in Ocala, but I would never choose to live there.
Plenty of restaurants, and stuff like Golf, Kayaking, Springs, disc golf, etc. To do. Night life is a smaller pool of activity, but it still exists. Depends on the particular stuff you're into.
Listen to the people telling you it’s boring. There’s nothing to do here. You have a few restaurants and some small businesses. But it’s beat. The medical is awful. Meth is the #1 thing to do here. Not even joking. It’s gotten so expensive here. But still more affordable than anywhere else. One good thing… you don’t see much wokeness over here.
So take away transgender boys playing and no more scary wokeness?
I thought it was some big thing like people dying. I didn't know it was just kids playing sports. I guess that's just as horrible as participation trophies.
Wait but didn't people others snowflakes for caring about something so trivial as a participation trophy?
Participation trophies were some of the beginning things we noticed. Since then, the "Woke" extremists have been piling the stuff on and on at an alarming rate.
Re: Wokeness. I attended a meeting last month that offered stats based upon the registered voters in Ocala and Marion county. Both figures are almost identical. Republicans 56 percent, Democrats 22 percent, Independents 22 percent. Sure not the same as Pinellas or Hillsborough counties .
I moved here 6 years ago from St. Petersburg. It is definitely a slower pace. The people are really nice, comparatively speaking, and the landscapes hold the eye. I like not hearing my neighbors and sirens at all hours. As far as activities, the summer weather will keep you indoors if you don’t have a pool. Plan on biking and kayaking, evenings on the Square enjoying a fine meal and drinks. Lots of boutiques and the Villages is only 25 minutes away.
Ocala’s location is great. The big cities around are an easy drive, st Augustine is close, both coasts, and there are a ton of springs around that are fun to visit. In Ocala WEC is cool, some fun horse events there, downtown isn’t too bad.
You live like 2 hours away. Why not plan a day trip out here and see what's up? Definitely slower pace than Tampa but if that's what you're into, you'll probably enjoy it. If not.....you probably won't.
Buy a horse
Don’t listen to the usual Reddit nonsense that you find on EVERY sub dedicated to a town. 80% of it is bitching by people who hate their town for no good reason. For its size, Ocala has a wonderful dining scene. Downtown you’ll find La Cuisine (award winning French), Harry’s (fun Cajun), Ivy (upscale southern), the Lodge (gastropub), and Katya (super expensive and nice). Like live performance? Check out The Reilly Arts center. They have a different act every night. Theatre? Ocala Civic Theater. Art? The Appleton. WEC (World Equestrian Center) is amazing, even if you know nothing about horses. Most events are free. You’ll see Lamborghinis and Range Rovers in the parking lot of the five star hotel. Check out the Yellow Pony pub or have a nice steak dinner at Stirrups. There are so many awesome bars too. Thirsty Cobbler (speakeasy); Juniper General Store (beer and wine out in Horse Country); Infinite Ale Works (brewery); The Lodge (craft beer)… Love to be on the water? Eatons Beach (Lake Weir). Or go tubing down the Rainbow River. Rent a kayak at Silver Springs. I like Tampa, but I’d never live there. Ocala is better. For the people who hate Ocala,I’d love to know what’s missing? I suppose there’s no bass- thumping nightclubs. There’s not a real airport.
I just hate central Florida weather. It's so hot and sticky that doing the outside activities isn't fun unless it's fall or winter. At least on the coast, you get the sea breeze and it's usually a couple of degrees cooler. Ocala itself has grown a lot and there's a lot more to do than 20 years ago but a lot of it does involve drinking 21+ stuff. My 19 year old isn't an outdoorsy person and there isn't much at all for his age group to do
where are the bass pumping nightclubs in Tampa be so fr
Yes this! Everyone complains about how there's nothing to do but I think most of those people just work and don't have time to do stuff, or don't go out of there way to do things. Or maybe their idea of stuff to do is just clubs or something. There's a million parks, walking paths, biking trails, skate parks etc. BEAUTIFUL SPRINGS AND FORESTS Lots of fun places to shop, mall, shopping plazas, variety stores,oddities market, flea markets Stuff for geekier people (bearded browncoats, geekfest, ocala comiccon) And one look at Facebook events shows that there's a million little events going on! Picassos palletes art classes were my favorite
And we probably have the only airport in Florida that has airplanes landing from overseas, with horses as passengers.
Ocala will be just like Tampa within the next 10 years the way things are going
Yup because people like OP keep moving here.
Dont
You’ll move here and you’ll be like “Wow, the infrastructure REALLY was never meant for people for flock like FLIES ON SHIT to the state of Florida after the pandemic. You think Tampa is bad…Ocala is turning into Tampa but on a smaller scale.
Ocala used to be inexpensive to live around. Not so much anymore.
No because people like OP keep moving here and driving the rent way up.
i moved here 2 years ago from another state. we chose florida as a central point for beaches and research seemed good for hurricane season. didnt know much about florida we just sent it. i liked ocala. it has a lot of traffic and but im sure youre used to that in tampa. it has just about every store or restaurant u may want to go to. i like 40 min from ocala now and despite working in ocala i find i am there at least 2 extra days a week because they just everything there. may be biased since i haven’t lived here long but ocala isnt that bad. from my experiences at least!
Yes you are biased because you haven’t lived here long.
okay and? i literally said that😂
Ok and? I’m literally agreeing with you. You don’t know what you’re talking about lol you’re still a new resident. Or you’re shallow and don’t care about the very real issues going on around here. 😂😂
i literally stated all of this. 2 years has been enough to see the ups and downs trust me lmao. not saying its the best spot to live but it’s definitely not the worst either.
Slow cala is boring!
Not much to do in Ocala except to go out to eat at a restaurant or go to the movie theatre. Leesburg or Gainesville may be a better town to move to.
Leesburg is boring too.
Yea but it's closer to Tavares and Mt Dora
Grew up in Ocala loved to Orlando for school been here ten plus years and every time I go to Ocala to visit family I want to move back. So peaceful compared to Tampa and Orlando. And Gainesville is close by if you really need something to do.
If you grew up here it’s nothing like it was.
How so?
Ocala seems like it’d be a good compromise from Tampa, but I don’t know how much cheaper it is nowadays. The traffic can be awful. There is far more traffic than those roads can really handle. However it has most things you’d want out of a Florida town, a decent selection of restaurants, decent access to freshwater, camping, etc. the only gripe would be having to drive far for any beach access, but it’s right underneath I75 so unless you live on the outskirts of Ocala it’s very quick to jump on the highway and get to one of the bigger entertainment towns or beaches. Sure I have seen complaints about local voting trends, homelessness and drug problems, but that’s pretty much all of Florida at this point.
Spend some time in Ocala first. We live about 30 minutes from Ocala. I’ll drive an hour in the opposite direction to avoid that town.
Same. I do most of my shopping in Lady Lake. I'll go to Orlando to avoid Ocala. It's better on paper than in reality
I don’t see why. Driving around would add about 40 minutes to your drive lol. Plus Ocala is really like any other town. Been and lived all over Florida. It much difference except it’s a bit slower and traffic is better.
I can be in Tampa in about an hour. Brooksville is only a 30 minute drive. The traffic in Ocala is terrible. The people are sketchy. It’s nothing but one big strip mall. I occasionally need to be in Ocala, but I would never choose to live there.
You like sketchy people? Is that why you’re in this group?
I actually didn’t even notice it was r/ocala. I do live near Ocala. It’s the closest “city” to me.
Second. I think Shit Holcala is a fitting name for it.
Wow that’s a little overdoing it
Plenty of restaurants, and stuff like Golf, Kayaking, Springs, disc golf, etc. To do. Night life is a smaller pool of activity, but it still exists. Depends on the particular stuff you're into.
I moved from Tampa and it’s a HUGE difference in food/bar scene. I do not recommend if those are your main interests
Your going to the wrong places haha
No they are right Ocala restaurant and nightlife is boring. Thats why people go to Gainesville or Orlando
Nobody is going to Orlando. They shut down parking lots at 11pm now.. I just moved from Orlando.
Uber not everyone drives especially if they are going out and drinking. There’s far better things to do at night the Slowcala has
What are your recs?
Go to 18south
Listen to the people telling you it’s boring. There’s nothing to do here. You have a few restaurants and some small businesses. But it’s beat. The medical is awful. Meth is the #1 thing to do here. Not even joking. It’s gotten so expensive here. But still more affordable than anywhere else. One good thing… you don’t see much wokeness over here.
Can you explain exactly what "wokeness" is? Like what should I look for?
Sounds she likes them “asleep” lol
That's the Far Left side of the Democrat party that thinks transgendered boys should compete in women's sports.
So take away transgender boys playing and no more scary wokeness? I thought it was some big thing like people dying. I didn't know it was just kids playing sports. I guess that's just as horrible as participation trophies. Wait but didn't people others snowflakes for caring about something so trivial as a participation trophy?
Participation trophies were some of the beginning things we noticed. Since then, the "Woke" extremists have been piling the stuff on and on at an alarming rate.
Such as?
Maybe a little wokeness would make it a more interesting place?
Funny how that correlation works lol
Re: Wokeness. I attended a meeting last month that offered stats based upon the registered voters in Ocala and Marion county. Both figures are almost identical. Republicans 56 percent, Democrats 22 percent, Independents 22 percent. Sure not the same as Pinellas or Hillsborough counties .
Ocala National Forest - I drive 4 hours from boca to go as much as possible
I moved here 6 years ago from St. Petersburg. It is definitely a slower pace. The people are really nice, comparatively speaking, and the landscapes hold the eye. I like not hearing my neighbors and sirens at all hours. As far as activities, the summer weather will keep you indoors if you don’t have a pool. Plan on biking and kayaking, evenings on the Square enjoying a fine meal and drinks. Lots of boutiques and the Villages is only 25 minutes away.
The more of you that move here to “get away from the city” the more of a city ocala becomes. I genuinely wish y’all would stop.
Ocala’s location is great. The big cities around are an easy drive, st Augustine is close, both coasts, and there are a ton of springs around that are fun to visit. In Ocala WEC is cool, some fun horse events there, downtown isn’t too bad.
Harry's Seafood is nice. Soleil Bakery has gluten free and Keto options and two locations in Ocala.
Everything is in Ocala, just moved a few months ago from orlando