World Equestrian Center - Ocala

We went for the Festival of Lights the weekend before Christmas. It was very well organized and the staff handled the flow of traffic very well. The event was magical. Light displays, Christmas trees, photo ops, singers, jugglers, fire dancers, and horse events. It was lovely to see so many families with small children enjoying themselves. Ticket prices were very reasonable. We plan on going again next Christmas.

We stayed three nights at WEC Home Away From Home cottages. We didn’t realize it when we booked our reservations, but these cottages are where workers at WEC live, or that’s what we were told while we were there. Everyone in the cottages around us seemed to leave and return from work at the same time everyday. They have lots of visitors and they park wherever they can find a spot, including on the grass between units and at the back side of the units. We even had somebody park on our parking pad while we were paying for that space. There is a strong skunk smell periodically in the area and it was extremely bad on Saturday evening. On Sunday evening a community party was held between two of the units. Everyone seemed friendly and we didn’t have any trouble, but I wanted to mention that there are lots of people living in the cottages so readers can make a decision if this is the right place to book a reservation for themselves. The cottage was VERY clean and beautifully decorated. Whoever cleaned our unit should get a bonus. Spacious three bedroom and two baths with a nice walk in shower in the primary. Very quiet also; we didn’t hear any outside noise. Large TV in the LR and all three bedrooms with good channel selection. Good water pressure and hot water. My only complaints with our cottage were: 1)a large gap around front door. It was so large that bugs, mice or even a small snake could enter. It was chilly outside when we were there and the cold wind easily blew into the cottage. I stuffed some paper towels into the gap. 2)No dish soap provided. 3)Pillows are very firm. I felt like my head was lying on a rock all night. Mattress could also be a little better. 3)Refrigerator door looked like someone had beat it with a chain. But the inside was very clean. 4)HVAC vents are in the ceiling and cold air blows down on your head. We turned it off at night. 5)Window blinds in the LR and one of the bedrooms had the cords cut and tied up too short so the blinds could not be let down all the way. We had to stuff blankets between the bottom of the blinds and the window sill so no one could look in. Overall, we really liked the cottage, but I don’t know if we would stay here in the future simply because we felt it was more a community of residents than vacationers.

Literally the best horse show place ever!! I come here ALL THE TIME and I would honestly just live here if I could. This place is so magical and it has great tourist attractions as well!! The staff are soooooooo nice, the facilities are absolutely beautiful and high quality, and the food is AMAZING!! I would live off the food lol. The barns and stalls for the horses and people are super nice and I think the horses appreciate being there too lol. Everything is very organized and super luxurious. I love coming here and I always look forward to it. This place is so amazing that I cannot use enough words to describe how much I love it there!!