About two or three years ago we discovered Jorge Blanco's Gallery Works at the Crystal River Mall,…read moreCrystal River, Florida, and flipped over his landscape and wildlife photos enlarged onto canvas. It was so fantastic that it took us forever to decide which two pictures we were going to buy. We ran around back and forth like crazy people trying to decide, knowing at the time we were renting and had no place to hang what we were buying. Now in our own home in Inverness, FL, the pictures have come out of storage and we are thrilled to have them hanging in the family room, perfectly illustrating the fascinating Suncoast - Gulf Coast landscape of salt marshes, rivers, lakes, exotic trees, Spanish Moss, boardwalks and hidden derelict docks that we have fallen in love with. Still having space to fill, and equally fond of Jorge's wildlife and waterfall pictures, we are now going to call him and go pick out more pictures to finish off the room. Two years ago we also had him enlarge onto canvas a group portrait of our daughter and her middle school soccer teammates - turned out great and was a hit as a Christmas gift two years ago. His western landscapes, etc. are stunning as well. Give him a call and feast your eyes on what he has to offer. We found his prices fair with some flexibility.

From the owner: Art Gallery, Giclee printing large format, Jorge Blanco Studio, Canvas Prints.read more

This is a unique gallery of local artists and a great place to find unique pieces of art. Don't…read moremiss this treasure trove of original pieces in Dunnellon, FL.

It's a beautiful art gallery nestled in the historical area of Dunellen. They offer many classes,…read moreincluding Stained Glass, mosaic, watercolor painting, pen and ink, calligraphy, acrylic poor, Basket making and other painting classes.

I checked out the Florida Manatee Festival for the first time in 2023. The festival helps bring…read moreawareness to the gentle giant, the manatee. As well as help support local and regional businesses. The festival was much larger than I imagined. Blocks and blocks of vendor tents. Even on the side streets. Tons of food, arts and crafts, t-shirts, hats and even alcohol. It was dog friendly and the cost to enter was $5, children under 12 were free. I never realized how much I loved manatees until experiencing them in person. There were several natural springs in Crystal River that attracts the manatees when the Gulf of Mexico water gets cold. The natural springs have a constant water temperature of 72 degrees. I found a manatee t-shirt from an artist who shot the picture on the shirts. Amazing! I also purchased a Crystal River ball cap from one of the local stores as their prices were cheaper than the festival prices. I also enjoyed a delicious gator poboy sandwich. Yummy! I would absolutely recommend the festival! But don't forget to check out the manatees in the springs while you're there.

We've attended the Manatee Festival in Crystal River for probably 15 years, and it's always been…read moresomething we genuinely look forward to. Overall, it's still a fun festival, and the opportunity to view the manatees is always beautiful. The educational aspect is especially important and well done--it helps the public appreciate and respect these animals without harming them. That said, the festival has changed in ways that are disappointing. Charging $10 per person just to enter feels excessive, especially considering the lack of basic accommodations for attendees. The food vendor setup is poorly designed. Some vendors are placed in areas you don't even see until after you've already eaten, which hurts both the vendors and the guests. With such a large festival, having two food sections is fine--but one of them, despite drawing thousands of people, had only one picnic table. There were virtually no places to sit and eat, leaving people standing awkwardly while trying to eat messy festival food. The porta-john situation was also inadequate for the crowd size. There simply weren't enough to accommodate the number of people attending. It feels like the festival has been redesigned in a way that doesn't make much sense logistically, and there's a growing sense of greed without a corresponding improvement in services for patrons. We still enjoy the festival and will always appreciate the manatee experience, but the organizers really need to refocus on crowd flow, seating, restroom availability, and overall attendee comfort--especially if they're going to continue charging admission.

Great place, delicious beers and fun ambience! Our bartender/waitress named Debbie was fabulous,…read morefriendly and helpful. We were passing through to Cedar Key and this place hit the spot. High recommended!

We arrived on a Wednesday evening and found music bingo starting in an hour. The service was…read moresuperb! I would love to work here if I were a local. They had fun while an execution of great customer service was done. We enjoyed a homemade pizza (chicken bacon ranch!) and a few bottles of wine during our stay. Lucked out winning a round of bingo too.

Celebration of Lights at Homosassa State Park puts on a great show…read more You will notice there are two parking lots. The one that is on this address is the main parking lot. It is further than the other parking lot, but I love the tram they take you on. It's so breezy, comfortable, and fun. The other parking lot is smaller, so good if you come early, but the tram is a fun simple experience through the trees. You first walk into a park and there are a tunnel of lights. You will see the water with lots of fish, and what they call the fishbowl where the water is lit up at night, and it illuminates the water down below so nicely. Keep walking, and you will see a big house, which is their office area, and more restrooms for the public. You will here music and see lights. You will now find the main area of lights. It's not like a lot lot, but it's so concentrated, it looks beautiful, my most favorite Xmas lights this year. People are sitting since there are chairs, and some bring chairs. They are waiting for the show including synchronized lights, singing, Christmas carols, real Christmas manger, angels. It is a great show. We loved it. Perfect for Xmas eve. They have one day left this year, Sat. Dec. 26. Make sure to do it if you have a chance.