Florida Family Getaways - 2008 - (Page 9) family getaways in Dixie County has more lenient building codes, and a few medium-rise condos have cropped up. But as a whole, this away-fromit-all town remains pleasantly mired in Old Florida, and that’s the way its residents like it. Two of the local favorites for dinner overlook the Steinhatchee River. Roy’s Restaurant lays out a sumptuous salad bar in a bright, windowed space where fried seafood is prepared the way it should be and without apology. It also affords a view of the Gulf. Fiddler’s Restaurant has the worn-in look of an old-time fishing lodge and a menu that showcases the area’s history as a commercial fishing center. Try the fried mullet or bring in your scallop catch to have it cooked up scampi style. You’ve never tasted scallops so sweet as fresh from the shell. Any number of signs throughout the scant downtown advertise folks who will clean your scallops for you. Take them up on it – it’s a labor-intensive job. The limit is two gallons of whole bay scallops per person, or up to 10 gallons per boat. Scallop season runs July 1 through Sept. 10, and on summer weekends, a battalion of charter boats lines up along the eel grass flats to drop off their snorkel-geared patrons. Kids get a snorkeling lesson, and everyone learns the best way to find and nab the shellfish. It’s like an underwater Easter egg hunt. Year ‘round, the confluence of fresh river and salty Gulf waters assures a wide variety of finned catches: redfish, grouper, sheepshead, cobia, king mackerel, snapper, sea trout, flounder, mahi mahi and more. Local resorts can hook your family up with a knowledgeable fishing guide. Steinhatchee Landing rents kayaks and can arrange kayak fishing tours or a shuttle up to The Falls, about six miles away, for a serene paddle back downriver. Perfect for families (the Jimmy Carter family once held a family fishing reunion here), Steinhatchee Landing resembles an old Southern neighborhood, complete with roosters crowing, goats to feed and a horse to pet. Its cottages and homes come in sizes for every family. Family picnic at Steinhatchee Landing cottage View of the Steinhatchee River Family Getaways 9
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