Orange Blossom Tour Itinerary:
we have a lot of brand-new destinations planned for 2027…
Day 1: Sunday
We will arrive at the Mission Resort + Club, a favorite of our frequent tourers for its beautiful gardens, great food, high-end amenities and location away from traffic. This newly renovated, sprawling resort is designated as a Historic Hotel of America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is renowned for its award-winning golf courses.
You’ll have some time before registration (4:00 – 5:00 p.m.) to explore the resort’s many offerings (pickleball, anyone?) or venture into nearby Mount Dora for some shopping.
At 6:30 p.m. we’ll have a welcome reception with cocktails and dinner in one of the on-property restaurants.
Day 2: Monday
We’ll kick things off Monday as we do every day on the tour: with breakfast on-property, followed by our driver’s meeting in the parking area. At precisely 9:00 a.m., we’ll head off on the first leg of the tour, bearing Northwest towards a private tour of the world’s most successful Clydesdale horse breeding farm. Seeing these magnificent animals up close is something you won’t soon forget.
Next, we’ll head to Rick and Jim Schmidt’s car collection. This amazing group of over 200 cars, mostly low-mileage classics, will impress even the most seasoned enthusiast.
After enjoying a private lunch at the collection, we’ll move on to some of our favorite roads along Lake Weir (bordering the Ocala National Forest) and then through the Emeralda Marsh Conservation area.
Once back at the Mission Resort + Club, we’ll enjoy a frosty beverage from our traditional Parking Lot Bar and discuss the day’s activities. Dinner will be a short bus ride away in historic downtown Mount Dora, with a view of the sunset over Lake Dora at Pisces Rising.
Day 3: Tuesday
For our second day on the road, we’ll drive north through the uncrowded roads of the Ocala National Forest. Our first destination today will be Salt Springs, a little-known recreation area with a beautiful natural mineral spring that produces 52 million gallons of water a day up from its depths.
From there, we’ll hit a couple more of our favorite roads and end up at a favorite restaurant of ours for lunch.
After that, we’ll ramble through horse country admiring the beautifully manicured farms and the curvy, hilly roads that wind their way up towards Gainesville.
There, we’ll visit the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, a 68-acre garden featuring 24 distinct collections of plants from Florida and around the world. Our timing in mid-February means that the Spring flowers should be just beginning to bloom after the mild Florida winter.
After our visit, we’ll take some more great roads back to our host resort. Dinner is on your own tonight, so you are welcome to stay late at the gardens and visit one of the great restaurants in Gainesville, or follow the route home and enjoy a meal at one of the Mission Resort + Club’s restaurants.
Day 4: Wednesday
Pack your old-timey diving gear, because we’re headed to Tarpon Springs on the west coast of Florida. Around the turn of the 20th century, the natural abundance of sponges in the waters surrounding this community served as a magnet for Greek sponge divers immigrating to the United States, earning it the titles “Sponge Capital of the World” and “Little Greece”.
We’ll enjoy some authentic Greek cuisine at the award-winning Hellas Restaurant & Bakery before heading out on an authentic sponge boat to learn about the rich traditions of sponge diving in the area.
After our boat tour, we’ll head back to the Mission Resort + Club, where we will have our Parking Lot Bar before getting ready for another great dinner.
Day 5: Thursday
We’ll start with a short drive around beautiful Lake Dora to visit a truly amazing private car collection. You will be stunned by not only the cars you see here, but by elaborate displays built around them as well.
Next, we’ll head out on one of the absolute greatest roads in Florida along the west side of lake Apopka, one of the hilliest areas in Florida. We will end up back in downtown Mount Dora for lunch at the historic Lakeside Inn.
After lunch, we’ll head to AJR, a very famous Porsche restoration and racing facility, then back to the resort.
We’ll have one last parking lot bar, freshen up in our rooms, then meet for cocktails on-property at the hotel at 6:30, followed by our dinner and other final-night festivities. Then, we’ll say our goodbyes and start planning our next tours together.
Day 6: Friday
Breakfast at the resort is still on us today so that you can get a good start for your journey home.