SIP & SUP
HaleLife Bakery celebrates PSL season with their scrumptious Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Roll and Pumpkin Cream Pie cookies. At MFA, Café Clementine’s cold brew coffee and delectable desserts nibbled on the al fresco patio overlooking the water is a perfect siesta and open to the public without MFA admission fee. Brick Farms purveys an array of crafted goods perfect with their veggies including Solena Cheese burrata over baby and micro greens and topped with fig balsamic or Sunshine Canning’s red wine beets.
Cool cats flock to Central Ave.’s new 31 Grand lounge with 30 TVs streaming live entertainment and sports, top-shelf cocktails, late night menu, DJ tunes, bottle service, happy hour, sensational food plus a spook-tacular Halloween costume contest 10/31. The Sunday brunch P-Diddy is a wow (Mac and cheese waffle topped with choice of pulled pork or smoked brisket) as are the brunch bottomless mimosas and Bloody Mary’s 11am-2pm $25.
SHOP
Wax rhapsodic at The Candle Pour, where you can make your own. Explore downtown, from the Saturday Market to Pieces of A Dream for publisher Renee Roos’ net bags, Pink Soleil, The Crane, Butcher, The Local Duckweed and Lost & Found Cocktails.
HAPPY HAUNTING
Roser Park’s Halloween Block Party 10/21 @6pm delights (spooky movies, Tarot readings, vendors) and paranormal historian Dr. Brandy Stark will lead a neighborhood Ghost Tour. Central Avenue’s family-friendly free Halloween celebration 10/29 features spooky new fun with Voodoo Village between 16th and 20th streets and will feature entertainment, candy stations and 100+ local makers and small businesses, takes place between 16th and 20th streets along Central Ave.
ArtPool Gallery is your costume and boo-tiful Halloween jewelry mecca. St. Pete Bagels’ 3rd location will be a drive thru at 2439 4th St. S. Sage’s Playground, a dog-friendly coffee shop, is coming to 218 4th St. N. Greenlane, a drive-thru salad resto, will open at 4th & 80th Ave. N. I love Vegano sushi but Nomi Nori Handroll and Sake Bar in the Edge District will balance my sushi addiction. St. Pete Distillery’s Spirit Garden is now open. St. Pete Pier Live Concert Series at Spa Beach Park will feature 12+ concerts Nov.-Jan.
FUN
Boyd Hill Nature Preserve launched their 2023-2024 programs; go online to “Leaflet,” Boyd Hill Nature Preserve’s quarterly publication. The Natural History Speaker Series is free and all ages welcome at Hammock Hall Banquet Room and will feature The Butterflies of Pinellas County 10-12, Sea Turtle Nest Tracking on St. Pete Beach 11/9 and Bats 12/14.
The St. Petersburg Audubon Society is restarting their Navigating Nature program, a free program for children, ages 8-12. Navigating Nature will be held on the first Saturday of each month and feature different topics. Register for fall camps 11/20-22 now. stpeteparksrec.org/natureprograms
On Nov. 11, the 31st annual Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading will take over The Palladium with author talks in Hough Hall and signings in the Side Door where Tombolo Books will sell books. Talking the write life will be Dave Barry, Michael Connelly and Lisa Unger as well as first-time in-person authors such as Martin Baron, Lauren Groff, and Vanessa Riley. Times staffers Lane DeGregory and Stephanie Hayes will talk about their new books, as will Times contributing writer Roy Peter Clark. Tickets/Info festivalofreading.com Flute and Dram’s luxe covered patio on Beach Drive is dreamy.