What to Do in Steinhatchee When It Rains

Coffee and a Slow Start

When the sky opens up, Heming’s Way 1st & 8th Coffee & Tacos on 1st Avenue SE is where the morning goes. It holds the highest rating in town at 4.9 from 60 reviews. You will not be alone. The place is small, and the rain brings everyone in at once.

If you want something quick and familiar, Subway on 1st Avenue SE is there. It is rated 2.9 from 11 reviews, which tells you what the locals think. But it is open, and it is dry.

Pizza and Wings on Riverside Drive

Riverside Drive has the heaviest concentration of food in Steinhatchee, and on a rainy day it becomes the main street of the town’s indoor life. Hungry Howie's Pizza & Subs sits at 806 Riverside Drive with a 4.1 rating from 420 reviews. That review count is the highest of any restaurant in town. People come back.

Right next door, Vargo's Buffalo Style Pizza shares the same address and carries a 4.6 from 143 reviews. Stoney's Pizza & Wings is further down at 1408 Riverside Drive, rated 4.5 from 196 reviews. You can walk the drive, pick a door, and get out of the weather.

Lunch That Moves Slower

McDavid's Cafe on 10th Street E SE holds a 4.7 from 332 reviews. It is the kind of place where the coffee is hot and the conversation is local. On a rainy day, it fills with fishermen who could not get out and residents who do not mind the wait.

Skullyz BBQ on 12th Street E carries a 4.8 from 98 reviews. It is a small operation, and the rating says the work is taken seriously. SKULLY’Z on 1st Avenue SE is a separate spot, rated 4.5 from 21 reviews. Do not confuse the two.

Out on the Highway

old Mexico Steinhatchee fl sits at 5437 SW Hwy 358, rated 4.7 from 109 reviews. It is a bit out of the center, but the road is paved and the rain does not care where you eat. Casey's Cove is also on County Road 358, rated 4.1 from 46 reviews. It is a quieter option with fewer people waiting for a table.

A Meal With a View of the River

Dockside Grill at Steinhatchee River Inn and Marina on Riverside Drive is rated 4.9 from 22 reviews. It sits on the water. When it rains, you watch the river rise and the boats tug at their lines. It is the closest you get to being out there without getting wet.

If You Want to Buy Something

The rain is a good excuse to spend money you would otherwise hand to the fuel dock. FloridaWoodBoneFish on 1st Avenue NE is rated 5.0 from 6 reviews. Team Williams on Hwy 51 NE is also rated 5.0 from 5 reviews. Both are small. Both are local. Neither will take long.

The Falls, Even in the Rain

Steinhatchee Falls is rated 4.5 from 474 reviews. It is the most-reviewed attraction in town. The rain does not stop the river from running. If you have rain gear, you can still go. If you do not, you can watch it from the car and understand why the town is named what it is.

What the Rain Means Here

Steinhatchee is a working-water town. The name comes from the Native American esteen-hatchee, meaning river of man. The river runs 2.5 miles from the village to the open Gulf. Deadman's Bay gives the town its scallop grounds and its fishing. Commercial fishing built the place and still sustains it.

The census numbers tell the story. Population is 770. Median age is 63. There are 1,637 housing units, and 1,220 of them are vacant. Of the homes that are occupied, 1,043 are held for seasonal or recreational use. The unemployment rate is 0 percent. Median household income is $48,208. Median home value is $255,600. Only 24.9 percent of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

This is not a resort. It is a village of people who work the water. When the rain comes, they do not pretend it is not there. They wait it out, eat well, and go back out when it clears. The scallop season runs across high summer. In 2019, it ran from 15 June to 10 September. The rain will come again before then. So will the sun.

Pick a door. Get dry. The river will still be there when you come out.