Many of the guests who stay in our vacation rental homes on a regular basis, frequently ask what they can do once they have been to all the major parks. Everyone loves to visit Disney or Seaworld, Universal and the other major theme parks. But sometimes it’s good to take a break from them.
Some of the suggestions we make can include off road driving, trophy fishing, scuba diving and beachcombing; occasionally we suggest shopping, but away from the main malls and brand names.
We also like to suggest to our vacationing guests that they take a drive tour away from the main tourist areas and explore some of the unspoiled and natural towns that can still be found in this diverse State.
You can visit small towns with the charm of “old Florida”, lazy days and rocking chairs on front porches, or go gambling at a casino in Tampa and experience the nightlife.

Ocala is one of those “old Florida” towns, where small local shops line the main street, alongside the courthouse and city hall. It’s a town where time seems to stand still; you will be greeted with a friendly smile and a warm welcome.

Ocala was established in 1846 by Matthew Edward Hall near the site of Fort King, a military outpost of the Seminole Wars. Ocala is a derivation of the Timucua word “Ocali” which is believed to mean the “Big Hammock”.
Hernando de Soto passed through a Timucua village or province named Ocali or Ocale near the present site of Ocala during his famous expedition through what is today the southeastern United States in 1539. Greater Ocala is known as the “Kingdom of the Sun”. Ocala itself is know as the City of the Horse, and rightly so.
The first thoroughbred horse farm in Florida was created by Carl G. Rose in 1943. Earlier, in 1916, Rose had come to Florida from Indiana to oversee the first asphalt road ever constructed in the state. When he ran into problems with the asphalt, he improvised and experimented with one of Florida’s abundant resources: limestone. He also realized that the Limestone would be a good source of nutrition for raising strong horses, so he took a gamble in 1943 and bought acreage along State Highway 200 at $10 per acre, which became Rosemere Farm. The next year one of his horses, Gornil, won at Miami’s Tropical Park, making him the first Florida-raised thoroughbred to win a Florida race. Close on Rose’s heels, the entrepreneur Bonnie Heath soon set up his own thoroughbred horse farm and produced the state’s first Kentucky Derby winner. Both of these men have prominent Highways named after them in Ocala. Bonnie Heath Farm is now owned and operated by his son Bonnie Heath, III, and his wife Kim. Rosemere Farm was sold long ago, and Ocala’s Paddock Mall and Central Florida Community College were built on the site.

In 1956, the Ocala area Thoroughbred industry received a boost when Needles became the first Florida-bred to win the Kentucky Derby. In 1978, Marion County-bred and -raised Affirmed won the Triple Crown. Today, Marion County is one of the major thoroughbred centers of the world, with over 1,200 horse farms in total and about 900 thoroughbred farms totaling some 77,000 acres. Ocala is well known as the horse capital of the world, one of only five cities (four in the USA and one in France) permitted under Chamber of Commerce guidelines to use this title based on annual revenue produced by the horse industry.

Driving through the countryside towards Ocala , one can see the numerous horse ranches that abound in the area.

Ocala is also known for nearby Silver Springs, Florida, site of one of the largest artesian spring formations in the world and Silver Springs Nature Theme Park, one of the earliest tourist attractions in Florida. We have always enjoyed visiting Silver Springs ; it’s easy to find, quiet and peaceful for families to visit, and the glass bottom boat rides are great fun. Watch the fish swimming below you in the crystal clear water.

The 110 mile long Ocklawaha River flows north from Central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka, Florida.

Marion County is also home to the Ocala National Forest which was established in 1908 and is now the second largest national forest in the state. The Florida Trail, also known as the Florida National Scenic Trail, cuts through Ocala National Forest.

Silver River State Park was established in the early 1990s to preserve the areas around the Silver River to the east of Ocala near Silver Springs.

Only 70 miles from your Central Florida vacation home, Ocala is an easy town to visit in a day, and will give a totally new experience for even the seasoned Florida visitor.