Lake Whippoorwill-Hart Rural Settlement: Acreage and Lakefront Homes in Lake Nona

By David Myers, Broker Associate · Nona Orlando Properties Team at Ziro Realty, LLC · Last reviewed August 13, 2026 · Contact David Myers

Tropical palms and old oaks draped with Spanish moss line the roads here, and horses graze behind fences on properties that have not changed shape in decades. The new city of Lake Nona is minutes away. The Lake Whippoorwill-Hart Rural Settlement was here long before any of it, back when Narcoossee Road was two lanes.

Set between the two lakes from which it takes its name, this area has retained nearly all of its old Florida character. Most of the homes sit on acreage, most of that acreage touches water, and the area is zoned to allow horses — which is why stables are a common sight along Kirby Smith and Tyson.

What Amenities Do Residents Get?

None of the usual ones — there is no community pool, clubhouse or central park, and that is the point of the place.

As a rural settlement rather than a planned community, Lake Whippoorwill-Hart has no shared amenity package and no association collecting dues to run one. What residents get instead is acreage and water: lots are far larger than typical home sites in the area, and most properties back to either Lake Hart or Lake Whippoorwill, so boating and fishing happen off the back yard rather than at a scheduled amenity. The Lake Hart chain is the recreational centre of gravity here.

See how Lake Whippoorwill-Hart compares to other Lake Nona area neighborhood amenities, and what nearby Lake Nona parks offer in place of a community one.

Where is Lake Whippoorwill-Hart and What's Nearby?

Between Lake Whippoorwill and Lake Hart, on and just off Kirby Smith Road and Tyson Road, both of which connect to Narcoossee Road.

The southern portion of the settlement sits between Lake Hart and the back of the Eagle Creek community, which makes the contrast easy to see from the road: gated golf-course subdivision on one side of the line, horse fencing and acreage on the other.

The growth of Lake Nona brought a great deal of convenience to a settlement that once had none: shopping, schools and entertainment are all now within a short drive. Just down Tyson Road you will find Lake Nona High School, the Whippoorwill Center, Tyson's Corner Shopping Plaza (including the all important Chick-fil-A), the Bravo Supermarket anchored Shoppes at Nona Place, Valencia College and the Lake Nona Landing Shopping Center, which includes a Lowe's, Walmart Supercenter and Sam's Club.

School zoning splits north and south. The northern section is zoned for Village Park Elementary and Lake Nona Middle; the southern section is zoned for Eagle Creek Elementary and Luminary Middle. Both sections feed Lake Nona High. Assignments are set by Orange County Public Schools and can change, so confirm zoning for the specific address before you rely on it.

Take a Virtual Tour of Lake Whippoorwill-Hart

The street-level view below is the fastest way to understand the scale of the lots and the character of the roads.

What Are the Homes Like?

There is no standard home here — they were built over many years in different styles and sizes, on lots from about half an acre up to 10.

Because the settlement was never platted and built out as one subdivision, the housing stock varies from modest older homes to large custom builds, and age and condition vary just as widely. Two properties on the same road can be a generation apart. If you are looking to live in a quiet corner of Orlando without giving up what the city offers, a drive through the area is worth your while — the differences between one parcel and the next do not show up in a listing photo.

Some homes sit on lots smaller than current rules would allow for a new dwelling. Those parcels predate the 1991 rural settlement designation and are legal as they stand, which is why a search can turn up a sub-two-acre sale in an area otherwise defined by acreage.

The majority of available homes are resales. Occasionally an owner will subdivide their land, creating vacant lots on which to build, so new construction happens here one parcel at a time rather than in phases. Subdividing is constrained by Orange County's rural settlement density rules, so a large parcel cannot simply be split into as many lots as it will hold — check the current limit for a specific property before buying land to divide. Buyers who want to build should treat it as a custom build project rather than a production-builder purchase.

What Does It Cost to Own Here?

No HOA dues and no CDD assessment — but well, septic, acreage upkeep and flood insurance move the cost back the other way.

Lake Whippoorwill-Hart is one of only two Lake Nona area neighborhoods with neither a homeowners association nor a Community Development District. That is a genuine and permanent cost advantage over most of the planned communities nearby, where a CDD assessment rides on the annual property tax bill for decades. It is not the whole picture, though.

Who is Lake Whippoorwill-Hart a Good Fit For?

Buyers who want land, water and horses inside the Lake Nona school and shopping footprint, and who are comfortable owning their own infrastructure.