March 15, 2026
Former Mayor’s Dream Comes to Life with Opening of Fruitland Park’s Gardenia Inn
By Riley Goldberg
Former Mayor’s Dream Comes to Life with Opening of Fruitland Park’s Gardenia Inn
The Gardenia Inn, located at 110 E Berckman St. in Fruitland Park, celebrated its official grand opening on March 14.
The Gardenia Inn is a family-owned bed and breakfast run by mother-daughter duo Joyce Bell and Cari Lucas. It was founded upon the dream of the late Chris Bell, former mayor of Fruitland Park, who always wished to run a bed and breakfast out of his home.“It was his dream to open this up,” says Joyce. “I felt like it was God’s calling for me to take care of people.”
The bed and breakfast will offer several amenities to guests including, but not limited to, a movie theater located on the third floor, a hot tub, and the quaint and quiet scenery of the small city area.
“We have a movie theater room upstairs, we have a hot tub, and we’ve got this quiet area that’s close to the lakes and downtown Fruitland Park.” says Cari. “We’re only an hour away from most of the theme parks and so it gives people a way to be close, but not too close to the hustle and bustle.”
Joyce, Cari and the rest of the Bell family feel as though this inn is a mission to them. They want to utilize their hospitality to take care of others, foster the community and shine some light on the hidden gem that is Fruitland Park.
“We want to get Fruitland Park more on the map,” says Cari. “That was always dad’s dream, was to bring people into Fruitland Park. It’s such a little town; it’s beautiful, but nobody really knows about it.”
Joyce and Cari have already hosted groups and individuals at the inn, prior to the official opening. They’ve opened their doors to missionaries, hosted retreats, and even had special visits from celebrity guests like Jody Benson, the voice of Ariel in Disney’s The Little Mermaid. To be technical, they’ve had their doors open to many from the very beginning.
“Growing up, my parents were always mom and dad to all the kids in the neighborhood and all of our friends,” says Cari. “It was just a thing we always had, guests or friends, or just groups of youth hanging out over here.”
With a community-oriented mindset, Joyce and Cari invite anyone to come stay at the Gardenia Inn and learn about the lesser-known town of Fruitland Park. As Joyce says, “You will come as guests and leave as family.”
Born and raised in Leesburg Florida, Riley has always been immersed in the community. She received her Associates in Arts at Lake Sumter State College and is currently studying creative writing at the University of Central Florida.
While Riley is young and just starting this new journalistic road, she has excellent communication skills and is very excited to talk to new people and learn their stories.
When Riley isn't writing for the magazine or working at her other job as a physical therapy tech, she's writing for herself. As a student of creative writing, Riley enjoys crafting short stories, poetry, and novel-length works of fiction. She also likes to draw, sing, bake, play various sports, and watch sitcoms with her family.
