Long before Mount Dora became known for festivals, boutiques and weekend getaways, travelers arrived by steamboat to a small lakeside hotel overlooking Lake Dora.

That hotel still stands today.

Founded in 1883, Lakeside Inn is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Florida and, more than 140 years later, remains one of Mount Dora’s most recognizable landmarks. What began as a modest 10-room inn known as the Lake House maintained its Old Florida charm while gradually expanding by adding new buildings and guest rooms as tourism in Central Florida grew.

Today, the historic property includes 90 guest rooms, multiple dining venues — including the veranda-side Beauclaire Restaurant — a lakefront pool and dock, and views that continue drawing visitors from across the country.

Lakeside Inn has welcomed notable guests, including President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, who spent a month at the inn in 1930 after leaving the White House. Guests can still book the Coolidge Room, which features a display honoring the former president’s stay. The inn is also a regular stop on Mount Dora’s ghost tours, thanks to guest lore involving Coolidge and Thomas Edison.

Since purchasing the property in 2010, owners Jim and Alexandra Gunderson have focused on preserving the inn’s history while carefully restoring the aging landmark one project at a time. Jim oversees restoration efforts and historic preservation, while Alexandra has become known for the property’s lush gardens and landscaping.

“It’s always a living, breathing building,” says Dylan Gomez, the inn’s marketing and public relations manager. “When you have a building that’s more than 140 years old, there’s always something happening.”

Ongoing work includes restoring the dock, renovating guest rooms and preserving historic artifacts, postcards and memorabilia that tell the story of the inn and Mount Dora. A book documenting the history of Lakeside Inn is also in the works.

Despite its age, the inn continues evolving while holding tightly to the atmosphere that has made it special for generations.

“I truly think when you get here, it’s kind of like you step back in time,” Dylan says. “You just feel like it’s a simpler way of life.”

Locals gather at Tremain’s Tavern for piano sing-alongs. Visitors relax on the veranda overlooking the lake. Some arrive by boat, just as guests did more than a century ago.

Through every renovation, season and generation, Lakeside Inn has remained deeply tied to the identity of Mount Dora itself, proof that some places do more than survive history. They become part of it.

By the numbers in 1883

• A room at an inn averaged $2 per night
• Most homes lacked indoor plumbing, electricity or central heating

A pound of coffee cost 35 cents