How we would spend a day in Tampa Bay

A side-by-side image featuring a daytime skyline photo of downtown Lakeland and a nighttime skyline photo of downtown Tampa

They’re as different as night and day, but here’s how we would see Tampa Bay like Lakelanders. | Photos by @lkldlegacy and Pexels

There’s no place like Lakeland, but we also love getting out of town to explore the Tampa Bay area (hey, TBAYtoday 👋). Here’s how we would plan a weekend trip to see Tampa and St. Petersburg like a Lakelander.

Brunch
Start the day with brunch at Datz (2616 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa). Like Black & Brew, there’s something sweet and savory on the menu for everyone.

A side-by-side image featuring photos of the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market and St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market — Get your local shopping done, no matter where you are.

Shopping
Missing the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market doesn’t mean you can’t get fresh produce and unique finds. Shop from local TBAY makers and enjoy live music at the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market (230 1st St. SE, St. Petersburg).

Coffee
Lakelanders know that no day is complete without coffee. Concord Coffee loyalists will find a home at Oxford Exchange’s Buddy Brew Coffee (420 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa), while Hillcrest Coffee fanatics might find a similar vibe at Black Crow Coffee (2161 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg).

Event
Already missing the Lakeland Christmas Parade? Get your festive fix by scheduling your stay during the Holiday Lighted Boat Parade on the Tampa Riverwalk on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.

A side-by-side image featuring Swan Brewing and Jannus Live music venue — Catch a live music set at these creative venues.

Entertainment
If you can’t get enough of live music at Union Hall or Swan Brewing, check out a live show at Jannus Live (200 1st Ave. N., St. Petersburg), an outdoor concert venue with an underground vibe.

Dinner
After the parade or a performance, get a taste of Tampa’s fine dining scene. Fans of Nineteen61 will enjoy On Swann (1501 W. Swann Ave., Tampa) for its seasonal menu and craft cocktails.

Hotel
Need a place to rest your head after a day on the town? Check out the Floridan Palace (905 N. Florida Ave., Tampa), a historic downtown hotel, similar to Lakeland’s Terrace Hotel.

Feeling inspired to plan a TBAY getaway? Subscribe to TBAYtoday to stay up-to-date on all the top Tampa Bay events and news before your trip.

EVENTS

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Friday, Dec. 9

Festive Friday | Friday, Dec. 9 | 5-8 p.m. | Downtown Lakeland | Free | View Christmas lights and characters in Munn Park — retail stores will be open later for shoppers.
Jingle Bell Rock | Friday, Dec. 9 | 7 p.m. | Union Hall, 1023 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland | $10 | Rock out with local acts, compete in a costume contest, and try your luck in raffle giveaways.
Festive Flix, Christmas Edition | Friday, Dec. 9 | 7-9 p.m. | Frances Langford Promenade, 121 S. Lake Ave., Lakeland | Free | Bring your lawn chair or blanket to watch “The Grinch” lakeside — refreshments will be available for purchase.
Harrison School for the Arts Music of the Season Concerts | Friday, Dec. 9 | 7-9:30 p.m. | Harrison School For the Arts, 750 Hollingsworth Rd., Lakeland | $16-$18 | The Harrison School for the Arts choral and orchestra departments are performing classic holiday songs.

Saturday, Dec. 10

Goat Yoga on the Farm! | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 10-11 a.m. | The Cloven Hoof Farm, 6170 Robbins Rd, Lakeland | $20 | Get your flow on with a beginner-friendly yoga class surrounded by baby goats.
Selfies with Santa | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 9:45 a.m.-1 p.m. | Hollis Garden, 702 E. Orange St., Lakeland | Free | Pick up Santa’s checklist to play games and take advantage of photo ops throughout Hollis Garden, including a photo with the jolly man himself.
Holiday Night Market | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 5-10 p.m. | Downtown Lakeland | Free | Downtown Lakeland, Buena Market, Lakeland Punk Flea, and Art Crawl are coming together for this holiday night market, featuring live music, food, and extended hours at downtown retailers.
Lakeland SantaCon 2022 | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 5 p.m.-2 a.m. | Swan Brewing, 115 W. Pine St., Lakeland | $15-$20 | Don your red suit and participate in this self-guided pub crawl throughout downtown Lakeland — proceeds will benefit kidsPACK.

Sunday, Dec. 11

Second Sunday Artisan Market | Sunday, Dec. 11 | 12-5 p.m. | Lakeside Village in Lakeland, 1479 Town Center Dr., Lakeland | Free | Wrap up your Christmas shopping with one-of-a-kind gifts crafted by LAL’s top makers and enjoy festive tunes from DJ Cubis.
Kids Holiday Ornament Cupcake Class | Sunday, Dec. 11 | 2-4 p.m. | What’s Cooking Lakeland, 6935 S. Carter Rd., Ste. 6, Lakeland | $55 | Kids and teens of all ages and cooking abilities can learn to make cupcakes that look like real holiday ornaments — each baker will take five ornament cupcakes home.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

HOME

Up on the housetop… reindeer hooves? 🎵

Trutech Tech_Trutech Wildlife Service_MULTI

Go ahead and check “free home inspection” off of your holiday wishlist. | Photo provided by Trutech Wildlife Service

Friends + family may not be your only guests this holiday season. Rats, armadillos, raccoons, snakes + bats are all common intruders of Lakeland homes. If left unchecked, it can wreak havoc on your property and health.

The good news: Wildlife removal experts can identify, remove, and prevent pest animals from entering your home — and with a free home inspection from Trutech Wildlife Service, you can make sure Santa is the only one in your chimney this Christmas.*

GET A FREE INSPECTION

NEWS NOTES

Weather

82º | Partly cloudy | 10% chance of rain

Plan Ahead

Updates were announced for the 49th Annual Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo following a demonstration by the Blue Angels, who will headline the expo in new Super Hornet planes. Changes include a new ticketing system, upgraded airport wifi, and increased viewing areas for airshows. ✈️ (The Ledger)

Number

14,174. That was the number of Polk construction workers in March 2022, compared to 8,937 a decade earlier. Although construction and real estate experts are expecting development to slow, there is still a shortage of workers in the local construction industry. 🏗 (The Ledger)

Civic

State legislators from Polk County districts have been assigned to committees for the 2023 session. Sen. Colleen Burton of Lakeland has been selected to chair the Senate’s Health Policy Committee, and Rep. Josie Tomkow of Polk City will chair the House’s PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. See more assignments here. (The Ledger)

Lakelander

At 103 years old, veteran Kenneth Pennington was recognized for his US Navy service by the City Commission and Polk County Veterans Council. Kenneth first enlisted as a sailor during World War II and also served in the Korean War during his 30 years of service. (LkldNow)

Edu

Lake Gibson High School Spanish teacher Natalie McSwain was chosen as the 2023 Polk County Teacher of the Year. Natalie won a cash prize and a car, and she will move on to compete in the statewide Teacher of the Year search. Congratulations, Natalie. 🍎

Arts

Brush up on your art knowledge with the Polk Museum of Art’s upcoming lecture series starting Tuesday, Jan. 10. Learn about art collections around the world with four classes led by the museum’s curator and director Dr. H. Alexander Rich — sounds like an experience to gift.

Sports

Florida Southern College’s men’s basketball team is shooting for the stars. The team is currently ranked in the Division II national poll for the first time since 2019, coming in at No. 18 after starting their season 7-1. (The Ledger)
Does the World Cup have you craving even more soccer? Get your tickets for the Florida Tropics’ home opener against Utica City FC on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the RP Funding Center. Check out the seating chart of ticket levels, starting at just $7. ⚽️

Holiday

Don’t drop the ball on your New Year’s Eve plans. Tickets are now available for Nineteen61’s New Year’s Eve Rooftop Party, starting at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. Tickets include a live DJ, hors d’oeuvres, and an open bar.
The Terrace Grille Lakeland is spreading holiday cheer with festive decor, ornaments, and special events featuring the Dickens Carolers Friday, Dec. 16-Saturday, Dec. 17 during dinner service (6-9 p.m.) and a visit from Santa on Saturday, Dec. 17 during brunch service (12-2 p.m.). Learn more + make reservations. 🎄*

Seasonal

With the decorations, music + parties, it’s easy to get carried away during the holidays — especially when it comes to our finances. Start by making a budget and a list of who you’ll be gifting to this year. Pro tip: Bookmark three more tips to keep your holiday spending in check. 🎁 *

Eat

Looking to add more veggies to your diet? GreenWise Organic Vegetables are two for $3 at Publix GreenWise Market through Wednesday, Dec. 14.*

Shop

Wanna gift outside the box this year? Opt for an experiential gift from Uncommon Goods. From monthly gift subscriptions (like this Game of the Month Subscription) to hands-on classes taught by expert instructors (like a Raindrop Cake Class or Paint Your Pet Class), there’s something for everyone on your list.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

TRY THIS

Circle B(ack) to another jigsaw puzzle 🧩

A screenshot of a digital puzzle in progress, featuring trees, a reflective pond, and a blue sky

How fast can you finish this jigsaw puzzle? | Screenshot via Jigsaw planet, photo by Carol Odice

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Friday. Celebrate by kicking off your day with another one of our jigsaw puzzles.

This one is sure to be a challenge. The photo comes to us from Reader Carol O., who captured a newly-developed pond at Circle B Bar Reserve. According to Carol, the pond will be used “for youth campers in the future for fishing, kayaking, archery, hikes, and much more when it is completed.”

Can you beat our record time of three minutes and 27 seconds on this puzzle? Try it for yourself, and let us know your time. If you’ve got a photo you think would be a challenging puzzle for our readers, send it our way for a chance to be featured.

TRY THE PUZZLE

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Connor.

Editor’s pick: I have to give a shoutout to TBAY City Editor Brad for his help with today’s newsletter. TBAYtoday readers are getting an itinerary for how to spend a weekend in LAL, including a stop at tomorrow’s Holiday Night Market.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We tell you how to give the gift of a local experience, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Rilee Delgado, Connor Keith, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Kailey Burke | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

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