The Nest Wants to Be Southwest Ocala's New Gathering Spot, With a Stage, Five Kitchens and Room for Your Pets

The Nest at Calesa Township bills itself as the new social hub at Calesa Township in southwest Ocala, with a stage, five concept kitchens, a bar, a coffee and ice cream counter and a sit-down restaurant, all at 4470 SW 65th Court Rd., Ocala, FL 34474. Its website lists a grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, at 7 p.m.

The venue describes itself as "a welcoming gathering place for great food, live entertainment, and community fun" and invites visitors to come with "friends, family, and even your pets." Its tagline is "Where good times take flight," and nearly everything about the place, from the name to the menu, plays on birds.

Rendering of The Nest at Calesa Township. Image: The Nest at Calesa Township.

A stage, a lawn and room for pets

The centerpiece, at least in the venue's own artwork, is the music. The Nest's website says its stage hosts "the best local and touring talent," from "acoustic sunsets to full-band weekend performances." The rendering on its homepage shows a covered stage facing a wide lawn dotted with picnic blankets, with a playground tucked in one corner. Bands and performers who want to play there are directed to an email address on the site, with a request to include links to their website or social pages.

The site's calendar lists two dates so far: The Nest Grand Opening on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m., and Christmas Eve at The Nest on Dec. 24. The grand opening listing sits beside a "Coming Soon" label and a line telling visitors to "stay tuned for the official announcement," so the headliners and the full program had not been published when this story was checked on Nov. 12. For other stages around the county, see our Ocala live music guide.

Five kitchens under one roof

Food is the other half of the plan. Inside The Nest is what the venue calls the Faregrounds, "a collection of five concept kitchens, offering a variety of cuisines served up fast and fresh." Its homepage names them:

Lucky Sparrow serves Asian flavors. The Yard is a pizza bar with fire-baked, brick-oven pizza. Cow Bird Express covers what the site calls all-American favorites: juicy burgers, crispy wings, tacos and more. Perch Coffee & Creamery handles the morning coffee and the afternoon ice cream. Roost Bar pours cocktails and cold beers, and the site pitches it as an after-work stop.

Cow Bird Kitchen, named for the pasture

The sit-down restaurant is Cow Bird Kitchen, and its name comes from a sight anyone who has driven through Marion County knows: cattle grazing with white cattle egrets walking alongside, affectionately called cowbirds. The venue says the name is "a nod to the ranching heritage that shaped this corner of Marion County and to the ranch house table."

The menu leans on smoke. Cow Bird Kitchen says that is "not because we're a barbecue restaurant," but because patience, fire and time are what it believes good cooking rewards. Its featured dish is the Ranch Boss Burger, also called "The Mark": double sweet onion smashed Fort McCoy blend patties with pork belly, pimento cheese, collard greens, spicy pickles and smoked tomato Duke's mayo on a brioche bun. The site's pitch is to "make it dinner & a show." For more new places to eat in the county, see our new restaurants in Ocala tracker.

Where it sits in Calesa Township

Calesa Township describes itself as a master-planned community of one- and two-story single-family homes with a trail system, neighborhood pools, playgrounds and open space. The Nest says it is "located in the heart of Calesa Township" and calls itself "the new social hub at Calesa Township." We cover the area in our family neighborhoods guide, and the broader southwest corridor in our SW College Road guide and restaurants on 200 list. The Nest also runs a separate jobs site, thenestjobs.com, linked from its homepage.

What to know before you go

• Address: The Nest at Calesa Township, 4470 SW 65th Court Rd., Ocala, FL 34474.


• Grand opening: The venue's website lists The Nest Grand Opening for Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, at 7 p.m. The same page carries a "Coming Soon" label and says an official announcement is still to come, so check the venue's pages before heading out.


• Hours: The website lists Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to midnight, with a note that individual restaurant hours may vary.


• Food and drink: Cow Bird Kitchen, plus the Faregrounds concepts Lucky Sparrow, The Yard, Perch Coffee & Creamery and Cow Bird Express, and Roost Bar.


• Pets: The venue's welcome message invites guests to bring pets. Ask about its pet policy for specific areas.


• Private events: PrivateEvents@thenestocala.com, per the website.


• Performers: Perform@thenestocala.com, per the website.


• Updates: The Nest posts on Facebook and Instagram, and offers a newsletter sign-up on its website.

Looking for something this weekend before the opening? Our things to do this weekend in Ocala page is updated through the week, and the full list of recent and upcoming openings is on our new businesses in Ocala page.

Sources: The Nest at Calesa Township's own website, thenestocala.com, and its Facebook and Instagram profiles; Calesa Township's community website for its description of the neighborhood. Checked Nov. 12, 2026. The opening date is as listed on the venue's website; we could not independently confirm it on the venue's social pages or Google Maps as of this date.