Think there's nothing to do on a holiday weekend? Think again. Here are five food and drink events featuring craft beer, pick-your-own blueberries and Cadbury eggs, because duh.
U-pick blueberries for $5-ish, more than 100 food and craft vendors, an area for kids, and Keel & Curley Winery's limited-edition strawberry shortcake wine await at the 10th Annual Blueberry Festival. Hosted for two weekends, the Plant City tradition runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and the Keel & Curley tasting room will also operate during regular hours. Handicap parking is free; otherwise, it's $10 (those who arrive between 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. can park for $5). Free, money for goodies. 5210 W. Thonotosassa Road, Plant City, 813-752-9100.
For Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe's grand opening weekend, a stacked lineup of great craft beers and live tunes from 1 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Beer Is Life tap list, available in full via the Facebook event page, includes Marshal Zhukov's Penultimate Push (Cigar City), Schmedium (Civil Society and Slim Pickens collab), Trust (Cycle and The Answer collab), Baudelaire Beer: iO Saison (Jolly Pumpkin), Boundary Tree (Blackberry Farm), and Frank White (J. Wakefield). For people who aren't into beer, Hawthorne always has a selection of wines on hand, but the indoor-outdoor hangout, which bumps a solid soundtrack daily, is worth checking out regardless. Free, money for beer. 2927 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-800-2810.
Featuring a picturesque setting along the water and a beer garden vibe, the 2017 Spring Beer Fest, hosted between 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday, brings Florida and out-of-state kegs, cider, mead and European offerings to Cajun Cafe on the Bayou (peep the Facebook event for more details on the brewery bill). A Cajun plate of red beans and rice, chicken étouffée, crawfish cornbread and Creole marinated pork is included with admission, alongside passed small bites, water and soda. Expect raffles and prizes from the Dunedin Doggie Rescue fundraiser as well. Tickets are available online, but bring cash to purchase them they day of. Cajun Cafe's craft beer events never disappoint. $50 in advance, $60 at the door. 8101 Park Blvd. N., Pinellas Park, 727-546-6732.
Hosted inside the Geraldson Community Farm barn from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, appetizers, a live silent auction and a Darwin Brewing Co. bar, followed by a farm-to-table meal catered by Seafood Shack. Farmhouse Fare Fundraiser diners can also expect dancing, pinball machines and Passerine providing the evening's music. The dinner benefits the farm's efforts to continue providing outreach to the Bradenton and Sarasota communities. Get tickets online. $55. 1401 99th St. NW, Bradenton, 941-792-0985.
Lowry Parcade & Tavern is putting a Mario Party twist on a classic Easter pursuit. Yoshi's Egg Hunt, which begins at 5 p.m. Sunday, tasks patrons with finding one of the many Yoshi eggs hidden throughout the old-school arcade and craft beer bar. Those lucky enough to find an egg score a boozy adult prize, limited to one per person. But the guest who uncovers the egg with a "special prize inside" receives an even bigger reward: a Parcade gift card and swag pack. At some point, take a break from the hunt and order a Hidden Springs Deja Moo Milk Stout, which the bar will put through its Randall to infuse the beer with Cadbury Creme Eggs. Cadbury. Creme. Eggs. Free, money for beer. 1213 W. Waters Ave., Tampa, 813-915-9180.
This article appears in Apr 13-20, 2017.