By Gina Horan
Female-Owned Saloon Pours Itself into Tight-Knit Community
Across from Gator Harley-Davidson on US Hwy. 441 sits a building Leesburg locals have known about for decades. It’s had a few incarnations, some memorable and some not.
For the last three years, it’s been Dirty South Saloon, a dream bar that owner Amanda Rose started thinking about in 2020.
“I’ve done a lot of different things throughout my life, but the one constant has been bartending,” she says. “Even though I have two college degrees, I’ve made more money in this business.”
In the Spring of 2023, she partnered with well-known local “Big Mike” to bring her followers and years of experience working motorcycle rallies across the country to Lake County. She grew up around bike culture and was inspired by her parents who both rode Harleys. That energy still shapes the bar today.
“I love the Coyote Ugly vibe and embrace it,” Amanda says. “And we keep it classy.”
That rally spirit shows up throughout the year, especially during BikeFest, something Amanda looks forward to as soon as it winds down each April.
“I wish we could have it every month,” she says.
Amanda’s team is made up of a tight-knit crew she trusts completely and includes longtime friends Melinda and Dusty.
“I’ve had the same ladies around me for a very long time,” Amanda says. “They’re ride-or-die, girl code 100 percent.”
That loyalty goes both ways.
“I’m also a mama hen,” she says. “I’ll protect my crew with everything in me.”
She says Dirty South Saloon has become an extension of family that shows up for the many charities and local causes the bar supports, including last year when she lost her house to a hurricane.
Amanda is also a single mother to her 10-year-old daughter, Charlotte “Charlie” Rose.
“The reason I do this is to build a future for me and my daughter,” Amanda says. “But mostly my heart is with this amazing community.”
1850 US Hwy. 441, Leesburg / 352.801.7962
Photos: Nicole Hamel
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Gina moved to Central Florida in August 2021 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a degree in linguistics and worked as a fashion editor, photo stylist lifestyle columnist and food writer for the Knight Ridder Newspaper Group. She also covered and photographed music festivals, fashion shows and sports throughout Northern California. In 2000, she joined KSAN radio as a morning show co-host and produced the news and sports content there for four years. She later covered travel, events and the restaurant scene for KRON-Bay TV. A veteran bartender, Gina has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. She has been with Akers Media since 2022 and hosts the Healthy Living Central Florida podcast. Her passions include travel, road trips, baseball, history books and podcasts, tasting menus and arriving in a new city without a map or guidebook.
