Ocala, Florida - Discount Hotels, Vacations, Resorts, Vacation Packages and Travel Guide Ocala is a magical land of gurgling mineral springs, carpets of emerald-green grass that the springs feed, and handsome thoroughbred horses that feed on the grass. White corral fences neatly divide its rolling countryside, where foals romp and rambling ranch houses command. Some of the ranches allow visitors in to tour or ride horses and learn about how the thoroughbreds are trained for racing. Downtown Ocala, a quiet, compact district surrounded by modern-day stores and hotels, preserves the commercial buildings and ornate Victorian homes from its boom era in the 1930's. Delis, pubs, and other shops take up residence behind brick facades around a pretty little gazebo park. In the residential historic district along Fort King Avenue, more than 200 wooden, steamboat-era mansions range in style from Queen Anne Revival to Italianate. Other attractions in Ocala include the Appleton Museum of Art, an eclectic collection of priceless treasures; the...more