Florida has no shortage of accessible, fun day destinations. After much deliberation, my friends Christie and Radhika and I chose to go on a Mount Dora, Florida day trip! Although Mount Dora is a 2 hour drive from St. Pete/Tampa, it is worth visiting and can even be combined with Orlando for a weekend or longer one-day morning-to-night trip!
Mount Dora’s small size gives it a welcoming, quaint small-town feel, where everyone’s friendly and there is a focus on art. Even the street signs are adorable!
Mount Dora has several cute, independently-owned restaurants, several of which cater to vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. A newly opened food hall includes a grilled cheese spot, a poke bowl spot, and the place we chose to eat bruch, Dark & Light Cafe. There we enjoyed a delicious vegan egg sammie, veggie burger, and lentil burger. They even had several vegan dessert options! Other food options include Shiva Indian restaurant andJK Thai & Sushi. The Lebanese Beirut Bites is also one we did not get to try but definitely will be dining there next time!
Donnelly Street
We grabbed a to-go mimosa at Bubbles + Juice on Donnelly Street. With a walk-up window, you can grab a mimosa to go and then explore the rest of the town!
We explored several small artisanal boutiques around town including in The Renaissance Building. These shops offer a glimpse into the craftsmanship of independent artists and businesses. This included Rafiki Exchange, a non-profit boutique run by volunteers that sells beautiful good hand-crafted by widowed African women, where Radhika got a little hand-crocheted elephant wearing a hat! You can find a plethora of bath and body goods, teas and spices, stickers and art pieces, unqiue clothing, and jewelry at any one of these shops. There are just endless little things to look at and enjoy. One even features a walk-up bar with happy hour!
Lighthouse Walk
The short Lighthouse Walk is a lovely stroll to the waterfront and a cute albeit anti-climactically small lighthouse. You’ll find several benches where you can sit and enjoy the scenery while watching boats and birds on the water.
Van Gogh House
This house is indiscreetly located on a main road. It’s laden from top to bottom with a rendition of Van Gogh’s best work. This was especially exciting for me as someone who seeks out every Van Gogh art piece to see wherever I go, from the Getty in LA, to the Met in New York, to the National Gallery in Prague!
Renninger’s Flea Market & Antique Center
The area around Renninger’s Flea Market & Antique Center feature a wild amount of antique collections to peruse. I even found an antique metal flamingo wearing flip flops and glasses for Ronak to display at his office!
This post was all about a cute and quaint Mount Dora, Florida day trip, highly recommend! For more recs check out my favorite restaurants and lesser-known bars in St. Pete!
