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Homage to Homosassa - part 1
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Riverside Resort in Homosassa - Kelly Shannon Kelly
Last week I was stressed out. I mean really stressed out. The economy, bills, kids, you name it...I needed to get away. I wanted to go someplace where I could connect with nature and kick back and relax. I immediately thought of Homosassa – close enough to Tampa Bay, but not as crowded and more natural.
My husband, Doug, and I stayed at the Riverside Resort, a quaint oasis right on the Homosassa River. Our room had a great view of the water and Monkey Island, a little island where monkeys cavorted, much to our amusement. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from our room was the Monkey Bar and we ducked in for a stress-busting drink as soon as we unpacked.
Our room was ever-so-spacious, with a separate living room/kitchen with full screen TV, microwave, full refrigerator and sink. The bedroom had two queen beds – it was great to stretch out on my own bed without my husband kicking me in the...well, somewhere.
Practically right next door to our room was the swimming pool and we next decided to take a dunk. The pool also overlooked the river, and the swim, combined with the view, brought down those stress levels immensely.
Riverside Crab House and Monkey Bar - Kelly Shannon Kelly
The Riverside Inn also has a great restaurant – the Riverside Crab House. Available meals are delicious and entrées include prime rib, Maryland-style crab cakes and the fresh catch of the day.
Boats were docked in the marina, including boats available for guests to go fishing, or to take either an airboat or riverboat tour (or both!) A small tackle shop sells gas, bait, souvenirs, beer, and snacks. Boat rentals, including pontoon boats, canoes and kayaks, and tours such as snorkeling for scallops are available. Homosassa happens to be the only place in the world where you can swim with manatees and you can take full advantage of doing just that at the Riverside Resort.
Awesome authentic Cajun food & Zydeco music - Kelly Shannon Kelly
A friend had recommended a nearby restaurant – Neon Leon’s – a Zydeco steakhouse. So being hungry (as we too often get) and being big fans of Louisiana Zydeco music, we climbed in the car and off we went. Neon Leon’s was unassuming from the outside, but the Cajun food inside was world-class. We later found out that this little restaurant won four awards in Citrus County Chronicle’s Best of the Best Readers Choice Awards – for Best Steak, Best Seafood, Best Home Cooking and Best Atmosphere – and we could instantly see why.
We had our first clue when the Seafood Gumbo was brought out. Eaten with the proffered mouth-watering cornbread, I casually commented on how wonderful the gumbo tasted. For entrées, Doug ordered the Seafood Etouffee (ay-TOO-fay), and I ordered the Catfish Louisianne – two filets with crabmeat stuffing. When the food was delivered, I just could not believe how great it was. Rivaling some of the finest, and I do mean finest, restaurants in New Orleans, both dishes were bursting with flavor. I ate until I was almost stuffed (leaving room for the requisite dessert) and had plenty of food left over for late-night snacking later. Being immensely full, we decided to share a Blackberry Cobbler a la mode. What a mistake! We should have ordered two!
At the conclusion of our meal, we found out that the Zydeco music played on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Since it was Tuesday, we both agreed that we needed to return the next day to hear the Zydeco music (strictly for research purposes of course...). And that we did. Not being the peak season, we didn’t arrive too early, but our waitress had advised us that during the high season, the place was packed on entertainment days. At those times, it was necessary to arrive at least a half hour early to get seating.
And what music it was! We spent over two hours listening to Cajun Dave as he played music that ranged from Zydeco to Calypso. His repertoire included instruments such as an electric fiddle, steel drum, guitar, wooden xylophone, washboard and harmonica. We sat and tapped our feet for every single minute to classics such as Blue Bayou and Ole Ole. We would have sung along to some songs, but we were too busy indulging in more mouth-watering food. This time we both had the Catfish Louisianne. It’s that good! And I made Doug order his own dessert this time – I wanted the Blackberry Cobbler all to myself. I again ending up taking a huge amount back to the room’s refrigerator and was able to relive the joy all over again later!
During the day, we visited Homosassa’s Wildlife Park, but that’s the topic for Part 2.
Watch a live web cam of Monkey Island
For a video example of Zydeco music, click here.
For more information about the area, VisitCitrus.com.
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kellyskelly
Related articles:
Homage to Homosassa - part 2: Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park
Need to release stress? Head to Homosassa
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