This week we're sending you to Madeira Beach for the 36th Annual John's Pass Seafood Festival, so it goes without saying that you should eat some seafood while you're there. Here are 10 other things to do while you're in the neighborhood.
1. Party Like It's Halloween
Mad Beach Brewing is sponsoring a Halloween Block Party and Adult Costume Contest at the Seafood Festival Friday night. There'll be a DJ spinning Dance and Top 40 music on the main stage, so wear your dancing shoes. And wear a costume — there are cash prizes for the best.
2. Run a 5K
You'll feel a lot less guilty about all the seafood you're about to eat. Run around Madiera Beach at the Seafood Fest 5K Saturday morning at 8:30am, and enjoy the scenery. Register here.
3. Catch some fish
The fishing at John's Pass is historically awesome. You've got several fishing options here. You can Battle at the Pass for hundreds of dollars in prize money. Or you can take a more leisurely fishing trip out of Hubbard's Marina. There's also a free option — you can fish off the rocks in John's Pass Park if you have your own gear.
4. Watch the pelicans fish (or beg) from John's Pass Boardwalk
John's Pass Boardwalk is all about the scenery, and the pelicans are a big part of that.
5. Tiki it up at The Hut
There could be cooler tiki bars than The Hut, but I've yet to see them. The whole bar is under a gigantic tiki hut… except for the dockside bar that juts out over Boca Ciega Bay, but that's a completely different experience.
6. Shop John's Pass Village
I usually leave beach shopping for the tourists, but I really like The Florida Winery. The place is chock full of Florida wines, spices, and sauces. You can sample the wines for free, which explains why they're so popular. The Florida Winery is also home of the famous wine freeze.
7. Visit Mad Beach Brewing
In a setting where tropical drinks rule, Mad Beach Brewing fits right in. In addition to house brews, you can order tropical beer cocktails, sangria, Florida wines, and wine freezes. Their burgers are great too, but you're probably stuffed from all that seafood. Next time…
8. Join in the World's Largest Bloody Mary Toast
Have another drink. We're not judging you. Besides, you really shouldn't pass up a free drink. Get there at noon on Sunday, so you can get your free Bloody Mary and (hopefully) break the world record for the largest Bloody Mary toast. They are seriously ready to hand out 2,000 free Bloody Marys just to break this record, so help them out by showing up and claiming yours.
9. Catch some live music
The festival features three days of music on three different stages. Catch one of the Bay's favorite crowd-pleasers, The Black Honkeys, playing at 5:30pm Sunday.
10. Grab some seafood to go
Seafood is easy to cook. Why not take some home with you? Don's Dock is right off the boardwalk, and all their seafood is fresh off the boat. Pack a cooler full of ice before you go, so you can bring some of that fresh seafood home with you. Have a delicious week!
This article appears in Oct 26 – Nov 2, 2017.