My family and two other families came from around Florida and stayed there for a week, during the second week of scallop season. We split the A-frame cabin with another family, while the third stayed in their own cabin directly behind the A-frame.
The view from the porch of the A-frame is spectacular. probably very similar to what it looked like 100 years ago. The river is literally 15' from the last step on the porch. The appliances and furniture are old, but servicable. There was a fire ring, loaded with wood, but between shucking scallops and cleaning boats, none of us had enough energy to light it.
The resort itself is on the north side of the Homosassa River, just up stream from Riverhaven Marina. It is a short jaunt and then idle to bothMacRae's and the springs. It is close enough to the springs that the water is appreciably colder than the gulf.
One of the best features of the camp was it's own private boat ramp. We put our boat in each morning, and pulled it out each evening. The trailer parking is fine, and there is water and electricity nearby to flush engines and recharge trolling motor batteries. There are several hundred feet of dock space, with a lot of fenders, but that section of the river is NOT a no wake zone, so your vessel could potentially get beat up by the passing boat wakes....My family and two other families came from around Florida and stayed there for a week, during the second week of scallop season. We split the A-frame cabin with another family, while the third stayed in their own cabin directly behind the A-frame.
The view from the porch of the A-frame is spectacular. probably very similar to what it looked like 100 years ago. The river is literally 15' from the last step on the porch. The appliances and furniture are old, but servicable. There was a fire ring, loaded with wood, but between shucking scallops and cleaning boats, none of us had enough energy to light it.
The resort itself is on the north side of the Homosassa River, just up stream from Riverhaven Marina. It is a short jaunt and then idle to bothMacRae's and the springs. It is close enough to the springs that the water is appreciably colder than the gulf.
One of the best features of the camp was it's own private boat ramp. We put our boat in each morning, and pulled it out each evening. The trailer parking is fine, and there is water and electricity nearby to flush engines and recharge trolling motor batteries. There are several hundred feet of dock space, with a lot of fenders, but that section of the river is NOT a no wake zone, so your vessel could potentially get beat up by the passing boat wakes. I did not realize how lucky we were to have a boat ramp until we met a grouper fishing guide at MacRae's, and saw 40 trailers waiting to get in the water. It was even worse at the public boat ramp when trying to get out. When a storm blew up on us, we were back on the trailer and inside the cabins before most of the users of the public ramp had even gotten to their tow vehicles. The longest wait we had at our ramp was the time it took to walk from the boat to the tow vehicle. The ramp is a little tight, but the roundabout layout was perfect for launching an 18' center console and 21' deck boat. Just be careful: below the waterline of the ramp is slick with algae, which made for entertaining times for the rest of our party.
The kitchen is adequately stocked with cooking utensils and flatware, and my wife made sure we brought all of our seafood spices. There is a drip coffee maker to get that wake-up juice flowing first thing in the morning. There is not a dishwasher, but paper plates or many hands make work light.
On the near dock is a covered fish cleaning table, with water, electricity and light. You can plug in your wet-dry vac for scallops or your electric fillet knife for grunts. Jeff and Boomer taught the kids how to crab with a rod and reel, and helped them set their crab traps each night. On the other side of the dock is a unique decoration: an anchorline upon which are strung the broken props of the boats that strayed from the notorious channel.
Which leads me to the best part of this camp: Pirate Jeff. He is a salty Florida cracker that was wonderful with my kids, and his stories and comments kept the adults howling with laughter after the kids went to sleep. He does not come with a filter, so those with more delicate sensibilities may be put off, but he won't lie to you and will treat you fairly. He taught my 9 and 11 year-old the most efficient way to shuck a scallop, and "convinced" the kids in our party that did not want to shuck to participate. A case of "Natty Light" will lubricate the conversations with him, as did the fresh egg rolls my wife and mom cooked up one evening. When our boat was down, he helped troubleshoot the engine for 2 hours, even going so far as to get his own tools to check the thermostats, and then nearly had an aneurysm from laughter when I realized the only problem was that my oil reservoir was low.
The highest praise I can give to this place is the fact that we are already planning to stay here next year, and may try to sneak back before the end of scallop season.More
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