The Izaak Walton Lodge is Back
Way back in 1924 a wealthy Yankee, A.F. Knotts, traveled to town looking for new adventures. He stumbled across an area in southwest Levy County that immediately stimulated his creative juices. The feelings he thought had gone away with his retirement were back.
This time, however, his vision was to share his rich and plentiful woods, hammocks, rivers and sinkhole ponds with his friends. And, occasionally, a trip into the Gulf.
Knotts built his lodge for houseguests and named it after a favorite author and outdoorsman, Sir Izaak Walton. The locals began calling the unincorporated area “Yankeetown,” and it stuck.
Now called Ike’s Old Florida Kitchen at Izaak Walton Lodge, owners Mitch and Lorraine Simmons have recaptured the spirit and history while bringing their years of hospitality and entertainment experience—gained at their first, and equally unique, Neon Leon’s Zydeco Steakhouse in Old Homosassa—to the area.
Neon Leon’s is a Cajun restaurant featuring live Zydeco music nightly. It is named for Leon Wilkeson, late bass guitarist for the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, who happens to be Mitch’s uncle. The restaurant showcases one of the largest publicly displayed collections of Skynyrd memorabilia.
Both locations offer only Certified Angus steaks, Florida seafood cooked with flare and authentic Cajun at Neon Leon’s or a wild game selection at the lodge for unique dining experiences.
Ike’s also offers river tours aboard our covered, 31-passenger Osprey IV with Captain Rick LeFiles, and a shuttle service aboard our 14-passenger limo-bus. Whether it’s a Saturday night Cajun barn dance or casual, waterfront dining, they have something to offer everyone.
Ike’s Old Florida Kitchen
6301 Riverside Drive, Yankeetown
(352) 447-4899
Neon Leon’s Zydeco Steakhouse
10350 W Yulee Drive, Homosassa
(352) 621-FOOD
