Where locals eat, swim, and slow down.

Our closest sit-down. Fusion menu that actually delivers: sushi rolls next to short-rib tacos next to Thai curry. Go on a Thursday when it's quieter and get the whole rundown from the bar.

Docks-to-tables on the water. Come at golden hour, order the tuna tower and something with rum, watch the manatee tour boats head out for the sunset run.

The pho is the reason to drive to Inverness. Big bowls, real broth, unfussy dining room. Skip the app menu, order two entrées, share.

Small, real, and in the historic downtown. If you'd told us a decade ago that Inverness would have a serious sushi bar we'd have laughed. Now we're regulars. Ask for whatever's off-menu.

A proper tea room with a menu that goes past sandwiches. Half an hour south, worth it for a slow Sunday brunch when you want the day to feel long.

On the Rainbow River. Get here by boat if you can. The wings and the sunset are the two reasons; the third is the crowd, which knows how to enjoy an afternoon.

The best scoop in the county. Small-batch, walk-up window, a line most evenings but it moves. Order two so you don't regret it halfway through the first.

The classic Crystal River waterfront spot. Dock in by boat, grab a table on the deck, order grouper the way locals do — blackened, sandwich. Live music most weekends and a proper Old Florida crowd.

Sitting right on Kings Bay since the 1970s. The steamed shrimp is the play. Get here early for lunch — the parking lot tells you when locals are showing up.

Farm-to-table in the historic downtown. Everything's made in-house — bread, sauces, the pastas. Best date-night option in town; reserve on weekends.

Out at the Plantation resort — sunset seats on the porch overlook Kings Bay. Better than the resort setting suggests: mahi tacos, blackened redfish, a proper cocktail list. Ask about the manatee tour packages if you haven't booked yours yet.

Drive the winding Ozello Trail out to a family-run seafood spot on the water. Live blue crab, mullet, old-school Florida. Arguably the most memorable meal you'll eat around here — bring a phone charger, cell service is spotty.

Small-batch local roaster, real espresso, breakfast sandwiches worth eating. Pick up a bag of beans for the kitchen at the house.

Half fish market, half café. The lunch grouper reuben has a cult following. Grab fresh Gulf fish to grill back at the house — it's what the porch grill is there for.

Great after-dinner move with kids or with grown-ups pretending to be. Eighteen holes, well-kept, easy walk before you head back to the porch.