#interlachen

Transport yourself to the beauty and luxury of this home retreat nestled in the sub-tropical woods near Hewitt Lake in Interlachen, Florida. Whether enjoying the luxury of your modern, indoor amenities or the natural beauty of the peaceful area, you’ll find this home a welcome change from the bustle of the nearby cities and attractions.For the low asking price of $295,000, your new home offers: - 2517 est. sq. foot living space - 2017 est. sq. foot basement - 3 car garage4 bedroom - 2 3/4 bath with space for 3 bath with additional tub - Zoned, central air conditioning - Washer/dryer, electric/gas - Jennaire stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher included - Beautiful loft - 9 ceiling fansElectric smoke detectors throughout - 20 acre lot, +/- 5 acres cleared - Major remodel – 2004 https://livefloridabeauty.com/ 

While planning my first vacation in years, I decided right off the bat I did not want to take the usual route. While pictures of couples touring ‘around the world’ at Epcot or walking on the beach in South Florida flooded my Facebook timeline, I wanted to spend my time off experiencing something different.

A brainstorm session with my sister and a few web searches later, I had my plan.

Beneath the tall treelines and sitting atop dirt roads and grassy pastures in North Florida, there exists a bustling business of independent wineries. These vintners are quaint mom and pop wine shops with muscadine grape vines stretching across miles of undisturbed land, all within a 20-minute-or-less driving distance of Palatka, FL.

Truth be told, I hadn’t spent too much time in Palatka, FL or its surrounding areas. But the quietness of the town, and the large presence of nature parks and historical monuments called out to my busy psyche.

Upon arriving at the hotel and spending time getting to know some of the locals, I was surprised that the wineries surrounding the outskirts of Palatka were sort of a Florida secret.

A twenty minute drive from Palatka to a neighboring small town, Interlachen, leads you to Royal Manor, an award-winning winery nestled at the end of several dirt roads which wind around a calm, glistening blue lake.

Royal Manor Winery signs lead you to property spanning acres featuring a wine shop, horses, rows of vineyards near pristine land and trees for miles.

Retired firefighter Joe Pasco owns Royal Manor, and he decided to start up his wine making business after about 14 years of service.

After having success with wines featuring an assortment of fruits and muscadine grapes (the most common grape used to make wine in the south), he decided to add a new product to the Royal Manor inventory, mead.

Mead is the oldest form of alcohol and is fermented using honey and fruit. A winery specializing in mead-making was a big reason why I chose to visit Royal Manor as soon as possible.

Joe’s mead quickly became a hit.

Combined accolades for Royal Manor’s wine and meads comprises more than 40 medals awarded to the winery from some of the most prestigious competitions in the country.

Gold medals hang around the necks of glass mead bottles on display in the shop.

Double gold was given to their Southern Passion Wine, which is a blend of passion fruit and peaches.

Upon our arrival, Joe greeted us with his schnauzer, Gigi, in one hand, and tasting glasses in another.

While sitting at the bar of the Royal Manor shop, we tasted meads and wines while listening to Joe’s stories of the competitions they’ve won and how much work goes into running a winery business.

Often times, wines made with muscadine grapes are written off before ever being tasted due to the notion that the wine will be too sweet and tart to handle.

Close to ten meads and wines later, the smoothness of the fruit blends and the fullness of the muscadine grapes were what stood out on the palette. None of our cheeks or lips ever puckered from an overly sweet or tart sensation.

The spiced mead, Cu Dubh, named after a band who has performed for Royal Manor events in the past, was a personal favorite. A bottle made its way home with me, and it awaits the colder weather, when its mixture of fruits and spices will welcome the holidays.

Customers have over 20 wines and meads to choose from when making their selections. New wines and meads are constantly being made and Joe is more than hospitable to those who visit his winery.

Royal Manor Winery isn’t the only option travelers, vacationers and North Florida residents have to sample.

Just east of Gainesville in Grandin, FL is Tangled Oaks Winery, one of the first wineries in Putnam county that is a certified Farm Winery.

With a wide range of wines, a gift shop, and free tastings, Tangled Oaks takes a very ‘hands on approach’ to wine-making, as described on Florida Wineries (tryfloridawine.com).

Log Cabin Farm is a winery and vineyard also located in Putnam County in Satsuma, FL. For more than 50 years, the people of Log Cabin Farm have been making wine for their patrons. A log cabin is the main focus of the property and stands as a model of the original log cabin that stood when the winery and vineyards first began operating.

All these wineries can be found online, and information about each individual winery, and many others located in all parts of Florida can be found on tryfloridawine.com.

For your next vacation, whether you are embarking on a weekend getaway, or have several days to yourself, take a moment to travel off the beaten Florida path and spend some time at these wineries. They are proof that small town Florida can pack a big, juicy, muscadine grape punch.

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