We arrived in Ocala last night around 5 p.m. It only took an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from Animal Kingdom. Doug's been staying in Springhill Suites and I really liked the hotel. It was newer and cleaner than the Holiday Inn that we stayed at in Disney Springs and there wasn't a twelve story drop right outside of our door. Once we unpacked Doug wanted to take me on a tour of Ocala. The first stop was Winco. I loved the rural area surrounding it. We then checked out the housing options near his work as well as the new World Equestrian Center, Shalom Park and a few of the 55+ living communities in Ocala. We drove through the shopping areas, looked at different apartment complexes and checked out the downtown square before deciding on dinner at the Crazy Cucumber. Doug had told me that Ocala reminded him a lot of Mishawaka. From what we toured today, I could totally agree with that statement.
After I dropped Doug off at work this morning, I was able to spend more time exploring Ocala. I had done a lot of research about the area on the internet these past few months. From recreation to housing , I had seen it all on my computer. It felt unreal to actually explore these sites today in person. My first stop was Shalom Park. I wanted to get in some steps and it was the perfect place to do that. The park was donated to Ocala as a place to find peace. It was a very serine spot to walk through and I spent 45 minutes enjoying it. Ocala has been known as the horse capital of the United States, so I wanted to check out the World Equestrian Center after my morning walk. It was within five minutes of Doug's work and I could stop on my way before meeting him for lunch. It was massive and impressive. There were shopping centers, restaurants and a beautiful arena. It was nice to be able to meet Doug midday. He chose McAllister's Deli for lunch and I was glad to see that they had outdoor seating. It was a wonderful, shady spot to eat and catch up on all that I had visited in the morning. Doug hadn't had a lot of time to explore while in Ocala as he had been so incredibly busy with work. Thus, he appreciated hearing about my adventures.
After lunch, Doug went back to work and I headed to Silver Springs State Park. My Mom had told me that I had been then when I was quite a bit younger to ride the glass bottom boats. They were still in service, but I chose just to walk through the park today. I stayed mainly on the paved paths for my adventure. I could handle the signs warning about "gators" and snakes, but once I saw "Do Not Feed the Wild Monkeys" I decided to alter my route. It was wonderful all the same and I was impressed with how clear the river was. I could see all of the way to the bottom easily. I also enjoyed the history of the area that was posted throughout the path. On the way back to Winco, I stopped at two different 55+ living communities within four miles of Doug's office. They were both gated and along a golf course. Ocala Preserve, however, was fifteen years newer and had a restaurant on property. I took Doug back to see it and he was equally impressed. It definitely gave us a lot to talk about on the way to dinner tonight.
Doug first tried to get a table at Harry's Seafood, Bar & Grille, but there was a thirty-five minute wait with no guarantee of outdoor seating. We then tried Brick City Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar. They had plenty of seating and a variety of menu items for us to try. It was also situated on the downtown Ocala square which we really enjoyed. The drive in and out of the downtown area was a little sketchy and reminded us of South Bend, but the area that we visited was nice and it was a great way to end my day exploring Ocala.
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