Everybody hears about the most popular beaches, Key West, Clearwater, Palm Beach, but sometimes popular isn’t always best. Beaches are about experiencing nature, without all the hustle and bustle of the modern world. And sometimes to do this, you need to escape a little further. There is a place that is perfect for this. Horseshoe Beach. It is located three hours north of Dade City, in a place called Dixie County, quietly tucked away from the rest of the world. It sits on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is patched with wetlands, brushy woods, and small beaches. Upon entering Horseshoe Beach you are greeted by a large green road sign that reads, “Horseshoe Beach Great Fishing Great Sunsets”, and though it may seem touristy, it is definitely
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Horseshoe is said to be a great place to fish: redfish, trout, shark, saltwater catfish, it can all be caught here. But it’s not just fish people are after, large shrimp and crabbing boats come and go from Horseshoe’s Marina every day. It is thanks to them that Horseshoe has so many amazing places to eat. Okay maybe so many in Horseshoe Beach is two places, but the quality of the food more than makes up for it. At the Shrimp Boat, you can buy a “Captain’s Meal” and receive a large variety of fresh seafood, usually three catfish filets, ten shrimp, fifteen scallops, five crab legs, and a side of hushpuppies. At Lily Creek General Store, you can buy a large shrimp po boy that more than satisfies your appetite. Lily Creek is really truly a general store, they sell everything form ice cream to hunting knives, and their shop also doubles as a restaurant. This little store provides you with all the necessities: tooth paste, milk, fishing rods, knives, hats, ice cream. And on top of that there is no end to the good food, pancakes truly the size of a pan, chicken gizzards, even the odd order of a salami sub, you name it they’ll make it happen. Lily Creek’s wood structure, friendly atmosphere, and hurricane shudders make it fit right in with the Horseshoe Beach …show more content…
But a flashy title like that doesn’t make it special. It’s the people and environment that make the difference. Despite its name Horseshoe Beach doesn’t have too many beaches, or at least not the kind of beach most people think of. They often don’t have pure white fluffy sand that stretches for miles of crystal clear blue water. Horseshoe’s beaches often appear only at low tide and its wet beige colored sand often lays under the obstructing view of a mass variety of wooden docks and boat lifts. Oysters stuck to larger rocks like concrete protrude out of the sand like natural barbed wire, its smooth, black, blade like edges telling people to stay away. Small holes present all over the beach are the evidence of a large fiddler crab community. Large groups of small black crabs, the largest often being the size of your thumb, can often be seen running in mass numbers to their safe home in the ground. If not seen the sound of their small exo-skeleton covered legs can be heard as they dart quickly away, trying to avoid any contact with a “giant” human. There is no doubt that other beaches are prettier, but the abundant wildlife in Horseshoe make it more intriguing than
Horseshoe is said to be a great place to fish: redfish, trout, shark, saltwater catfish, it can all be caught here. But it’s not just fish people are after, large shrimp and crabbing boats come and go from Horseshoe’s Marina every day. It is thanks to them that Horseshoe has so many amazing places to eat. Okay maybe so many in Horseshoe Beach is two places, but the quality of the food more than makes up for it. At the Shrimp Boat, you can buy a “Captain’s Meal” and receive a large variety of fresh seafood, usually three catfish filets, ten shrimp, fifteen scallops, five crab legs, and a side of hushpuppies. At Lily Creek General Store, you can buy a large shrimp po boy that more than satisfies your appetite. Lily Creek is really truly a general store, they sell everything form ice cream to hunting knives, and their shop also doubles as a restaurant. This little store provides you with all the necessities: tooth paste, milk, fishing rods, knives, hats, ice cream. And on top of that there is no end to the good food, pancakes truly the size of a pan, chicken gizzards, even the odd order of a salami sub, you name it they’ll make it happen. Lily Creek’s wood structure, friendly atmosphere, and hurricane shudders make it fit right in with the Horseshoe Beach …show more content…
But a flashy title like that doesn’t make it special. It’s the people and environment that make the difference. Despite its name Horseshoe Beach doesn’t have too many beaches, or at least not the kind of beach most people think of. They often don’t have pure white fluffy sand that stretches for miles of crystal clear blue water. Horseshoe’s beaches often appear only at low tide and its wet beige colored sand often lays under the obstructing view of a mass variety of wooden docks and boat lifts. Oysters stuck to larger rocks like concrete protrude out of the sand like natural barbed wire, its smooth, black, blade like edges telling people to stay away. Small holes present all over the beach are the evidence of a large fiddler crab community. Large groups of small black crabs, the largest often being the size of your thumb, can often be seen running in mass numbers to their safe home in the ground. If not seen the sound of their small exo-skeleton covered legs can be heard as they dart quickly away, trying to avoid any contact with a “giant” human. There is no doubt that other beaches are prettier, but the abundant wildlife in Horseshoe make it more intriguing than