Fruitland Park, Florida
Fruitland Park is a city of 8,740 people in Lake County, Florida.
Why visit Fruitland Park
Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 6 parks and trails, 2 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Lee School, Mote-Morris House, Bonifay Country Club (The Villages) and Havana Country Club (The Villages).
Weather in Fruitland Park
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Fruitland Park
Fruitland Park is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,325 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Fruitland Park, Florida (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks3
Lee School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
School building in Florida, United States of America
Mote-Morris House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
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Leesburg Heritage Museum
Museum · 4.5 mi
History museum in Leesburg, Florida
Parks, trails and playgrounds6
Bonifay Country Club (The Villages)
Golf course · 2.4 mi
3 x 9 hole Par 36 Destin & Fort Walton & Pensacola Courses
1035 Pinellas Place, The Villages
Havana Country Club (The Villages)
Golf course · 2.5 mi
3 x 9 hole Par 36 Kenya & Hemingway & Kilimanjaro Courses
2488 O'Dell Circle, The Villages
Restaurants and cafes2
McDonald's
Fast food · Burger · 1.6 mi
320 Colony Boulevard, The Villages
Mo-Sa 05:30-23:00; Su 06:00-23:00
History
Fruitland Park antedates the American Civil War, although the name of the town only came later, as it was originally called Gardenia. The earliest settler was M. Calvin Lee, of the Evander Lee family of Leesburg, who planted a citrus grove. After the war, a son-in-law of the Lee family, P.S. Bouknight, homesteaded 40 acres (160,000 m2) near Mirror Lake.
In 1875, the State of Florida sent Captain Kendricks to the northern part of the United States to talk about the advantages of living in Florida. Due to Major Orlando P. Rooks' poor health, and already considering a move, he had his wife, Josephine, moved to Fruitland Park. They built their first home on Crystal Lake in 1877. It was here that the first white child, Frederic, was born in 1882.
The Fruitland Nurseries of Augusta, Georgia, was owned by J. P. Berckmann, friend of Major Rook. Major Rook named the town Fruitland Park for the nurseries, and the main street Berckmann Street for this friend.
From the History section of Fruitland Park, Florida on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship22
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Mt. Pleasant A.M.E. Church
Church · African Methodist Episcopal, Methodist · 2.4 mi
2433 Spring Lake Road, Fruitland Park
New Life Presbyterian Church
Church · Presbyterian · 2.0 mi
201 East Lavista Street, Fruitland Park
Shopping5
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries13
Rimes Early Learning & Literacy Center
School · 2.0 mi
3101 Schoolview St, Leesburg
The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake School
School · 5.6 mi
695 Rolling Acres Rd, Lady Lake
Healthcare1
Map of Fruitland Park
58 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Lake County has had 29 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-10-11: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-10-07: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-08-10: Hurricane Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-03: Tropical Storm Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2023-08-31: Hurricane Idalia (Hurricane)
- 2023-08-28: Tropical Storm Idalia (Tropical Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Leesburg International Airport (LEE) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 8 miles away.
- The Villages 5 mi northwest, about 8 min by car
- Lady Lake 5 mi north, about 8 min by car
- Wildwood 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Silver Lake 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Leesburg 9 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Yalaha 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Tavares 12 mi southeast, about 20 min by car
- Howey-in-the-Hills 14 mi southeast, about 22 min by car
- Ocklawaha 14 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Eustis 16 mi east, about 25 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- FL Fruitland Park city hall02, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Holytrinfruitlandpark1b, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leeschoolleesburg1, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Motemorris01, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Leesburg FL HSandHM pano01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Biden I Did That Sticker on almost Empty shelp of Baby Formula (cropped), Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Biden I Did That Sticker on almost Empty shelp of Baby Formula, Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fleet Feet The Villages 2023, Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ribbon Cutting The Villages FL, Whoisjohngalt, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lake County border FL44EB, Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0
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