Tavares, Florida
Tavares is a city of 20,463 people in Lake County, Florida, founded in 1880.
Why visit Tavares
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 10 parks and trails, 8 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Harry C. Duncan House, Howey House, Bishops Gate Golf and Lakeside Community and Lake Idamere Park.
August is the warmest month, with average highs of 92°F; January lows average 49°F.
Weather in Tavares
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Tavares
Tavares (, tuh-VAIR-ees) is a city and the county seat of Lake County, Florida. Its population at the 2020 census was 19,003. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford metropolitan statistical area.
From the Wikipedia article Tavares, Florida (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks5
Harry C. Duncan House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
Howey House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
Old Lake County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.9 mi
Courthouse in Florida, United States
Howey Mansion
Monument and historic site · 3.2 mi
1001 North Citrus Avenue, Howey In The Hills
Parks, trails and playgrounds10
Bishops Gate Golf and Lakeside Community
Golf course · 3.0 mi
26945 Bella Vista Drive, Howey-in-the-Hills
Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball Complex
Park · 1.6 mi
27345 FL-19 32778, Tavares
Restaurants and cafes8
Lake Dora Sushi & Sake
Restaurant · 3.1 mi
227 East Main Street
Tu-Fr 11:00-13:45; Tu-Th 16:30-20:30; Fr, Sa 16:30-21:00
Masa Madre Bread
Bakery · 3.2 mi
124 East Alfred Street, Tavares
Where to stay1
History
Organized in 1885, and completed in 1888 on land donated by St. Clair-Abrams, the Union Congregational Church was the first church in Tavares.
Tavares was founded in 1880 by Alexander St. Clair-Abrams, a newspaper and railroad man from a Creole family in New Orleans . He gave it the surname of a Portuguese ancestor. In 1883, a post office was established; by the next year, a hotel, three stores, a sawmill, and eight cottages were built. Investing over half a million dollars of his own money. St. Clair-Abrams's dream of Tavares as the state capital was not realized, but in 1887, it was designated the county seat of Lake County. St. Clair-Abrams later chartered a railroad from Tavares to Orlando. In 1919, Tavares incorporated as a town.
From the History section of Tavares, Florida on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship12
Saint John Free Methodist Church
Church · Methodist · 2.9 mi
120 North Bloxham Avenue, Tavares
Shopping2
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries15
Map of Tavares
54 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70°F | 49°F | 2.5 in |
| Feb | 73°F | 52°F | 2.1 in |
| Mar | 77°F | 56°F | 3.2 in |
| Apr | 83°F | 62°F | 2.0 in |
| May | 88°F | 68°F | 2.7 in |
| Jun | 91°F | 73°F | 7.0 in |
| Jul | 91°F | 75°F | 5.9 in |
| Aug | 92°F | 75°F | 6.6 in |
| Sep | 90°F | 73°F | 5.2 in |
| Oct | 84°F | 66°F | 2.6 in |
| Nov | 77°F | 57°F | 1.8 in |
| Dec | 72°F | 52°F | 2.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Leesburg Muni Ap (5 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
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, 5 miles away.
- Astatula 4 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Yalaha 4 mi west, about 7 min by car
- Howey-in-the-Hills 5 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Silver Lake 5 mi northwest, about 9 min by car
- Tangerine 7 mi east, about 12 min by car
- Eustis 8 mi northeast, about 13 min by car
- Mount Dora 8 mi northeast, about 13 min by car
- Groveland 9 mi south, about 14 min by car
- Leesburg 10 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Minneola 11 mi south, about 18 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
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- 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
- Tavares city hall tavares florida, Connor J. Williams, CC BY 3.0
- Duncanhouse-Tavares03, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Howeyhouse01, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Lakectych-Tavares01, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Duncanhouse-Tavares01, Ebyabe, CC BY 2.5
- Tavares FL Union Congreg Church spano01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Luncho (6262672448), Richard Elzey from Spring Hill, Florida, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Taco Johns Hot Sauce! (6262145715), Richard Elzey from Spring Hill, Florida, USA, CC BY 2.0
- El Campeon Golf Course, Mission Inn Resort & Club, Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, Ebgundy, CC BY-SA 3.0
- FL 500A and Old 441 Signs (29885053256), formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
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