Tuesday, January 17, 2012

LAKE ASHTON, FLORIDA

Lake Ashton, Florida / January 16, 17, 2012 
Are we ready for a retirement community? Lake Ashton certainly has a lot of benefits. If I were ready to leave Erie and move to Florida, this would be one of my top choices. Our guide gave us no pressure whatever. We checked out several models and loved most of them. For $259,000 we could have a brand new, landscaped, three bedroom, 2 bath house with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, crown molding, two car garage plus attached golf cart garage, a golf cart, and a screened veranda, built to our specifications, about 2400 sq. ft., overlooking a natural lake.  The construction of these homes is superb- 

What we liked:
§         Two private 18 hole golf courses on site
§         Two club houses with fitness equipment, each with indoor pools that overlook a lake; fitness classes including zumba and tai chi; bowling lanes; arts and crafts rooms; theater; tennis courts; a restaurant open for lunch and dinner; so many activities available, e.g. photography club, garden club
§         A sports bar at the golf course
§         Boating and fishing are allowed on Lake Ashton
§         It’s a gated community manned 24 hours with electronic gated entry
§         Even though there are 10 designs for the houses, none look alike because of landscaping and other individual choices. Palm trees grow quickly. The homes are gorgeous.
§         There are three natural lakes on the property, as well as smaller lakes and ponds
§         Lake Wales and Winter Haven are very close-both towns have multiple hospitals, malls, shopping plazas, restaurants, cinemas
§         Area traffic outside the community is easily negotiable
§         The homes are not too close together
§         Sandhill cranes walk freely around the community----other water birds like herons and egrets are prevalent, too.
§         Osprey nests are easy to spot—frequently seen on top of electric/phone poles
§         The community is about 54 miles from Orlando; 52 miles from Tampa; 97 miles to Cocoa Beach; 108 miles to Fort Myers
§         Supposedly hurricanes do not really travel inland at full strength 

What I think about:
Our dear granddaughters and family are 1140 miles away 

Interesting Facts about gas prices along the way:
Grove City, PA:             $3.49/gal / Sheetz
Wytheville, VA:             $3.25/gal. / Flying J
Columbia, SC:              $3.12/gal / Sam’s Club
Pooler, GA:                  $3.27/gal / Sam’s Club
Jacksonville, FL:            $3.32/gal / Race Trac
Winter Haven, FL:            $3.43gal / Race Trac

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