From 20-minute EMS workouts and a store built entirely around LEGO to private investigators and a lawn bowling club dating back nearly a century, there is a lot happening on the local side of Mount Dora.

You can live in Mount Dora for years and still occasionally hear about a local business, service or organization that makes you stop and say, “Wait… we have that here?”

That is exactly what The Local Side of Mount Dora is about.

This new series from the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce looks beyond the places and businesses you already know to share useful local discoveries, community resources and some of the more unexpected things available right here in Mount Dora.

For our first edition, we found four very different examples.

Bodystreet Mount Dora: A 20-Minute Workout?

At Bodystreet Mount Dora, the idea is to get a full workout without spending hours at the gym.

Located at 133 W. 6th Street, Bodystreet specializes in EMS, or electrical muscle stimulation, training. The Chamber member describes its program as just 20 minutes of EMS training per week, designed to provide an alternative to a traditional gym routine.

During EMS training, electrical impulses are used to stimulate muscles while participants perform guided exercises. The format has made Bodystreet an option for people looking for a very different approach to fitting exercise into a busy schedule.

So yes: tucked just outside downtown Mount Dora is a fitness studio built around 20-minute workouts.

Bricks & Minifigs Mount Dora: More Than a LEGO Store

There is an entire store dedicated to LEGO in Mount Dora, but shopping is only part of what happens there.

Bricks & Minifigs Mount Dora, located at 16844 US-441, lets customers buy, sell and trade LEGO sets, minifigures and loose bricks. Its inventory includes new and used sets, retired sets, individual pieces and products from themes including Star Wars, Disney, Harry Potter and Marvel.

Have a collection collecting dust at home? You can bring it in to sell or trade. Missing a piece for a build? The loose-brick selection gives builders a place to hunt for individual parts. Looking for something that's no longer on store shelves? Retired sets can show up in the store's constantly changing inventory.

The family-owned Mount Dora location also hosts LEGO-themed birthday parties and building activities.

In other words, it is part toy store, part resale shop and part gathering place for people who never really outgrew LEGO.

Miller and Miller: Yes, Mount Dora Has Private Investigators

This may be the biggest “Wait… we have that here?” on the list.

Miller and Miller Investigative & Security Services is a family-owned security and private investigation agency headquartered at 344 S. Highland Street in Mount Dora. The company has been based here since 2013 and serves clients throughout Central Florida.

And private investigation really does mean private investigation.

Its services include surveillance, fraud investigations, locating individuals, background checks and computer forensics and data recovery, along with security services such as uniformed officers, executive protection and event security.

The company says its team brings more than 100 years of combined experience in law enforcement, security and crisis management.

So the next time somebody jokes about hiring a private investigator, you can tell them there is one headquartered right here in Mount Dora.

Mount Dora Lawn Bowling Club: Bowling by the Lake Since 1928

If you've spent time around Evans Park, you may have seen the greens near the waterfront without realizing just how much is happening there.

The Mount Dora Lawn Bowling Club was organized in 1928, when 20 prospective lawn bowlers came together to establish the club. Nearly a century later, it remains one of the largest lawn bowling clubs in the United States and has more than 200 members.

The club has 14 bowling rinks near Lake Dora and offers bowling throughout the week, including evening bowling under the lights.

Never lawn bowled before? That's fine. The club offers free training, provides bowls for beginners during instruction and has certified coaches. The game itself uses weighted bowls designed to travel along a curved path, with players trying to finish closer to a target than their opponents.

And the club is more than bowling. Members also gather for activities including Euchre, Pinochle, Mah Jong and Bunco, along with a full calendar of social events.

It has been sitting at the foot of Donnelly Street for generations, and plenty of locals still may not realize they can actually learn to play.

What Should We Discover Next?

These four barely scratch the surface.

The Local Side of Mount Dora will continue exploring the businesses, organizations, services and resources that make living here a little more interesting, useful and connected.

Now we want to hear from you:

What Mount Dora business, service or organization made you say, “Wait… we have that here?”

Your suggestion just might make Part 2.