EUSTIS, FLORIDA

Eustis, Florida is a town of 20,700 people about 30 miles northwest of Orlando. 

Along with Tavares and Mount Dora, it is one apex of what is known as Florida's "Golden Triangle". 

Ferran Park Eustis Florida

It is on Lake Eustis, one of largest of the Harris Chain of Lakes.

Eustis is on the eastern shore of Lake Eustis, and was first known as Highlands and later as Pendryville.

It became known as Lake Eustis after the lake which had been named in 1825 for Abraham Eustis, an American general in the Seminole Wars.

General Abraham Eustis

Before the railroad showed up in the 1880's, Eustis was a busy port for steamers traveling on Lakes Harris, Eustis, Dora and Griffin.

This chain of lakes had access to the world through the Oklawaha River to the St Johns River and the Atlantic ocean.

Steamboat Alligator

In 1883 the town dropped the "Lake" part of its name and became simply Eustis.

Citrus became an important crop in the area, but the great freeze of 1894 and 1895 nearly destroyed the industry.

Over the years, the fruit trees once again became prominent in the economy of the area.  

Tragically, more freezes in 1983 and 1984 were the latest major setbacks to the citrus crops, destroying most of the trees in this part of Florida.

Eustis Historical Museum

Guilford David Clifford was an early pioneer whose house at the corner of Bay Street and Bates Avenue is now home to the Eustis Historical Museum and Preservation Society.

Fountain Inn Eustis, Florida

Frank Waterman was a fountain pen manufacturer from New York who built the Fountain Inn in Eustis in the 1920s. 

Waterman Fountain Pen

It served later as the local hospital until it was demolished in recent years.  

It is the direct ancestor of today's modern Advent Hospital Waterman in nearby Tavares.

His home was known as Blue Lake Lodge and was located on east Orange Avenue at what is now the location of Blue Lakes Estates residential subdivision.

Frank Waterman Home in Eustis, Florida

Waterman was a generous philanthropist who shared much of his wealth with the town of Eustis.  

Vintage Postcard Eustis, Florida

The downtown area along Lake Eustis has been developed into a wonderful park for fishing, picnics and concerts. Ferran Park is a great place to watch the Central Florida sunsets.

Eustis has many well preserved older homes and buildings. Its downtown area has been redeveloped and has many interesting shops and restaurants.

Magnolia Avenue, Downtown Eustis
Flickr/Steven Martin

The renovated downtown area is the focal point for many community activities.  

They named this area the Downtown Waterfront Entertainment District and among the events are a Cruise In of Classic Cars on the fourth Saturday of every month.

Another standing event is on the first Friday of every month called Eustis Live that features street vendors and live music.  It's a large community block party.

This city's location on large Lake Eustis has made it a favorite spot for sailing.  

It is the home of the Lake Eustis Sailing Club, an organization that is home to four one-design racing fleets.

The club has abundant boat storage facilities and a large club house for its many social and racing events.

The highlight of each year is Georgefest, one of the oldest festivals in the United States celebrating the birthday of George Washington.

 It is reportedly the longest running festival of any kind in the entire state of Florida.  

The Georgefest held in February, 2022 was the 120th consecutive celebration.

House on Hill, Eustis, Florida

EUSTIS FLORIDA HONORS JIM "MALIBU" REYNOLDS, JR.

Captain Jim "Malibu" Reynolds

There is a section of SR-44 on the east side of Eustis that connects US-441 to SR-44. 

It runs between Lake Joanna and Loch Leven and goes past the developments of Brookshire, Park Place and Loch Leven.

This segment of road is known as Captain Jim "Malibu" Reynolds Jr. Road.  

Captain Reynolds was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James H. Reynolds, Sr. of Eustis. 

He was killed when his F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training mission at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

---

Our Facebook page has more than 123,048 followers who love off the beaten path Florida: towns, tourist attractions, maps, lodging, food, festivals, scenic road trips, day trips, history, culture, nostalgia, and more.  We post articles every day.  Please check it out and if you like it, we would appreciate a "like" from you.

---