The best ways to see Christmas lights in Tampa Bay this holiday season

The holidays are upon us, which means it won't be cold, but there will be millions of twinkly lights, and Tampa Bay…

By Min Craig

 Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay  
    10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa
    Nov. 14-Jan. 9
    Busch Gardens’ annual Christmas Town celebration features holiday light shows, fireworks, a train, up-close animal encounters, food options and a chance to meet Santa in his workshop, as well as a photo-op with Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer. Entry is included with park admission.
  Photo via Busch Gardens/Website
24 slides

Photos of all the sassy, sophisticated and sexy people at Ybor City's Hot Dog Party 16

In case you've been hiding under your back the blue flag over the last few weeks, America feels like a really messy…

By Ray Roa

Photos of all the sassy, sophisticated and sexy people at Ybor City's Hot Dog Party 16
144 slides

Photos of UK pop legend Joe Jackson steppin' out at Tampa Theatre

Joe Jackson's two-hour, non-stop career retrospective stopped into Tampa Theatre on Tuesday night and found the U.K. legend fully steppin' out on…

By Ray Roa

Photos of UK pop legend Joe Jackson steppin' out at Tampa Theatre
20 slides

Photos of St. Pete peace-punk collective Work Stress playing If I Brewed the World

"Your white supremacy will challenge compassion, and it will never prevail."That's just part of the message St. Petersburg DIY punk collective Work…

By Ray Roa

Photos of St. Pete peace-punk collective Work Stress playing If I Brewed the World
17 slides

20 bucket list activities to do in Tampa Bay this summer

From new thrill rides, to berry season, and spring hopping, Tampa Bay is full of cool summer activities. Here are a few…

By Max Steele

Float down the Weeki Wachee river
6131 Commercial Way, Spring Hill. 352-610-5660
    Featuring a cool natural spring, five waterslides, dancing mermaids and more, Weeki Wachee is a full day adventure. Weeki offers a variety of fresh water activities and rentals, so make sure to check out its website before planning your visit.
    Photo via Weeki Wachee Springs State Park/Facebook
20 slides

All the Tampa Bay restaurants coming to Brunched 2022

Saturdays are for brunch, and Creative Loafing has an absolutely irresistible invitation for you: a unique opportunity to sample unlimited brunch bites…

By CL Staff

7th + Grove
For the comfort food connoisseur searching for fresh authentic taste with a down home flair 7th+ Grove delivers an elevated southern menu, warm ambiance, extraordinary service and creatively crafted cocktails.
7thandgrove.com
16 slides

Newsletters

Join Creative Loafing Tampa Bay Newsletters

Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.

25 essential date night restaurants in Tampa Bay

As Valentine's Day approaches, the quest to find the perfect place to bring your significant other begins, and the deadline to make…

By Sofía García Vargas

Luv Child
Luv Child
516 S Howard Ave., Tampa, 813-213-0100
Luv Child brings the flavors of Cuban and Latino cuisine through its colorful presentation of both the restaurant and its dishes. If you’re looking for a different and fun date, you can also book a “Drag Brunch” for some extra money to dine with some of Tampa Bay’s most famous drag queens.
Photo via Luv Child/Facebook
25 slides

25 lounges, speakeasies and hidden bars in Tampa Bay, and how to find them all

From speakeasies where a password is always required, to laundromats that are actually great watering holes, and no-frills lounges that are way…

By Sofía García Vargas

Dirty Laundry
1742 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-493-0040
You better pick up the phone when it rings in this ordinary-looking laundromat. A voice will tell you a code to punch into the washing machine, unveiling a vibrant indoor space and a relaxing outdoor patio.
25 slides

Everything up for bid during CL's Holiday Auction benefiting Metropolitan Ministries (11/22-11/29)

Get your shopping list ready! Our annual virtual Holiday Auction is a unique opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind items and experiences you won't be able to find…

By CL Staff

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    Shaquil Barrett Signed Custom Football
39 slides

All the burgers you can try during Tampa Bay Burger Week (11/4-11/14)

When life throws you a burger, eat it. From Thursday, November 4th, through Sunday, November 14th, 2021, we're teaming up with Tampa…

By CL Staff

The Avenue DTSP
    330 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg
    (727) 851-9531
    theavenuedtsp.com
    
    The DTSP - $10
    8oz handmade burger with house made bourbon bacon, onion jam and yellow American cheese on a brioche bun
    
    Ask about adding a Tito’s Handmade Vodka cocktail!
    
    Takeout (call-in), Curbside pickup, Dine-in
24 slides

Photos of Thievery Corporation playing St. Pete’s Jannus Live

The DMV was in the ‘Burg last night when Washington D.C.'s Thievery Corporation brought its “Outernational Tour” to St. Petersburg’s Jannus Live…

By CL Staff

Photos of Thievery Corporation playing St. Pete’s Jannus Live
42 slides

Photos of Thrice returning to St. Pete’s Jannus Live with Touche Amore

Nearly 10 years after announcing a hiatus (and seven years after coming back from said break), Thrice returned to St. Petersburg for…

By CL Staff

Photos of Thrice returning to St. Pete’s Jannus Live with Touche Amore
46 slides

Photos of Chris Jericho's Fozzy, Shinedown and more at Tampa’s 98Rockfest

Gasparilla Music Festival wasn’t the only party happening in downtown Tampa this weekend. On Saturday, active-rock radio station 98Rock held its 98Rockfest…

By CL Staff

Fozzy
56 slides

Photos of 311 playing Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre last weekend

311 Day arrived in Tampa last weekend when the Nebraska rock band hit MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida to finally…

By CL Staff

311
73 slides

Photos of Walk the Moon and Jany Green playing St. Pete’s Jannus Live

If you were in downtown St. Petersburg and thought you heard “Shut Up and Dance” in your head, it wasn’t the earworm…

By CL Staff

Photos of Walk the Moon and Jany Green playing St. Pete’s Jannus Live
31 slides

Everything we saw at last weekend’s ‘Fancy Women Bike Ride’ in downtown Tampa

Sunday was World Car-Free Day, and some Fancy Women rode through downtown Tampa to do their part. The group joined others from…

By CL Staff

Everything we saw at last weekend’s ‘Fancy Women Bike Ride’ in downtown Tampa
80 slides

Photos of Rebelution at St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park

California reggae-rock band Rebelution has outgrown its regular St. Petersburg stop of Jannus Live, and moved on to the Sunshine City’s big…

By CL Staff

Photos of Rebelution at St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park
22 slides

Photos of Beartooth headlining Jannus Live in St. Petersburg

Like any good Ohioan, hardcore band Beartooth has connections to Tampa Bay (the group’s design team is partially based in Tampa). On…

By CL Staff

Beartooth
20 slides

Chris Stapleton helps Tampa fans forget they’re still in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic

I thought I was ready for a big concert. I hadn’t been to anything on a grand scale since Gasparilla Music Festival…

By CL Staff

Chris Stapleton helps Tampa fans forget they’re still in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic
25 slides

Photos from Amalie Arena's epic Freestyle Explosion 2021 in Tampa

Cotdamn. A megabill featuring freestyle and hip-hop artists from the golden years was at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa last Friday. See…

By CL Staff

Stevie B.
39 slides

Photos: Kings of Leon and Cold War Kids play Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre

Kings of Leon fans have been spinning the band’s latest album, When You See Yourself, since March, but they finally saw themselves…

By CL Staff

Photos: Kings of Leon and Cold War Kids play Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
49 slides

34 kid-friendly activities to do within driving distance of Tampa Bay

What follows is a list of kid-friendly activities that’ll help you not only entertain junior, but yourself, too. We’ve arranged them by…

By CL Staff

Snorkel Ichetucknee Springs State Park
    171 miles from Tampa International Airport
    12087 SW US-Hwy 27, Fort White. Open 8 a.m.-sunset.
    Daydream while floating over deep-cyan ripples of Ichetucknee’s spring-fed flows.  Eventually, make your way to the Blue Hole, where 67 million gallons of water flow each day from seemingly endless dark blue depths. This relaxing river float holds glass-like waters and endless family photo backdrops. Admission runs $6 per vehicle.
    Photo via Pengd0t, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
34 slides

All the beautiful people we saw at Tampa Theatre’s ‘Summer of Soul’ block party

Critics and movie fans alike can’t say enough good things about “Summer of Soul,” the directorial debut from The Roots drummer Questlove,…

By CL Staff

All the beautiful people we saw at Tampa Theatre’s ‘Summer of Soul’ block party
76 slides

Photos from the Florida punk concert where tickets were $18 if you were vaccinated, $999.99 if you’ weren’t

In many ways, Teenage Bottlerocket’s sold-out Saturday night concert at the Skatepark of Tampa (SPoT) looked like a lot of the other…

By CL Staff

Teenage Bottlerocket
35 slides

All the restaurants you can visit during Tampa Bay Restaurant Week (Now-June 27)

Creative Loafing’s annual Food Issue is officially online and on stands and, to celebrate, we're hosting our 15th annual Tampa Bay Restaurant Week now through…

By CL Staff

Red Mesa Restaurant
    4912 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33703
    (727) 527-8728
    redmesarestaurant.com
45 slides

Photos of Mindwash and Wreath rocking Tampa’s Hooch and Hive

In a sharp drop from peaks around 5,000 daily deaths, just more than 300 people are now dying daily in the U.S.…

By CL Staff

Mindwash
38 slides

All the deals you can try during Tampa Bay Taco Takeover (Now-5/4)

Live every day like it's Taco Tuesday! Now through May the 4th, enjoy two full weeks of takeout and dine-in taco and…

By CL Staff

Haven
    2208 W. Morrison Ave, Tampa
    (813) 258-2233
    haventampa.com
    
    
    Buy three $5 tacos, get one free
    
    Enjoy three shaved beef tacos with coal roasted onions, danger sauce, cabbage, and smoked paprika to get a 4th taco free (yes, our duck fat tortillas are handmade to order)!
    
    Add on a Corona beer for $3 from 5 to 7 p.m. daily
    
    Takeout (call-in)
    Online ordering (pickup)
    Curbside pickup
    Dine-in
    
    Please note: Haven is closed on Sundays and will be closed for Bern’s Winefest private events on April 22nd, 23rd, and 24th.
26 slides

Photos from Crowbar’s ‘Who Run the World’ concert in Ybor City on Friday

Tampa promoter Healthy Phoenix staged two shows at Ybor City venue Crowbar this weekend, with the first being a Friday night ‘Who…

By CL Staff

Photos from Crowbar’s ‘Who Run the World’ concert in Ybor City on Friday
33 slides

Everything we saw at the 2021 Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City

The 2021 edition of Plant City’s beloved Florida Strawberry Festival wrapped up on 11 days of fun and food over the weekend.…

By CL Staff

Everything we saw at the 2021 Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City
140 slides

Photos of Sienna Queen and Ken Apperson playing Tampa’s Hooch and Hive

  West River venue Hooch and Hive has maintained a robust event calendar since reopening late last year, and it welcomed garage-rock…

By CL Staff

Photos of Sienna Queen and Ken Apperson playing Tampa’s Hooch and Hive
41 slides