I like driving, too, and the drive to “The Villages” from here is only an hour or so longer than the total time for flying, from door to door ... and that’s if everything goes perfectly with the flights.
It’s been my experience that a three hour flight these days takes an entire day. When I’m flying to an island, I don’t have a choice, but if not, I’d much rather drive. This is a wonderful country, and I don’t think that I will ever tire of exploring it. :)