Fall in Love All Over Again with The Great Outdoors Restaurant!
Prepare yourself for a fantastic meal at our fabulous dining establishment. We are proud to serve delicious Harris Ranch Steaks and Prime Rib, as well as fresh seafood, signature salads, homemade soups and decadent desserts. All of our great American food is served fresh with a culinary twist. Our menu items are incredible and acknowledge the beauty of our local rivers and springs.
Our restaurant is part of a wonderful legacy of people and commercial enterprises that have been a part of the history of High Springs for over 100 years. The two story Opera House was built in 1895 by Henry Richardson. At the time, High Springs was a thriving railroad and phosphate mining town. Like other towns located nearby, High Springs was noted for its lawlessness and thriving saloons in the late 1800’s. The Opera House provided an alternate, socially acceptable cultural amenity for the town. It was the focal point of the cultural life of the community and its Romanesque Revival style of architecture reflects this significance.
The upper floor of the Opera House has always been a venue for entertainment, conferences, shows, dances and religious meetings. The first silent movie, The Great Train Robbery, was shown here accompanied by piano and violin. The tradition of showing movies continued until the 1970’s, until the Theater of Memory opened with lively entertainment and a local historical collection of memorabilia.
The ground floor was always used for mercantile businesses, such as a jewelry store, a department store, Skeet’s café and a furniture store. In the 1980’s the Opera House was purchased by a couple who opened The Great Outdoors Trading Company and Café. They operated an outdoor clothing store in a part of the building. The very popular eating establishment closed until we saw the building for sale and fell in love with the vintage Opera House and all of the history and significance to our town of High Springs. We have worked very hard to restore it to its original architectural elements while incorporating a state of the art kitchen and a one of a kind Springhouse Tavern. Our local residents are proud to be a part of a wonderful town that has grown up with springs and rivers that are unique to northern Florida. We hope you enjoy your dining experience today and return to join us again to celebrate the beauty of The Great Outdoors.
