Located in Lake County on the Florida Peninsula, Leesburg offers numerous activities to feed your creative and outdoor recreational needs. Besides a yearly art festival and access to art classes, events and museums, the city also features boat tours and charters of the canals that surround the city.
The Leesburg Center for the Arts provides a central location for artists, artisans and musicians to display and perform their work. The center also provides cultural community events and an education center for people of all ages to develop their artistic abilities. Their summer art institute acts as a performance and art camp for children between the ages of four and 12 while the center sponsors an annual arts festival that features over 100 fine artists, live entertainment including jazz music, classic car shows, food and a kids' play area. Center art classes include painting, drawing and sculpting, Christmas craft classes, "art you can eat" for children and a Mardi Gras decoration workshop.
Captain Spencer's Tours and Charters specializes in narrated, 90 minute tours of the Dora Canal, a 1.25 mile tree-lined water passage that connects two lakes, Lake Dora on the south side and Lake Eustis on the north side. According to Central Florida Kayak Trips, the canal is excellent for bird watching and taking photographs, and the tree canopy in the center of the canal that plays home to thousands of wading birds is one such opportunity. Many of these birds are used to tourists and will not fly away if you start taking pictures. The canal also leads to Mount Dora, a small New England-style town famous for its antique and gift shops, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and clothing boutiques. Tours run from October through April, Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Leesburg Heritage Museum, located within the city's historic Women's Club Building in downtown Leesburg, contains items and artifacts for anyone interested in the story of the town. Display points of interest include Leesburg's Watermelon Festival, the Leesburg Centennial in 1957 and information about gathering places in Leesburg such as the Lake View Hotel and the Magnolia Hotel. Extensive archives help paint a picture of Leesburg's past, including those from churches, businesses, social organizations, families and city government. The museum has also hosted the city's Chamber of Commerce, the Leesburg Library and the Leesburg High School prom and holiday dance. Staffed by members of the Leesburg Heritage Society, museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
