Get a Taste of Rural Florida at Gator Bay Bar & Grill in Leesburg, Florida
One of the things I love about road trips is that whether you want to or not, you will pass through areas that you would otherwise have no reason to visit. We weren’t exactly on an intentional road trip but today, on our way back to St. Augustine, Florida from the Tampa, Florida area my parents and I opted to avoid most highways and take a more rural route back.
This gave us the occasion to pass through Leesburg, Florida around the same time as we started to get hungry. My mom whose iphone usage rivals that of teenagers suggested “Gator Bay Grill & Bar” which was right off the road we were on. Sounded interesting and there weren’t a whole lot of other options before we hit part of Ocala National Forest on the Black Bear Scenic Byway (Random attorney note: I initially accidentally typed “bylaw,” instead of “byway”).
Anyway, we enjoyed our stop off at Gator Bay, which is actually a marina-slash-bar-and-grill with primarily outdoor seating and a small indoor bar area. Don’t let the word “marina,” mislead you, the food and the atmosphere at Gator Bay are as simple and casual. You seat yourself, the bathrooms are outside around back, and disposable utensil sets, ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce are in plastic containers on each table.
The food is typical of this kind of Florida joint – things like fried and grilled seafood, burgers, wings, and of course, given the restaurant’s namesake: gator bites. The two things we enjoyed the most were the fried okra (I didn’t even think I liked okra!) and the coconut shrimp.
The atmosphere is a big part of the stop’s allure. You get the sense that you have dropped into a water focused, rural community. After some discussion over how we would characterize the other patrons my dad and I eventually agreed that there were both “salty” people and “salt of the earth” people there enjoying food and beers along side of us.
Visit Gator Bay Marina/Bar & Grill
Address: 10320 County Road 44 Leesburg, FL 34788
Phone: (352) 365-2177
Website: www.gatorbaybar.com
Bonus: Explore the Area
While eating my dad, as he often does, struck up a conversation with a guy sitting next to us who showed us some great photos he’d taken of birds on local waterways. He endorsed the area for anyone who enjoys being on the water in any capacity and specifically recommended Dora Canal. We were just passing through so couldn’t go but I subsequently looked it up and taking a Dora Canal boating tour looks like a fun adventure!
