City folk get a taste of life in the country (or at least the ‘burbs) at the Country Christmas Wonderland, with lots of lights, hayrides, pony rides, a train ride, a petting zoo, snow castle, a live nativity (which actually sounds sort of creepy), face painting, live music, a bonfire and more. Visit hireapony.com for more info. Dec. 18-Jan. 2, 6-10 p.m. daily. $10 kids, $6 adults. Hire A Pony Stables, 8005 Racetrack Rd., Tampa.
The newly opened Mindy Solomon Gallery, with its focus on ceramics, offers Form and Function, a collection of works by Josh DeWeese, McKenzie Smith, Brian Sarama and Bede Clarke, who returned to the roots of clay for inspiration.
This article appears in Dec 16-22, 2009.