& BEYOND

from March 2023 Treasure Coast Real Estate and Local Living

As Seen On The Cover I n

Clermont, FL. was just about two hours of a drive from the Treasure Coast, yet it felt like being transported to the northern states. Home to the Palatlakaha River, the 54th river in our journey of going down all 103 rivers in the Sunshine State, the Lake Louisa State Park would be a great place to stay for a camping getaway. Yet, you must plan. Even with trying to book our trip with eight months of advance notice, it was not possible to find an open spot there, so we found an open spot at a local mobile home park for the weekend.

Come Saturday morning, we packed our cooler, equipped with mini corned beef sliders, and grabbed our extra blankets as we set off to river roam. The boat ramp and park were well maintained, with functioning restrooms and fishing pier for folks without a boat; very nicely done. Once in the water, it was an instant immersion in old Florida. With freshwater jigs and the sun warming our cheeks, we saw an interesting mix of old estates equipped with the Florida cracker style of a bygone era as well as sprawling modern lakefront homes; super captivating to witness as we slowly roamed. The chain of lakes we meandered through were far bigger than we had expected and was full of bass fishing boats, you could tell plenty of the locals had their top spots secured early. From Lake Susan to Lake Louisa, the Palalakaha River was a real delight to journey through, including random fun signs and stuffed

Riverroaminwiththetillerys.com

By Anna Valencia Tillery

animals nestled in branches as we roamed; just a cool experience all the way around. Perhaps one of the best aspects of these monthly journeys is the ability to support local businesses while we visit.

So, our final night there we set off to the Clermont Brewing Company. It happened to be a downtown business stroll night, full of lights along with people walking and talking with such joy; always fun to witness. Once inside, we were given a high-top table in the main dining room with views of their many televisions and impressively run kitchen. As my husband watched the football game, we ordered one of each of their claim to fames and was shortly thereafter greeted by the chef who was impressed with our selections. His appreciation for our enthusiasm was so great that he brought out one of his favorite featured cocktails as a gift. It was called Whoopsie Daisy with cucumber and gin; it was delightful! In fact, all the food and service were on point with the pizzas being our favorite.

Heading home, we took HWY 27 and saw more mobile food trucks, mobile barbers, mobile coffee

Clermont Brewing Company

750 W Desoto Street

Clermont, FL 34711 clermontbrewingcompany. com

Phone: (321) 430-2337 trucks than ever before. With having no rush to get home, it was educational to take the backroads and see such different means of commerce and attractions. One more river down, next trip…Miami. Keep exploring ya’ll. With love, The River