Places to fly-in and eat in FL

[cforst513]

my girlfriend is coming down in a week to visit and i wanted to be able to take her to some restaurants/other places on or near the airport when she gets here. any ideas? i know that lakeland,fl has a nice restaurant right on the field, but what are other ideas? things to do besides eat are also welcome. thanks!

 

[MKaprocki]

Tailwind Cafe in Ocala is great for a burger. Little expensive if I remember correctly, but good food.

 

[hotwings402]

Tiki at Ft Pierce
Sebring
River Ranch
Ocala

 

[hotwings402]

Venice, two on the airport then theres a short walk to Sharkys.

Naples
Everglades City
Key West

 

[pin727]

I don't know if I spell it right but you need to go to Naples , michelobobs, best ribbs in the world, you need to go there, you are goiong to enjoy that one, and you will thank me for it!!!

 

[Global33]

Add "The Outer Marker Cafe" in Titusville/Space Coast Regional to the list. You can taxi right up the front door and sit in the screened-in porch by the taxiway and watch (and hear) all the planes while sipping on awesome milkshakes... Makes me crave it just thinking about it!

 

[cforst513]

thanks, guys and gals, keep 'em coming!!

and gkrangers, you're my new hero. check your PM's

 

[Fly_Chick]

CJs at VRB nice, good dinners, have only been there for dinner. Park next to fence beside airport, you can get the xtry time logged (not sure of operating hours).

Outer Marker at TIX is good, soup is always wonderful. Yes, you can watch all of the planes from the screened in porch. Best time to go is on a Saturday morning, when all of the experimentals and groups fly in, if it is VFR. You can watch them come in groups of three or four at a time, landing and taking off together (Open from 8am to 3 pm or 4 pm depending on the day). Besides, nicest Tower in Florida!

River Ranch 2RR is a nice place to go with the girlfriend. Can be very romantic. You land, then rent a golf buggie for $5 and can drive all day long. There is a restraunt overlooking the river, also a free petting zoo (all kinds of animals, best in the spring when there are baby animals) a rodeo, shops, hotel, basically a ranch resort place. Very peaceful. Be careful around there, stay east of the airport, I do not have charts in front of me - yet they is one north/south oriented runway and the traffic patterns keep you east as there is an MOA or Resticted area to the west. No taxi-way so have to back taxi if you land to the north. Never had a problem there. Weekends have a breakfast buffet, lunch is also good. Never been there for dinner (check open times for the restraunt).

VNC is nice, you can grab a taxi or walk to the beach.

OBE - Okechobee has a restaurant, have never been there yet have heard good recommendations.

CDK - Cedar Key is great just for the experience. Just make sure you do not taxi on the road located next to the runway, or else you may want to taxi on the road just to have the "good story" to tell.

Just make sure you find out the operating hours and if the places are open when you plan on visiting. Also, it might behoove you to consider going to one of the places that will allow you to log Xctry PIC since you are working on your instrument rating.

 

[Fly_Chick]

Have you thought about going to SC, NC, GA, LA, TN or AL? You might be able to combine this on your long IFR cross-country and have her accompany you and your instructor.

 

[great cornholio]

Doesn't LNA (Lantana) have food on the field or across the street? Anyways LNA is just south of PBI so its a good hike from the DAB area. If your school lets you land on grass you can go to Pierson over there by lake george and park the plane there are like 1 or 2 places to eat if you walk down the road. Plus you get to land on grass which is always fun. I can't beleive its been 3 years since I left the FL area so much has been forgotten. The food is good at Flaggler and the gate between the tables and the ramp has the most awesome sign ever with some dude gettin hit in the head with a prop and is says "beware of props" Can't really think of much more. If you have your chick down there I would do an overnight trip down to Key West and rent a moped. Its like 30 bucks for 24 hours. Key West is filled with places to eat and drink (Duval St) and what chick wouldn't like Key West. I think St Augustine has food on the field. I heard the have a tower now too. Which sucks casue they had the abandoned tower there and I would mess with my students and be like uh did you talk to tower.... Have fun thats pretty much all I can think of right now if I think of more I'll post em.

 

[indianboy7]

At VRB, CJ Cannons is a good place for high-end airport food (Not gourmet, but not crap).....the place in Okeechobee is pretty good......Sebring has awesome airport food....St. Augustine is pretty good......they sell buckets of beer for those who want to spend the night, and the restaraunt is up on top of the terminal looking down onto the ramp......The Outer Marker at TIX is always a favorite....I think you get a discount on gas if you go eat there.....The rib joint near APF is really good...just ask the folks at the GA terminal to give you a ride....or you can walk, it's about 3/4 of a mile....DAB is always a good flight, and all the FBO's on the field have 2 or 3 courtesy cars they'll let you borrow (Hooter's is close, results may vary)...

 

[MJPilot]

Don't forget Lakeland (LAL), which has a very nice restaurant overlooking the airport.

Also, the best place I have found is in Marathon (MTH), just half way in between Key West and Miami.

Take a cab and apprx. 2 miles towards Miami on the left side, you find an excellent Tiki Restaurant, right on the water. Great Seafood with very reasonable prices.

I second SPG, Albert Whitted in St. Petersburg. I never forget the thunderstorm over PIE, my basefield, that covered the whole airport on a trip back. So I just landed at SPG, called my boss that I will come in after the wheather has cleared, and WALKED to the movies, just 10 Minutes away. It is called Baywalk, entertainment district just like in Ft. Lauderdale. SPG, probably the best airport in Florida right next to the city.

Key West is great, but EXPENSIVE. A ride to the city will set you back 8 bucks per person, and that is one way. I once rented a car for 20 bucks for the whole evening, where it would have cost us 64 US$ for the 4 of us, just ridiculous.

Though, there is a good restaurant right on the field next to the terminal.

Crystal River airport, about 50 NM to the north of PIE, is surrounded by nice scenery, also has 2 restaurants withing walking distance.

At an uncontrolled airfield right south of Naples, they will get you a car for 2 hours free of charge, if you get fuel there. Great deal, I would say. Also, Page field in Fort Myers gets you a courtesy car that I used many times to get to the Hooters there.

The most expensive restaurant trip was, when I flew with a customer into Miami international. Parking at Signature, it is just a hop over the street where a Sushi Place and many cuban restaurants can be found. But Signature charged us a whopping $92 for landing and parking fees. At least my cuban dinner was only 5 bucks, LOL.

One of the most exciting places to fly in must be John Travolta's Private Airport, just a little North/East of Ocala. Being Private, they allow anyone to land there on the 1st Sunday of the month, where brunch can be had. I flew over the airport a couple of times, but never made it to the brunch.

I used to take my students to Daytona Beach, where they have a cool courtesy car to go to an Outback Steakhouse or many other restaurants, but they started to charge 12 bucks (??) for parking fees since 911.

Melbourne also gives you a car, but a little tricky to find restaurants there.

Sarasota well worth a trip, where the Ringlings Museum is very close by.

 

[Publishers]

While very expensive, Chalet Suzanne near Lake Wales is a unique experience. Great place to fly into, have dinner, and spend the night.

Another high end romantic place right on the Atlantic is the Hideaway cafe just north of Marathon around MM 57 somewhere. Riverbend Resort is the bigger sign out front. Small dining area, but really delighful place.

 

[Flyboyz]

Go to www.100dollarhamburger.com. All restaurants and airports are in their. I always enjoyed St. Augustine myself.

 

[TonyC]

... nice place to go with the girlfriend. Can be very romantic. ... free petting zoo ...

... have her accompany you and your instructor.

Yanno, Fly Chick, you're makin' me wonder about you a bit. On the one hand, you suggest romance and petting, and in the next post you suggest bringing the instructor along. Is there something you're trying to tell us here?








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[cforst513]

heh heh, well my instructor is a girl.... lol

 

[Fly_Chick]

Yanno, Fly Chick, you're makin' me wonder about you a bit. On the one hand, you suggest romance and petting, and in the next post you suggest bringing the instructor along. Is there something you're trying to tell us here?

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TonyC, you got me laughing. They were two "separate" posts.

 

[moxiepilot]

KDED has an on airport bar/restaraunt - the gin mill I think it's called. They have the best burgers (all the way, no tomato).

Cash only...

 

[giantfan]

You definitely should go to SPG, Albert Whitted. The FBO there, Bay Air, will give you a ride to and from the pier (about 1 mile). There are many shops and even an aquarium museum in there. There are also some restaurants, of which my favorite is the Columbia (I think its on the third floor). Get a table that over looks the water of the bay. Its very nice.

 

[TonyC]

TonyC, you got me laughing.

Well, at least something went right today, then.








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