Pavilion Serves Up Good, Clean Food & Fun

The Pavilion at Snug Harbor is more than a lakeside restaurant. It’s a key
ingredient in owner Tom Jones’ evolving recipe for filling some local needs,
including “a place where kids can get off their computer for a while to play
in the water and basically have good food free of any additives.”

Shortly after Guntersville Dam was completed in 1939, Snug Harbor was the
site of the first marina built on the reservoir, Jones says. “When I grew up
in Grant in the ’70s, Snug Harbor was a place we used to go to ski, to fish.
We’d basically stay on the river all weekend.”

Those memories inspired Jones to build The Pavilion, which will celebrate its
second anniversary this fall. Open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday through Sunday,
The Pavilion provides customers and visitors access to water activities and a
boatload of good food options. It’s located at 154 Snug Harbor Road, just off
Highway 431, in Grant.

The restaurant’s lakefront wall is actually 6 large doors that roll up and out
of sight. “Eating here is like being outside on a picnic,” Jones says. “We can
open up all those doors to see the sunset and the lake views. But it’s nothing
fancy — just a place to come and have a big time, run around in your bathing
suit, soaking wet.”

On hot days, fans provide comfort, and when it’s cold, portable heaters keep
customers toasty.

The menu of fresh meats, seafood, and desserts, all made from scratch,
represents the solution to a problem Jones was facing long before he decided
to open a restaurant.

Bringing the Heat

A DredgeIt crew favorite is AJ Wings, which brings a spicy kick to The
Pavilion’s menu.

The Pavilion’s seafood options include fresh oysters delivered weekly from
the Gulf Coast.

Wood is the fuel of choice at The Pavilion.

Grilled items include all-beef hot dogs, burgers and briskets, pork butts and
a red rub-seasoned chicken.

Food prep is done in food truck-type stations, and all orders are made to go.

Pavilion guests can also enjoy activities like playing in the water and
swimming. Plenty of spots are available for fishing, with a permit, and
kayaks and boats can be rented.