I stayed at The Villages to see if all the wild rumors about the retirement community are true

A content creator whose grandmother lives inside The Villages has lifted the lid on what life is really like inside the infamous Florida retirement community, after staying with her relative — and experiencing a taste of the lifestyle.Kara Buchanan, a popular travel influencer who, along with her husband, Nate, runs a wildly successful YouTube channel on which they document their globe-trotting adventures.However, for her most recent travels, Kara chose to stay a little closer to home, venturing not to some far-flung destination but to the Sunshine State, where she got the chance to see what it’s really like to live in The Villages — and whether the many sordid rumors about the goings-on there are true.The Villages has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a trailer park in the 1970s.Today, it is a thriving, age-55-and-older community that spans 57 square miles — although it looks set to increase that footprint in the coming years.Last year, US Census data revealed that The Villages was the nation’s fastest-growing metro, growing 4.7% between 2022 and 2023.The purpose-built community offers its residents a wide array of amenities, including 3,000 social and special-interest clubs as well as activities like square dancing, drama, water ballet, belly dancing, precision golf cart driving, cheerleading, and tambourine tapping.There are also 14 country clubs, 17 pools, and 100,000 golf carts.Adding to their appeal is the fact that access to all of the community amenities — gyms, pools, rec centers, softball fields, golf courses, clubs, and activities — are available for a fee of $199 per month, no matter the size of a resident’s home.However, while the community is advertised as a thriving “backdrop where you can live life to the fullest,” it is The Villages’ residents and its bustling social scene that have attracted the most attention over the years.Many reports and rumors have emerged about the reportedly risqué scene that ha...