Food & Spirits

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers | Bradenton | 2015

While driving back to Tarpon Springs from Ft Myers I had a grumblin’ in my tummy and decided to try something I haven’t tried before... that’s how I came across Freddy’s. I was drawn to the vintage style that reminded me of Steak 'n Shake and who doesn’t love a good steakburger? 

The service was great and the food was yummy! When I go to a new place I like to order the main item they are known for and I always get it as is to get the original experience (although this place has a million toppings you can add to your burger). Unfortunately I was stuffed so I didn’t have a chance to try the frozen custard... next time.

Here’s a little backstory from their website on this jumpin’ burger joint...

“How It All Began

How It All BeganAt Freddy’s, frozen custard is such a signature part of the menu that it’s included in the name. But surprisingly, the Freddy’s story doesn’t begin with dessert. It all started with a main course back in the 1950’s.Wichita, Kansas is a historical landmark in the hamburger’s march to prominence and home to WWII veteran Freddy Simon. The savory steakburger is inspired by the 50's style staple and reminiscent of an era focused on quality, cooked-to-order meals that bring families and loved ones together.Two of Freddy’s sons, Bill and Randy, and accomplished restauranteur, Scott Redler, worked tirelessly to recreate the recipe that lived up to the timeless standards of their father's generation.Today, thousands gather at Freddy’s for food and fellowship that fills their stomachs and warms their souls.

The Freddy's Way

Putnam Lodge | Cross City, Florida | 2015

Putnam Lodge | Cross City, Florida | 2015

It has been said that there are certain rooms at the Putnam Lodge that have an “unexplainable energy”.  Built in 1927-28 the Lodge has seen many number of guests and experienced it‘s share of events so I’m not surprised. 

A friend of mine was visiting the Putnam Lodge for her brother’s wedding and was the one who tipped me off about this location. In 2014 she stayed in one of the rooms (I won’t say which) with her sister. The room was decorated in a safari theme, two twin beds in a cozy room. They settled in and enjoyed a night with their family. Upon returning to the room, settling into bed and drifting off to sleep, she started to hear voices speaking in French. The blankets also kept getting pulled off the bed. Her sister heard French voices in her dreams that night as well. The following day there were reappearing wet footprints leading from the bathroom where no one had been and no water had been turned on. 

My friend thoroughly enjoyed her stay there and will be staying with me when I make it back up there. I can’t wait... 

Putnam Lodge | Cross City, Florida | 2015

Putnam Lodge | Cross City, Florida | 2015

Putnam Lodge | Cross City, Florida | 2015

Putnam Lodge, built in 1927-28 by the Putnam Lumber Company, is part of a bygone era in Florida’s forestry history. Here, beside the old Dixie Highway, Putnam Lodge, part of the “company town” of Shamrock, accommodated tourists, transients and company executives and clients. The lobby and the dining room of the 36-room lodge were decorated exclusively with the still preserved, artfully stenciled “pecky cypress,” a now virtually extinct lumber product. 

In its day, the Putnam Lumber Company, founded by William O’Brien, a timber magnate of Irish descent, and associates including E. B. Putnam, employed hundreds at its two state-of-the-art sawmills in Shamrock. The mills annually produced and shipped worldwide millions of feet of “deep swamp tidewater cypress” and “dense Florida longleaf yellow pine” lumber, products that are now rare because the old growth trees are gone. Shamrock provided its residents and employees with comfortable homes, a commissary, a store comparable to “any city department store,” two schools, two hotels, the Shamrock Dairy Farm, and an ice plant producing 18 tons of ice daily. The lodge is representative of a time of local timber supremacy and economic prosperity. (pulled from the Putnam Lodge website putnamlodge.com)

I first heard about the Putnam Lodge from a close friend of mine who had celebrated her brother's wedding at this historic gem. She informed me a bit about it's history, renovation and some of the experiences she had while staying the night there (stay tuned for additional post). I took the opportunity to visit this past Sunday and I was not disappointed. 

We arrived around 11am and enjoyed their fantastic Sunday brunch. The building is gorgeous and when I entered the lobby I was blown away by the texture and detail of the cypress walls and ceiling. The choices on the buffet were not only plentiful but absolutely delicious! Prime rib, seafood, lasagna, biscuits and gravy (a southern staple), salads and desserts. My favorite was the eggs benedict... so creamy, delicious and not soggy (which if you know me is the worst!). A big round of applause for their in house chef Jeno Koch. Delish. Oh... and the complimentary mimosas were top notch. 

Stewart Homestead | Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve | Webster, Florida

Deciding to take advantage of some of the local camping opportunities we headed to Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. The camping is free with a reservation 7-10 days in advance but we were able to sneak in last minute because of a cancellation. This preserve is just outside Dade City and it's HUGE! We got lost a few times but eventually we found our campground.

Known as "Florida's Liquid Heart" this preserve has tons of trails, streams, rivers and swampy Florida goodness. I wanted to do some research before heading out so we could make an adventure out of it. That's when I learned about the Stewart Homestead. 

Isham Stewart was a longtime bachelor and horse farmer until he met Sarah (aka Sallie) who had been married before and had children with her previous husband. He and Sarah Stewart married later in life and had no children of their own. Knowing what we know now... maybe he should have stayed a bachelor.

The Stewarts then met an untimely death at the hands of their grandson here in this cabin in 1918. It was reported that their bodies were discovered in their beds having been attacked with an ax. There were even vultures on the roof when the bodies were discovered. After a couple of trials, Sarah Stewart's grandson and his friend were convicted of the hideous murder... and of course, it was all about money.  

The small details that I found, like the upholstery tack in the stump in the middle of the cabin, really brought a personal touch that made you feel for the Stewarts and their spirits that presumably still roam these woods. 

This spot, is up off the trail a few miles into the Florida trail in the East Tract of the preserve. I had a hell of a time trying to find the exact spot via my research but was helped out by Florida Trailblazer, Joe. So glad I came across his youtube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/user/FLtrailblazer ) Thanks Joe!

Laurel Forks Restaurant | Hampton, TN | Aug 2014

The rain kept us from making a good breakfast while camping at Lake Watauga so my Pops took us to the diner by his place in Hampton. This is the type of diner I'm always on the hunt for. Small, clean, no frills, good home cooked food served to you while you're being called sugar.

Chesnee, SC | Bantam chef Resturant | August 2014

On the way home from TN we just drove randomly and happened to be hungry when we came upon this gem in Chesnee, SC. 

It's called Bantam Chef Restaurant and it's obvious from the outside that it's an all american joint steeped in americana picker heaven goodness. I decided on the Bantam burger cause ya gotta order the thing on the menu that has the places' name on it and some fried pickles cause... yeah, it's the south and it's fried pickles. With a sweet tea on the side this was a southern usa burger joint happiness for me.

After a stroll through Elizabethton, TN and Hampton, TN we decided to head up to Roan Mountain. According to my pops we just HAD to stop at his favorite BBQ joint on the way. This is how we ended up at Bob's Dairyland.

The staff seemed to be made up of high school kids who must have been creating everything from scratch cause it took forever. Sooooo... when the BBQ pork sandwich I ordered finally arrived I actually ate it so fast that I forgot to take a picture of it. Ooops.

Elizabethton | Tennessee | 2014 | Highland Cemetery

While taking a Stormy Adventure and visiting my Pops in Hampton Tennessee, I decided to stop by the small quaint town of Elizabethton and see what good stories I could dig up. 

We stopped to visit a friend of my dad's at her thrift shop on their main street. We chatted a bit then asked her if she knew of any good legends in the area, any spooky tales only the locals would know about... unfortunately she has only lived there a few years and wasn't aware of any. 

A woman pops her head out of the changing room and says "What is it you are looking for? I've lived here all my life." We tell her we're looking for haunts or local spooky stories and immediately she says that she didn't know of anything like that. Not that she's aware... but I had looked up some stories on the way there and asked about Grannie February. "Oh" she says, "Yes. She supposedly rocks in her rocking chair and walks the Highland Cemetery at night. But I've been there a million times and never say her." 

She gave us directions and we headed on our way. When we arrived we drove around a tad to look for the mausoleums I had read about. We found one that looked pretty popular from all the trash and the padlocks. After parking we got out and I snapped a few pics of the first mausoleum. It belongs to the Crow family. Nannie Crow Brister is laid to rest here, although I'm not sure how restful it can be if people are using your spot as a trash can. She was known for loving to sit in her rocking chair so her family placed one in the mausoleum with her. After numerous people saw and heard the rocking chair moving it became a popular spot for vandals and they had to remove the rocking chair and seal it shut with a metal door and padlock. 

Grannie February is also said to haunt this site. Said to be in a mausoleum near the Crow family she has been seen wandering the grounds at night. Her real name was Nannie February who became a widow and lived out her years in Elizabethton surrounded by neighborhood children, teaching them to play piano and spending time in her garden. Nannie gained a reputation with the teenagers in the town though. They thought of her as a witch because she would take shortcuts through the cemeteries and would often stop by her husband's place of rest and speak with him. When she died she was placed in the mausoleum with her husband but her reputation followed. As with the other, this mausoleum fell victim to punk ass kids and had to be cemented shut to protect the bodies inside. 

I read a few things about hauntings in this cemetery and there seems to be some confusion. Nannie Crow Brister's mausoleum is thought to be Nannie February's grave by some. It's almost like the stories and grave sites have been combined. I only found one other mausoleum and it was cemented shut but the name on the plaque is for the Fletcher family. 

After I finished shooting pics of the Crow mausoleum we passed a man named David and his pup Lucy. We started chit chatting and I asked if he knew of any of the stories about these ghosts. "No, no." he says at first but after some more chatting he tells us that he has lived in Elizabethton for 70 years, walks the cemetery every day and this one time he did see a little girl, about 13 years old, dressed in 1950's style clothes, sitting on a step (right behind him in the photo). He says "I came up the path, saw her, thought it was strange, blinked, and she was gone." He also told us that the Crow mausoleum was where Grannie February was but I'm not so sure about that.