Eastport is The Villages' newest town center. Here is what is open now, what opens next, what surrounds it, and how it should shape your buying decision in 2026.

If you are shopping The Villages right now, Eastport belongs on your list of places to check out before you write an offer. It is the newest town center in The Villages, it sits at the southern end of the community in Sumter County near Wildwood, and it is the piece of the map that will shape resale demand down here for the next decade. Here is where it actually stands as of September 2026, not where the renderings say it will be.

What the Eastport District Actually Is

Eastport is a roughly 250 acre town center built around Central Lake, a 1,000 meter body of water that anchors everything from the boardwalk to the golf academy. The developer has planned about 400,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment space here, which puts it on par with Lake Sumter Landing, Brownwood and Spanish Springs in scale.

Two things make Eastport different from the older squares. First, the architecture leans European, with brick alleys, smaller building footprints and waterfront storefronts instead of one big open plaza. Second, The Villages is chasing nationally recognized tenants here in a way it has not done at previous town centers, weighting the mix toward food, beverage, entertainment and soft goods rather than professional offices.

Location matters just as much. Eastport sits close to Florida's Turnpike, and company leadership has said it will serve as the primary entrance to The Villages for roughly the next twenty years. The 90,000 square foot Eastport Welcome Home Center already draws over a thousand visitors a day. That traffic pattern is the quiet part of the story for anyone thinking about resale.

What Is Open Right Now

The fences came down in November 2025, and the surrounding district has been filling in steadily ever since.

Dining and coffee

• Prime + Ember, the upscale steakhouse with waterfront views, open since November 2025
• Yamas Mediterranean and Sundaze Ice Cream Shoppe at Hotel Eastport
• Lucky Goat Coffee, open since April 2026
• PortSide Coffee Co.
• Island Fin Poké, serving as concessions at the Farragut Softball Complex since March 2026

Retail and services

• Found for Home, open since March 2026
• The Villages Logo Store, open since June 2026
• Mia Sorella, the resort wear and apparel boutique, open since July 2026
• The Villages Golf Cars
• CenterWell Eastport for primary care
• Seacoast National Bank and Seacoast Wealth Advisors

Lodging

Hotel Eastport is open. It runs 120 guestrooms across roughly 91,750 square feet, built in a mid century modern style with a 3,000 square foot ballroom, pool, fitness center and private balconies facing Central Lake. Having a real hotel inside the district changes how visiting family works for buyers down here, and it feeds the restaurants year round.

Recreation

Olympia Recreation opened in phases through 2025 and is now the largest recreation footprint The Villages has built. It sits at 1210 McPherson Terrace and runs 7:00 am to 10:00 pm daily. Inside you get The Athletic Club, The Fit Club, arts and crafts studios, gathering rooms, a theater stage and The Summit rock climbing wall. Outside you get pickleball, tennis, platform tennis, sand courts, basketball, bocce, shuffleboard, corn toss, a multipurpose field and a fitness trail.

Add the Farragut Softball Complex, Sophie Doodles Canine Park, the Eastport Playground, Sunset Island, the Nadine Trail along the water, and The Boathouse for kayaking, fishing and dragon boat. The first recreational dragon boat launched in March 2026, and that program has become one of the signature Eastport activities.

Golf

Bellaire Executive opened in November 2025 as a nine hole par 27 course. The Central Lake Golf Academy and Driving Range sits right there as well. Walking play on the executive course is included with your amenity fee.

Entertainment

Live entertainment runs at 7025 Central Lake Drive, from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm through September 30th, and 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm with bands and DJs booked most nights. The programming started slower than the older squares and has ramped up through 2026.

What Is Opening Next

A grocery store has also been reported for Eastport, with a site held near the recreation complex. The banner has not been publicly confirmed, so treat that one as likely rather than certain.

What Surrounds Eastport

This is the part buyers underestimate. Eastport does not stand alone.

Golf. Beyond Bellaire, the southern end already has Southern Oaks Championship, an 18 hole par 72 Kenny Ezell design, plus Laurel Oak Executive, Live Oak Pitch & Putt, and the newer Beautyberry and Honeysuckle executive courses. Timberland and The Lakes are planned nine hole executive courses, and two 27 hole championship courses, Meadow View and The Palms, are in early development.

Middleton. Just SW of Eastport is Middleton, the first non age restricted piece of the development. Portillo's, 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Haru, Zunzibar, Victory Sports Grill, Hand & Stone and Citizens First Bank are already operating. A Publix anchored plaza has begun construction and Woodrow's DuckPin Bowling, Genesis Health Clubs, AdventHealth Medical Group and Jersey Mike's are slated for late 2026 through 2027. There is an A rated charter school campus and a 110 room Hamlin Hotel planned. Middleton is what gives the southern end a working population, which is what keeps restaurants staffed and open.

Health care. AdventHealth and Benderson Development announced Legacy Place, a 700 acre mixed use district at the southern gateway anchored by an 80 bed hospital. Early components are targeted for 2027 with the hospital around 2030.

Roads. County Road 470 and McNeill Drive opened in May 2026 with two roundabouts and multimodal paths for carts, bikes and pedestrians. The Southern Oaks Bridge has been carrying automobile traffic since 2023. Access down here keeps improving.

Why This Matters if You Are Buying Now

The market is giving you room. As of July 2026, the median sale price across The Villages sat around $345,000, down about 3.5 percent year over year, with 526 homes sold and 51 days on market. Sale to list ran about 96.8 percent. Volume is up, prices are soft, and buyers have negotiating leverage they did not have two years ago. That combination does not usually last long once a major amenity district finishes filling in.

Cart distance is the real asset. Eleven villages surround the Eastport district:

• Village of Dabney
• Village of Edenfield
• Village of LaGrange
• Village of Lake Denham
• Village of Lakeview
• Village of Moultrie Creek
• Village of Newell
• Village of Oak Hollow
• Village of Shady Brook
• Village of Waters Edge
• Village of Well Point

Construction on these neighborhoods began rolling out in 2023 and 2024, which means the homes are genuinely new. Current roofs, current HVAC systems, current building standards, no deferred maintenance, all sitting a short cart ride from a town center that was still under construction when those homes were framed.

That timing is the opportunity. Buyers who purchased here in 2023 and 2024 bought before Olympia Recreation opened, before Bellaire Executive opened, before Hotel Eastport opened, and before the restaurants started filling in. Anyone buying a resale in these villages today gets a finished amenity district that the original buyer paid for on faith. That setup does not come around often in The Villages, and it tends to correct upward once a district fully matures.

Do the bond and amenity math before you fall in love. The amenity fee is $204 per month, flat, no matter which home you buy. The bond is where the real variation lives, and it is the single most underestimated number out here. Homes built in 2023 and 2024 are early in their amortization, so remaining balances are close to full, and in these newer sections those balances run high. Two homes on the same street can carry different series and different balances depending on the build phase. Most of this ground sits in the City of Wildwood in Sumter County inside Community Development District 15, established in October 2022, with bond interest running just over 5 percent. I pull the bond balance, the district and the series on every property before we talk price, because a five figure remaining balance belongs in your offer strategy, not in a closing statement surprise.

Know the tradeoffs. Homes closest to the entertainment stage get noise on band nights. Homes near the Welcome Home Center get visitor traffic. Homes fronting an executive course or Central Lake carry a view premium that holds up well in a soft market. Right now, homes without a golf or water view are sitting longer and seeing more price adjustments than they did last year. That is exactly the kind of spread a buyer can use.

How I Would Approach an Eastport Purchase Today

Go on a weeknight, not a Sunday morning. Sit at the square during entertainment hours and listen from the street behind it. Drive the cart route from any home you are considering all the way to Olympia and time it. Ask for the bond balance, the district, the series, and the roof and HVAC ages before you get attached. Then compare price per square foot across Waters Edge, Shady Brook, Moultrie Creek, Well Point and the rest of the ring, and make sure the homes you are comparing carry similar bond balances. Otherwise you are not comparing anything.

Eastport is not a promise anymore. It is open, it is busy, and it is still getting better. Buying near it while prices are soft is the kind of timing most people only recognize in hindsight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Eastport open to the public?

Yes. The town center, restaurants, hotel and entertainment are open to the public. Recreation facilities such as Olympia require a resident ID for most programmed activities.

What villages surround Eastport?

Eleven villages ring the district: Dabney, Edenfield, LaGrange, Lake Denham, Lakeview, Moultrie Creek, Newell, Oak Hollow, Shady Brook, Waters Edge and Well Point. Construction on these neighborhoods began rolling out in 2023 and 2024 and continued through early 2026.

Does Eastport have nightly entertainment like the other squares?

Not yet. 3-4 nights a week are common. Live music generally runs 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm at 7025 Central Lake Drive, check the calendar for a current schedule: https://www.thevillagesentertainment.com/eastport/

Is there a grocery store at Eastport?

Not yet. A grocery store has been reported for the district and a Publix anchored plaza is planned at nearby Middleton, but no Eastport banner has been publicly confirmed.

Can I buy a resale home near Eastport?

Yes, and that is where the value is. The eleven surrounding villages started construction in 2023 and 2024, so resales there are nearly new homes, with upgrades and without new construction pricing.

Thinking about buying near Eastport? I live and work this market every day, and I will walk the district with you before you commit to anything.

Chris Caisse, eXp Realty
352-761-9492
[email protected]
chriscaissere.com
Book a private chat: calendly.com/ccaisse24/30min