Looking for a summer destination where you can throw up a tent, hook up an RV and enjoy the great outdoors river side? Branford located on the crystal clear, spring fed Santa Fe River in North Central Florida has it all. You can camp at Ellie Ray's RV Resort & Lounge, riverside and watch the 5ft Sturgeon leap from the water, the manatees families swim by or float the river at Ichetucknee Springs State Park just down the road. Speed boats, pontoons, you name it, it’s on the river.

Branford is located in Ghilchrist County and has been described as "the world's favorite freshwater dive". The diving in Gilchrist County has the potential to expose cave divers to the widest possible array of conditions, including high and low flow, large and small passageways, and silty and silt-free bottoms, with high visibility in the crystal clear water. You can visit all year round with river temperature averaging at 75 degrees year round and the weather sunny and in the 80s!

With bearded cypress trees shooting up from the river bed and a winding river, the views are a must see and the wildlife
will consume you from the singing mockingbirds, to the sunbathing turtles and the deer sneaking in their early morning breakfast. Come see for yourself, you won't be disappointed!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Local Music Favorites, JAMIE DAVIS & WISECRACKERS turn up ELLIE RAY’S BUZZ!

 

Local Music Favorites, JAMIE DAVIS & WISECRACKERS turn up ELLIE RAY’S BUZZ!

This past weekend was crazy busy! Just the way we like it! Friday night we had local Branford favorite, Jamie Davis who is quickly becoming a Statewide known musician. Lucky enough with Jamie only living down the road and his sister, Lisa, bartending for us, playing at Sturges at Ellie Ray’s makes him feel right at home. It was a packed house Friday night as Jamie and his band rocked the outside stage, covering old-time favorites, today’s hits and singing his own original songs. Jamie debut CD, High Reeds & Rust, is one of a kind and can be heard on reverbnation.com. Check him out!
Jaime Davis and sister Lisa

Saturday we had an unique event to Sturges at Ellie Ray’s…Jello Wrestling…it was an event that was highly requested by our lounge customers, although hesitant at first to put such an event on, eventually we were like….oh, what the heck! With three rounds of wrestlers, it turned up quite an audience who partied clear into the night. The band, Wisecrackers, kicked off about nine and their female lead with her solid vocal sound was a fresh change!
Jamie Davis Sound Check on the outside stage


The entire weekend had good music! Great energy! And perfect company! We are continuing to see the growth at Ellie Ray’s and thank everyone for their support! It’s been a FUN summer and we still have a few weeks to go….yeeeeehhhaawww!

Visit the events page on our website www.EllieRaysRVResort.com to see our upcoming events and music line-up!

 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Fear of travelling? RV is to the rescue!


                          


www.EllieRaysRVResort.com



Fear of travelling? RV is to the rescue!


When it comes to travelling we all have our hesitations but those fears don’t have to stop you from leaving the comfort of your home to discover the adventure outside your front door! Recreational Vehicles, better known as an RV can be the perfect solution if you find the little voice in your head saying telling you to stay put...

I WANT TO SEE THE WORLD BUT SLEEP IN MY OWN BED Maybe you like an adventure and experiencing new things but come nighttime, you want to sleep in the comfort of your own bed. Well, the beautiful thing about an RV is your bed comes with you on the trip and that means your favorite pillow too! No more wondering when the last time the sheets were washed and who else has shared this bed. Being in your own RV bed eliminates all those worries!

IM READY TO HIT THE ROAD BUT I WANT TO BE HOME IN TIME FOR MY FAVORITE SHOWS
A fun filled day of museums and wildlife watching can be stimulating but at 8:00pm when Dancing With The Stars is on, you want to be cuddled up on your couch, tasty beverage in hand, watching who has the melt down this week, is best dressed and woos the judges with their fancy hip moves! Your RV can make this happen for you because it comes with its own TV, it’s truly a match made in heaven!

FIDO CAN’T MISS OUT ON ALL THE ADVENTURE!!
“A dog is a man’s best friend,” we’ve all heard the quote and the thought of leaving them home to go gallivanting across the country is out of the question! Well I am here to break it to you, Fido, his dog bowl AND his fancy pillow bed can all come along for the ride. It’s a win-win situation! And if we are being honest, we both know that Fido is going to be sleeping in the RV bed with you!!

LIVING OUT OF A SUITCASE WEARS ME DOWN
Packing around all your electronics and their charges, there is a high chance you’ll leave one behind in the hotel room. Which is a valid concern my friend because we’ve all done it before. However the great thing about your RV is, where you go, it goes and that means home with you too. You’ll never have to worry about leaving your camera charger plugged in at the Holiday Inn ever again!

TRAVELING SABOTAGES MY DIET
Being on the go and dining out can get your diet off track, but a little R&R doesn’t have to derail you from all your hard work. Luckily, the RV comes with its own refrigerator and kitchen! You can stock up the fridge with all your healthy meals before leaving town and when hunger calls along the trip, it’s an easy grasp! Less worry and more time looking good in your bathing suit!  

HOW AM I GOING TO GET ALL MY SOUVENIRS HOME?!
OH Suzie would LOVE this! Ooooh and this would be perfect for Mom & Dad’s kitchen! All those little treasures we find along our travels make it tough for packing space on the return trip home. But with an RV, you have a whole house on wheels to jam pack with souvenirs to your heart’s desire! Maybe even pick one up special for your RV décor.

ONCE I AM THERE, I HAVE TO RENT A CAR Ok so you’ve spent the last two days landlocked to the hotel grounds and you need some wheels to see the sites. No problem, either fire up the RV and drive to see Mickey Mouse for the day or unhook the sedan from the trailer and free bird it! An RV makes vacation life real easy when you can have it all!

DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY GERMS ARE IN THAT HOTEL?!
Tired of finding lipstick stains on your water glass or the sheets looking a little discolored? Of course their cleaning service does their absolute best but it can’t always be 100%. Fortunately with an RV it leaves the level of which you want your eating and sleeping space cleaned in your own hands. No more unknown and unwelcomed germs floating about. Pheww!

I GET HOME SICK Being in foreign spaces, crowded by people, missing friends, not a fan of the food…whaaaaaa I want to go home! The tourist lifestyle can wear you down but the beautiful thing about the RV is that you brought a little slice of home with you. When you need a time-out from vacation, the RV is there to provide the comfort of your own bed, a couch to cuddle up on, the kitchen to cook your preferred meals and your TV to pop in your favorite movie. An RV is the best of both worlds, how could you ever leave home without one?!





www.EllieRaysRVResort.com

COME DAY-CATION WITH US!!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Ellie Ray’s Gotta a Brand New Stage!


                                                       www.EllieRaysRVResort.com



This past July 28th we had our Big Boy Toys Expo and BBQ event with support of Lake City Camping World and Gainesville Harley Davidson. We had DJ music all day, Power Country giving live broadcasts from the deck and local favorite the Justin Case Band rockin the house patio that night!

A week leading up to the event we were up to our elbows in wood, nails and electric saws crafting a masterpiece stage together. The patio was looking great after a little spit-shine, dressed with new red mulch, grass mowed, picnic tables set. Last minute flare of American Flags pinned to the front of the stage and industrial style fans tucked nicely underneath it to keep party go-ers cool, we were ready to PAR-TAY!


NEW STAGE!!!
Day of the event the weather was melting hot, air was thick of sunscreen and the activities ahead were JAM PACKED FULL of FUN! Toy Haulers, Raptors and Roadmaster rigs were sprawled and air conditioned for viewing pleasure. A Road King, Street Bob, Fat Boy and your custom Harley flirted with passer-by-ers ready to get on one and ride away into the sunset. We had FREE bike washes, a DJ spinnin music, two-for-one frozen cocktails and the grill going all day serving up cheese burgers and bratwursts.

Well into the early evening, bikers, boaters and Saturday dancers were scattered everywhere, enjoying themselves a few cool down brews and good laughs with friends.
  

That evening under the soft glow of white Christmas lights, the band kicked off around 10, jamming out to a wide range of cover songs from Tim McGraw to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Shoes were kicked off, arms were in the air and bodies were grooving back and forth. The warm night air and stars shinning overhead were the perfect components for a summer concert.


Meanwhile, inside the lounge the DJ raged on for those who wanted to bump and grind. It was two different club atmospheres mixed into one and people floated in between them looking for fresh scenery. At the stroke of 2 in the morning, the party was being pushed out the door with a promise that we will do it again real soon!



High-five to the new stage and many more outdoor music events!