Villa City. Bridges Rd., Tuscanooga Rd.

Here's a quick Lake Co / Sumter Co Ride.  
Beautiful scenery, close by, what's not to like?

West of Clermont out SR50 to Groveland...go north on SR19 and watch for Lake Emma Rd to open on your left.  Go west on Lake Emma Rd, you'll find a historic marker telling about the short history of Villa City.  You can also stay on SR50 past 19, pick up CR565 at the ASCE Hardware store, but you miss some nice scenery and the historical marker.

Lake Emma Rd connects to CR565, turn right and follow it out to US 27.  That stretch is really nice, the road has some elevation to it and crosses through gorgeous lake county scenery.  Go north (left) on US 27 afew miles and watch for Bridges Rd on the left.  It's just past the turnpike northbound entrance.  Turn west (left) onto Bridges Rd.

Bridges Rd turns into Austin Merritt Rd at SR33 crossing.  The Bridges Rd section is really nice, higher elevation, sweeping vistas, just great.  There's even a giant Harley oil can out there, you can't miss it..

Austin Merritt Rd is very nice as well, and gets progressively smaller as you go west.  The road has name changes, to Youth Camp Rd, then Sunridge Rd, finally settling down at the Sumter County line to CR702.  Stay on to the dead end into 48, you'll see the Center Hill downtown area on your left.  Go left into Center Hill.

In Center Hill, pick up cr469 heading east (left) and roar back outta town....nice long sweeping turn there, usually there are Sandhill Cranes out in the pasture with the cows...  stay on 469 to Tuscanooga Rd, and take that back down to SR50 in Mascotte.  Tuscanooga Rd goes by another turn-of-the -century settlement that started out strong and was crushed by weather.  There's a white sign "Tuscanooga Baptist" marking the turn.  This road has an outstanding canopy stretch.  Watch out for the sand washes in the side road intersections and curves, sometimes the wash outs are heavy.  There's this abandoned farmhouse out there, like they just pastured and plowed around it and the house is up on it's original grade, while the ground all around is well down.  It presents an odd look, perched up on it's base out in the field sadly abandoned.

Back on 50 just on the west edge of Mascotte.  Lots more rides...maybe it's not time to head home yet, there's the Green Swamp off SR 33 coming up....