The storybook home of your dreams is waiting for you, nestled deep in an ancient forest, overlooking a tranquil pond, and surrounded by oak and towering pine. A thick canopy of trees keeps this beautiful custom 2-story home a mystery to the outside world, it’s easy to drive by and not even know it exists. The home itself is as enchanting as a fairy tale. Nestled in the heart of the lot, it overlooks a picturesque reflection pond and a brook runs along the land's southernmost border, whilst trails crisscross the heavily forested land. Walking up to the home, you will be charmed by the wrap-around front porch. There are several hand-built wooden benches and chairs on the lawn, placed under picturesque oak trees. Sit for a moment and drink in the natural landscape, the ancient forest, and the wildlife that comes with it such as deer, fox, and the elegant sandhill crane. The almost 10 acres begs to be fully explored, but first, let’s take a tour of the 4 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath, + den home. Downstairs there is a great room, formal dining room (would make a great 2nd office), office, kitchen, 1/2-bath and laundry room as well as the primary bedroom and spa bathroom. Upstairs, there are 3 guest bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. The home was designed to bring nature in, so every room in the house has terrific views of the intensely private lot. Do you love to create culinary masterpieces? If so, then this is the kitchen for you. It’s super-sized, with a large center island, oak cabinets, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The morning room is open to the kitchen, and there is also a formal dining area. The great room, with its 2-story soaring ceilings, is the perfect place to entertain family and friends. Open the disappearing sliders to the enormous screened in lanai and the entertainment experience gets even better! Also on the first floor is the primary bedroom which has a large custom walk-in-closet as well as an elegant spa bathroom with jet tub and walk-in-shower. Do not miss seeing the enormous screened in lanai that is only accessible from the bedroom. Upstairs there are 3 more bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. One of the bedrooms is en-suite w/a walk-in closet, and all the bedrooms have spectacular views. Once you have finished your tour of the home, take some time to explore the almost 10 acre homesite and then take time to explore Panther Ridge, which covers close to 4500 acres, has 9 communities, and is on both sides of ST RD 70. Hiking and riding trails cover approximately 15 miles of gorgeous land such as oak filled hammocks, bridges over meandering creeks, and wide-open spaces highlighted by towering pine. Panther Ridge is contiguous to Lakewood Ranch, which means you are just minutes away from an amazing master-planned community that is really the size of a town. At 50 square miles, it is filled with shopping, dining, arts, entertainment, nature, recreational facilities, golf courses and top-notch schools. Free concerts, wine festivals, and golf tournaments are just a few of the local events. The community offers top-tier public schools, many of which have earned A-ratings. Charter and private options are also available, as well as numerous colleges and universities. All those things are important to Panther Ridge residents, but the reason they want to live here is simple- there is nothing that can compare to living on a big homesite, sitting on the front porch, and soaking in the peace and quiet.