This was one of our longest rides. Roundtrip, it was around a six hour ride. We had been hearing about this beer shed in Riverview, FL and wanted to see what all of the hype was about. Of course, once we started talking about it, it started popping up on our phones all over social media. It was actually called the Beer Shed. It looked interesting, so Jason set a route for us to ride. We always try to take the most scenic routes and avoid highways, interstates and toll roads, so this made the ride a lot longer than it would have been in a car. Regardless of the time it took, it was very much worth the ride. I rarely turn down a solo ride with him anyway, even if the destination turns out to be not so great! It was a very scenic trip, but at the time, we only had our cell phones and I didn’t want to take a chance on losing my phone again. Yep, I did that on my very first ride on my own bike with our rider’s group friends. So I wasn’t taking that chance again!… no pictures while moving!
We knew it was going to be a long ride along the backroads, so we stopped about halfway in Punta Gorda to visit with some friends and we took a couple of pictures at their RV campground. I’m all about making memories, so they are usually selfies. 🙂 The Beer Shed is actually a little “beer shed” in Riverview, FL. After visiting with friends, taking a few pictures and hitting up the campground’s bathrooms, we continued along the backroads. It was a very flat, but scenic trip. We passed through old Florida, farms, fields and a lot of areas that didn’t look much like what people are used to seeing when they hear Florida. There weren’t a lot of palms and no beaches, but nonetheless, it was scenic and very quiet. It made for a nice long ride.
We continued on until the gps said we had arrived. The Beer Shed is hidden in plain sight, at the end of a little drive. We weren’t impressed at all when we drove up. It just looked like an old farm shed from the front. Jason actually walked up to make sure it was open and that we were at at the right place. It turns out that we were and were in for a surprise.
As we walked towards the shed, we were greeted by a very friendly man, also on a motorcycle. He immediately struck up a conversation with Jason and even invited himself to join us. Everyone there seemed friendly and eager to talk. It seemed like a nice little local pub until we walked all of the way through the building to the back. Outside, there is very large patio with a couple of different levels and a lot of tables, with chairs and umbrellas. There were also some picnic tables, but no food. We ordered a couple of beverages and went outside to find a seat and wander around.
Just to the side of the patio was another smaller shed. Food! This little shed was like a food stand. I thought the food would be like what you would find at a concession stand, but hey… it was food! We walked over and ordered and found a table by the water. The Beer Shed is a pretty laid back and relaxed little bar/grill that serves concession style but with a much better menu. There was something for every palate, even my vegan one! It turned out that I was quite impressed with the menu. It was a great little place, right on the Alafia River. People had arrived by boat, automobile, motorcycle and even golf cart.
It had a great view! There was quite a bit of boat traffic traveling by, with a lot of them stopping. It was definitely a popular little joint. We would definitely make that ride again! If you go, be sure to check their hours of operation. We went during busy season and had to wait just a really short time for a table.
Safe Riding,
Val