Enjoy a juicy burger and ice-cold beer on an outdoor deck overlooking the Alafia River in the heart of Gibsonton (AKA “Gibtown). What more could you ask for? I recommend the Goat Cheese Burger drizzled with balsamic — absolutely delicious! In addition, AJ’s hosts live music several days a week. AJ’s on the River is located at 9808 Vaughn Street (take Exit 250 off I-75). It is open daily for lunch and dinner.
The West Orange Trail runs for 20.8 miles between Apopka and Oakland. Today I walked from the Ingram Outpost (Mile 11.8) to the Apopka Vineland Outpost (13.6) and back. Although the West Orange Trail has become diminished in many areas due to rampant development, there are several stretches left where you can still imagine you are briefly wandering in the wilderness far away from civilization. We definitely need to help preserve what’s left of this wonderful trail before it’s too late! For more information about the West Orange Trail, visit orangecountyfl.net.
Billed as “A Sunny Place for Shady People,” the Green Parrot Bar is one of my favorite Key West dive bars.
“We cannot live without the earth or apart from it, and something is shrivelled in a man’s heart when he turns away from it and concerns himself only with the affairs of men.” ―Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Cross Creek (1942)
Step back in time to “Old Florida” at The Yearling Restaurant, a local landmark in the Cross Creek area (way off the beaten path!) that first opened its doors in 1952 and specializes in Southern “cracker-style” cuisine. Enjoy live music courtesy of legendary bluesman Willie “The Real Deal” Green. Named after Marjorie Kinnan Rawling’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning 1938 novel, The Yearling, the award-winning Yearling Restaurant lies less than a mile from the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park (I personally advise visiting this must-see attraction in the morning followed by lunch at The Yearling). Or choose to spend the night at the adjacent Secret River Lodge, which boasts seven restored cottages. The eclectic menu at The Yearling features such offbeat delicacies as Florida Gator, Frog Legs, Free Range Venison, Fried Portobello Mushrooms, Conch Fritters, Stuffed Grouper, Blackened Mississippi Catfish, Maple Leaf Duck Breast and Domestic Quail, as well as steaks, burgers, sandwiches and more. Save room for one of the signature desserts such as Key Lime Pie, Pecan Pie, Sour Orange Pie and Buttermilk Pie. The Yearling Restaurant is located at 14531 County Road 325 in Hawthorne, just 14 miles from Gainesville. Don’t be scared off by the eatery’s rather rough exterior – it’s all part of the charm! It is open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday. For more information, visit www.yearlingrestaurant.net.
“When I look back on the causes and effects that have brought me to this stage in my life, I do believe I have kept my guardian angels quite busy. I say angels, because I feel that with the lifestyle I have chosen, more help is required and they have been quite good at providing me with the right kind of help at the right time. Gamble Rogers was the right kind of help. I vividly remember the days I spent traversing the folk club circuit in the Southeast, roaring down two lane black top roads with Gamble at the wheel of his black fastback Mustang listening to the glass packs ricocheting through the pines as he offered words of wisdom to an up and coming folk singer from the Gulf Coast. I would open shows for Gamble in places like The Hub Pub Club in Buoy’s Creek, North Carolina or the Tradewinds in St. Augustine or the Gaslight in Athens watching him weave the magic with just a guitar and a story. Gamble Rogers taught me how to move an audience with dialogue and delivery as much as with music. I never tired of listening to him expound about the Maitland Turkey Farm Massacre or deliver a history lesson on the Seminole Chief, Osceola, as he sang a Will McClain song. I was the apprentice and he was the master.” – Jimmy Buffett, liner notes, Fruitcakes, 1994. (Photo by Robert S. Blount, ca. 1986)
