Who can tell me about Ocala?

[jdm]

Hi

In a couple of months we'll be doing our Keys, Dayton, Orlando trip. Someone posted a while ago something about Ocala? My avid horseloving daughter saw it in one of her horse magazines as being real horse country. Sounds like the emphasis is on race horses and breeding stables?

Does anyone familiar with this area have any ideas what we could do for the day there that would be horse oriented? She's just not into riding, she is also into learning anything new that she can also.

Just trying to come up with some different ideas, any imput would be appreciated.

I did a search but Silver Springs was the biggest thing that came up. Sounds like fun, but not exactly what we had in mind.

Also, how do I pronounce Ocala??!!

Thanks for any info...

Jenn

 

[spiceycat]

you can call 352-639-8051 Ocala chamber of commerce

the Appleton Museum of ART
e-one factory tours
silver springs
garlits' auto museum

is all AAA list

thrn
ocala national forest

 

[mbb]

Hi

In a couple of months we'll be doing our Keys, Dayton, Orlando trip. Someone posted a while ago something about Ocala? My avid horseloving daughter saw it in one of her horse magazines as being real horse country. Sounds like the emphasis is on race horses and breeding stables?

Does anyone familiar with this area have any ideas what we could do for the day there that would be horse oriented? She's just not into riding, she is also into learning anything new that she can also.

Just trying to come up with some different ideas, any imput would be appreciated.

I did a search but Silver Springs was the biggest thing that came up. Sounds like fun, but not exactly what we had in mind.

Also, how do I pronounce Ocala??!!

Thanks for any info...

Jenn

It's been a looong time since we did Silver Springs (Iwas 10 years old!!), and I know it's changed lots since then And it was fun...I remember my grandparents saying how lovely and beautiful it was..I just remember the glass bottom boat ride, and how terrified I was someone would crack it!! LOL (You know what they say about taking a girl out of the country!! )

Ocala is pronounced "Oh-cal-ah", AFAIK

Hope you find something fun and horse-oriented

 

[nicolemarie]

We live in GA and Ocala is on the way to Disney for us. Every time we pass through, my husband reminisces about a trip to Silver Springs he took with his family when he was little and says we should go. He remembers it being really cool and seeing lots of alligators which he loved as a child. Anyway... this year we were going to Disney the Sunday after Thanksgiving and we decided leave early and stop in Ocala one night to go to Silver Springs - they were having a Festival of Lights that started the Sat after Thanksgiving so we thought it would be a good way to start our Disney Christmas trip. ALL this to say - Silver Springs was cool - in an opposite from Disney kind of way. VERY natural, glass bottom boats were neat, animal shows were OK. The Festival of Lights after dark was very pretty. No horses though. We did stay in the Ocala Hilton which is BY FAR the nastiest hotel I had ever stayed in. It has a horse park in back and you can go back there and see the horses and it is very "horse-themed". They were scheduled to start renovations this month, so maybe if you got a new room it would be OK. But my overall opinion is that if you want to do Silver Springs, it is a "do one time" kind of place - nothing really special. But Ocala did not seem to me to be a "horse country" town. I WOULD NOT stay overnight in Ocala. It is kinda dumpy IMHO. I felt the internet research I did WAY exaggerated the charm of the town. Hope this helps!

 

[spiceycat]

we stoped years ago - Spicey was still young - he is turning 20 this May....

anyway we enjoyed it.

but it has been years since we were down there.

I kept meaning to return - to see Silver Springs again and to visit the Disney's travel center in Ocala....well Disney closed their travel center and I guess SIlver Springs is just not even to draw me....

I need to reconsider!!!

It is horse country - BIG time horse country - but not near the interstate.