2nd Shakedown RV Trip - August 27th - 30th, 2025

We are using that Thousand Trails membership, for sure! We booked 4 days and 3 nights at Clover Leaf Forest RV Resort in Brooksville, FL. It's a quick 32-mile trip from home to Brooksville on Wednesday August 27th. It was an easy check-in and the staff was friendly and helpful. We arrived at our site, which backs up to Route 41, a busy highway, but all is good.

The city of Brooksville boasts a charming downtown area with local restaurants, breweries, and farmers markets, offering a mix of history and rural charm. It's home to the Florida Cracker Brand, which includes the Florida Cracker Kitchen, the Florida Cracker Trading Company, the Florida Cracker Taproom and Bourbon Bar, Florida Cracker Cook Shack, the Cook Shack Mercantile, the Florida Cracker Feed Lot, the Florida Cracker Fish Company, the Florida Cracker Monkey Bar, Lunch on Limoges, BVL Oyster Bar, and The Florida Cracker Oyster Bar & Grill. We will talk more about a few of these later.

We got the RV backed-in and hooked the electric up. We were just getting ready to bring the jacks down and Charlie said "where is this water coming from?" There was water all under our rig. Charlie said "Let's get the rig off this site." We quickly unhooked the electric, moved the car and the RV into the road. We drove both vehicles back up to the office and we were given 2 choices for sites. 

Our new sites took us right past our first site, where the water continued to flow from the lot and down the road. We later learned that water main breaks are common in the RV park and sister manufactured home community. On our new lot, we had a bit of shade, thank goodness! Shade is important when you are doing that summer camping in Florida!

We relaxed for a bit and then we headed into Brooksville to Zaxby's. Not for dinner, well maybe later. First, the Big Red Bus is there and they need blood. We got there just as the bus was setting up, so we found a parking spot in the shade and waited. We were the first in the bus, with a young lady that rode her bike up. I am not judging people, but she drank and ate enough for all three of us and then some! The phlebotomist was really looking for some to give red blood cells. The "bike girl" and my iron were too low, but Charlie's was perfect. After a bit of whining and pleading from the tech, Charlie relented and did it!

After our blood donations were done, we went into Zaxby's and enjoyed some dinner. Neither of us have eaten there before. Charlie said "if you like chicken, it's ok." That is my meat and potato man, all the way! Zaxby's was founded in Statesboro, Georgia, in 1990 by childhood friends Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley, who invested $8,000 each to open the first chicken finger restaurant near the Georgia Southern University campus. The chain is known for its chicken fingers, wings, and signature sauces. Goldman Sachs acquired a majority stake in Zaxby's in 2020 and 2021, with Townley selling his stake in 2020 and McLeroy selling a portion in 2021.  

After our dinner, we headed to the Broad Street Brewing Company. It was the first craft brewery in Brooksville. It's a unique place that truly embraces the local community and heritage, both through the beers it brews and the unique atmosphere of its taproom. 

The combination of high-quality craft beverages, locally sourced ingredients, and an inviting space filled with local art creates an experience that likely feels authentic and personal when you walk through the door.

Charlie enjoyed the LaHazy Neighbor IPA and I had a Lemon Sparkler. As we sat and enjoyed the feel of the place. I read about a PB&J Sparkler, if we come back here I am having that!

The historic setting is the old Hensley Chiropractic building with its mid-century modern breeze block design must offer a distinctive charm, blending the past with the present in a way that enhances the overall experience. 

It’s not just a place to grab a craft beer, but a place to connect with the community, appreciate local art, and enjoy carefully crafted beverages in a place that tells a story. There is no kitchen, but they do host food trucks many nights of the week. 

On Thursday the 28th of August, we did a bit of touring around Brooksville. The area is rich with outdoor art. There are countless murals in the area. We only visited a small sampling. 

The "Brooksville Raid" mural was the first mural we saw. The artist, Tony Caparello, used brown tones in the mural to give the illusion of an old photograph. The artist used reenactors from the annual Brooksville Raid Civil War reenactment as models for the people in the mural. The Brooksville Raid takes place on the third weekend each January at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation. The reenactment, commemorates the Civil War battle that took place in Hernando County on June 3, 1864. At that time, Union ships landed at Bayport for a raid into the interior of Florida to break up Confederate supply and communication lines to the North. Most of the generals were in Tampa for a conference that day, which left the location vulnerable for an attack. Union ships brought 240 men, who marched inland, burning and destroying everything in a path of six miles wide and 20 miles long. The Union ships were sunk, and we sank one of our own so that the Union army could not benefit from our supplies.

The "You Are Loved" mural is located on Brooksville Ave, and was painted by local artist Leah Tinsley of Creative ArtNest. The mural was created live during the annual Art In The Park weekend and was sponsored by Pam and Dennis Wilfong. It is painted on the Downtown Loser building. Don't get nervous the Downtown Loser is a nutrition business.

In the "Mountaineer Brooksville" mural, each letter has its own meaning and representation of Brooksville and stands 22”x 30”. The owners of Mountaineer Coffee and Barn Ministry wanted a classic Florida postcard style mural that symbolized the great landmarks and activities our home is known for. This mural has quickly become a photo spot in town where users grab their coffee and take quick shots to show off the town they love.

This was a unique mural framing a door on a side street off of Broad Street. I could find no information about it, but that does not make it any less interesting!

Enough of murals, Charlie wants some craft beer! We are headed to Marker 48 Brewing in Spring Hill. Marker 48 Brewing was founded by Maurice and Tina Ryman, Hernando County natives and high school sweethearts who grew up in the same area as the brewery they now own together. The couple has two children and day jobs where they run a technology company that they also co-founded. Every summer they would travel with their two children in an RV around the country. As they visited more and more craft breweries, they would take note of ideas that they felt would work well in a brewery, if they ever were to open one.

This brewery can claim a few “firsts” for the area. First, it is the only brewery in the country that draws water from the same source where mermaids live (sort of). Weeki Wachee Springs State Park has been home to a live mermaid show for decades, and a holiday at the springs is mere miles from the brewery. In the small, mostly rural cities of Brooksville and Weeki Wachee, the springs, and the mermaids, are a landmark full of crystal clear waters that have brought tourists and popular attention to Hernando County.

Second, when the brewery opened in October 2015, it was the only operating brewery in Hernando County. That count is now up to two. Marker 48 also put a twist on its crowdfunding campaign. The brewery didn’t ask for money, but for sweat equity in building this dream. In all of these, the brewery and its staff have made an indelible mark on the community that they serve.

Transforming the rented mechanic shop into a brewery and beer garden was no small task. While other breweries were funding their own expansions, buildings and systems with crowdfunding, Maurice and Tina decided what they really needed most was help with labor. They offered their online supporters and Facebook friends a way that they could help the fledgling brewery and get rewarded: they could join the Founding 48 Club. 

This club would guarantee the member one beer each day for life in exchange for 40 hours of hard labor; members could also make a pledge that involved a combination of fewer hours of work as well as a financial donation. The members could pick which they would like to give and the members could choose from a series of days they would like to work. After signups, dropouts and additions, the club would end up with 72 members.

After volunteer signups were over, Maurice and Tina began transforming their space into a functional brewery. Maurice remembers showing up on the first Saturday the club was around: “I bought paint and four rollers, thinking a few folks would show up to help me. When I pulled up to the brewery there were 40 people waiting for me, looking to work.” He promptly texted his wife and asked her to pick up more supplies.

 

Maurice and Tina knew that they wanted to work on the “wow factor” of their space, so they made sure the beer garden was family- and dog-friendly and included extras inside and outside for patrons. Outside would include an overhead shade, cornhole and a walk-up bar made from an Airstream-style trailer. Inside would include a copper strip on a table that would prevent a patron’s beer from getting cold on that spot. Opening day came on October 21, 2015, after months of labor from the Founding 48 helped make it happen. The first beer tapped was an homage to the community: Mermaid’s Milk Stout.

Paying homage to their traveling and other craft breweries, there is a sticker door. Which those of you that know me, I was fascinated with. But, after spending the better part of two days scraping the stickers off our old RV... there are no new stickers going on this rig!

A trip to Brooksville would never be complete without a trip to something Florida Cracker. Charlie and I were not really hungry for a big meal. So, we opted for a stop at Florida Cracker Taproom and Bourbon Bar. 

It is located between the original Florida Cracker Kitchen and Trading Company Store. They house over 180 Bourbons, 60+ Bottles of Tequila, and a full craft cocktail selection with craft Gins and Vodkas. 

Plus, you can enjoy their unique bar and stone-fired pizzas menu! Since we started with beers earlier today, we stayed with their ever-rotating taps of craft beer. We did decide that we wanted something to munch on, so Charlie got his jumbo pretzel!

Friday mornings walk was a bit foggy and the fog added to the uniqueness of the Veteran's Memorial at the Clover Leaf Farm Manufactured Home that is attached to the RV Resort. There must be a good number of Navy Veterans here in this community, that can be the only explanation for the submarine.

We had a lazy day today. There is a mermaid trail between Brooksville, Spring Hill and Weeki-Wachee, but we did not feel like doing a ton of driving today. In our research we learned that Broad Street Brewing Company has live music tonight. So, we are headed there later. When we were leaving the Marker 48 Brewery yesterday, a food truck was headed in. It was a grilled cheese food truck. That same food truck will be at Broad Street tonight. We will be eating there. I was so very excited because I was going to have my "Field Trippin' PB&J" Sparkler. All I have read about this flavor is good. I have to say, it was far beyond what I expected! You literally can taste the peanut butter and jam!

Meltdown was the food truck. It is all about the love of CHEESE! It's a family-owned food truck based in Bushnell Florida! They serve delicious, fun, and creative grilled cheese sandwiches alongside tasty sides, including tomato soup. 

Their passion is ensuring guest enjoys a memorable experience with their "Grown Up" grilled cheese sandwiches, paired perfectly with Tomato Soup, Mac n' Cheese bites, and Wisconsin cheese curds!

Saturday morning we will be heading home. Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures