The Villages, FL Reviews (2024)

Rating 4 out of 5

Fantastic retirement community. Not very diverse, but offers a lot for those looking to have a "Disney-type"/all inclusive retirement experience. Everything is located nearby.

Rating 4 out of 5

THE VILLAGES IS A STRONG GROWING COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD. ITS A GREAT PLACE TO MEET PEOPLE FROM ALL SORTS OF CULTURES AND BACKGROUNDS.

Rating 2 out of 5

We moved here two years ago. The main draw for us was The Villages was marketed as a golfing community. Oh contraire, most of the greens on these golf courses are sand, mud and weeds, if you can believe that! Apparently the new generation of the family that develops this place is much more greedy. They are building and selling homes before adding the infrastructure they tout. Even though I live here and pay monthly amenity fees , golf during the winter 6 months is very restricted because of all the snowbirds.Anyway the people here are great but if you want golf you may want to look somewhere else

• Current Resident
• 2 months ago

Rating 2 out of 5

Not bike or pedestrian friendly, minimal signage for gold cart/bike paths…easy to get hit if not in a car. No local coffeehouses or breweries… although restaurants are awesome. Does NOT appear environmentally friendly… pesticides used and run off into the lakes noted. Would prefer NO music playing through the public speakers…lets try some quiet and calm… more natural wooded areas would be nice… but above all… more bike friendly and pedestrian friendly paths/lanes would be great with maps and signage. I feel I am going to get run over by golf carts or cars when trying to bike, walk or even when using a golf cart… hoping this changes in the near future some how… hoping meanness and privilege quiets down.

• Current Resident
• 3 months ago

Rating 5 out of 5

We were guests of resident friends for a day. We lunched at a golf club & toured the 3 town squares in their golf cart. Sat on the deck at the lake Sumpter light house area for a late afternoon drink. Most people were friendly. Other cart & car drivers were mostly cautious going around us since we went slow to see it all. The woodworking area was busy with crafters. The presidential building was buzzing with activities, classes, card games, etc. Our hosts take lessons to play senior soccer, & plan on taking a Foreign language. As we walked back to the cart on the square, folks were unstacking chairs to sit & listen to live music. The landscaping everywhere was beautiful and well kept. An enjoyable day for us.

Rating 1 out of 5

The people in the villages are very rude, disrespectful, arrogant, lofty in every way shape and form. They have no respect for people that are working, and most walk around with entitled attitudes. It has got a very hostile and provocative people energy and atmosphere. These people are very miserable because they are at the end of their lives so what better thing do they have to do other than cause annoyance, harass, etc.... It's not some place I would recommend to anyone to come visit. It's full of trouble.

Rating 3 out of 5

The Villages has been a wonderful place to be able to communicate and learn about the older generations.

Rating 2 out of 5

For the month of August, 2023, I rented a home in “The Villages”. The town looks like one massive country club it is easy to get lost. The houses all look similar in style and color and there are no businesses (gas stations-convenience stores) to serve as easily remembered landmarks. Road directional signage is non-existent. Being close to Disney, I thought some Disney-like creative, attractive directional signs (at least to each of the Town Squares) would be an added helpful attraction for visitors and residents…but none exist today. The Villages is remotely located; accordingly, IT IS NOT at an intersection of Highways. Traveling to cities, shopping malls, Disney, beaches etc. takes considerably more travel time than anticipated. While promotions state that Disney World is only 45 miles away…IT INVOLVES ONE AND A HALF HOURS of DRIVING TIME! The closest beach, New Smyrna Beach, (81 miles from my rental home) took nearly 3 Hours driving time one way!

• Other
• 8 months ago

Rating 1 out of 5

I won't be visiting The Villages again. I was driving to The Dana center building and some maniac, older grey haired/bearded guy on a yellow Harley(lots of chrome) followed me then waited behind my car for me to get out. He proceeded to threaten, scream and swear at me. Road rage much? I did nothing to justify this insane, over the top behavior. Another time at The Villages, I saw two older people on golf carts yelling at each other. Some of these people think they own the town and act angry, bitter and miserable. Where i live people are calm, cool and collected. Im proud of myself for not reacting. Also the traffic is horrible.

Rating 5 out of 5

Although The Villages is considered a +55 community, the town itself is very inviting to people of all ages.

Rating 3 out of 5

The Villages is weirdly culty and the Morse family is very suspicious. I go to the Charter School and it's very patriotic for the Villages. If you think about America in the Cold War, take one step further and that's how dedicated they want their residents to be to the Villages.

Rating 2 out of 5

The Villages is a retirement community that I live right outside of. The older population leads to many car accidents and rude customers in local businesses. The landscaping is well-kept, but a majority of the population acts entitled.

• Current Resident
• Oct 2 2022

Rating 1 out of 5

There’s a few places in the Villages i like to go, overall some of the elderly people are very spiteful, and nasty with you as if you dont belong there or they have the attitude and arrogance of entitlement or like they own the place. Its a cool place to hang out for food, some music, riding your bike, etc… even some of the other residents get a little nasty and very hostile with you, ive dealt with it on many occasions and a very defamating community.

• Visitor
• May 3 2022

Rating 1 out of 5

Outright scam. The Houses are cheaply made and so close together you can hear your neighbor sneeze. 5 out of 24 single family homes on my street are rentals and/or weekend AirB&B. There is NO security. I thought I was moving to a gated community - all one has to do is press the red button and the barrier arm goes up; you're in! The swimming pools are SUPPOSED to be segregated; ones for residents (small and only 5' deep), some for visitors/families/children/diapers. They boast walking trails; found few and far between, short boring distances, and all asphalt. Don't risk your life or your cool by stepping foot on a golf cart trail. They boast shooting ranges, but don't mention the 2 are empty, unsupervised, and for air rifles. I've been here 6 months and have yet to find the archery areas. My dog hates it here. The backyard is concrete, we have to walk 2 blocks for a patch of grass. There are only 2 fire pits, they are gas, by reservation only. The beach is 2+ hours away.

Rating 1 out of 5

The management cares nothing about the residents. Very political and ignorant. No masks mandates indoors when we are a hot spot. Our hospitals are full, elective procedures canceled, long lines for tests…. Their reasoning is most are vaccinated and if you want to wear one go for it. The restaurants are full of maskless workers (young and not vaccinated), seniors work the recreation centers and pro shops and are in harms way. So far 2 neighbors died and many are sick from Covid and all were vaccinated.