Bust out your best air-guitar windmill — the long-awaited Hard Rock Cafe at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opens to the public today. The 17,500-sq. ft., 371-seat addition to the worldwide chain of rock 'n' roll-themed cafes is not only about the food and music memorabilia, it also integrates technology, gaming and live performances, serving as a prototype for future cafe designs. For more about the splashy new venue, read Katie Machol's feature here.
Returning to Tampa after their April 2010 sold-out concert, the unconventional, 10-man a cappella act Straight No Chaser performs a holiday-themed concert full of cheer and inspiring harmonies. 7:30 p.m. Straz Center for the Performing Arts.Tickets start at $26.50.
We're taught not to clown around with our health, but Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Glazer Children’s Museum have some different ideas about the matter.
CircusFit,a new national youth fitness program developed by Ringling Bros. in partnership with The President’s Council of Physical Fitness and Sports, encourages America’s youth to lead healthy, active lifestyles by combining the fun of circus skills with stretching, strength building and aerobic exercise. Geared toward children 12 and under, CircusFit is packed with powerful interactive opportunities. Each child will also receive a certificate of completion, discount coupons for the circus and their very own clown nose. CircusFit Seminars will be held at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Visitors can also register to win a pachyderm painting created by one of the circus elephants. Fully Charged, the all-new 141st Edition of The Greatest Show On Earth, will be making its debut in Tampa at the St. Pete Times Forum Jan. 5-9. For tickets and more information, visit ringling.com. Glazer Children's Museum, 110 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. glazermuseum.org.
Now that you've gotten (most of) your Christmas shopping done, you might like to unwind and get a gander at the holiday lights and displays. A few standouts include The 34th annual Oakdale Christmas Display, a peculiar and kitschy-charming local holiday tradition that features some 609,751 lights, an 18-train HO scale model railroad, animated items and lots of inflatable and lit-up figures and displays. Take I-275 to exit 22 (old exit 9), which is I-175 East. Turn right on Fourth Street, heading south. Go 1 mile, crossing over 22nd Avenue South. Next street on left is Oakdale. Go two blocks and park or look. Display open through Jan. 3. There's also the Giant Greeting Card and Holiday Light Display Stroll along along Bayshore Drive at Vinoy Park with illuminated holiday light displays in North and South Straub Park, or head north to the Shops at Wiregrass mall for a dazzling 250,000-LED-light spectacular, the Symphony In Lights, illuminated from 6 to 9 p.m. Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel.
Last but not least: If you can't find a caroling gig, head over to the Refinery for It's You, But Louder: Holiday-aroke Edition. Stevan Polansky's karaoke night at the acclaimed Seminole Heights restaurant-bar features holiday tunes only. 8 p.m., Refinery, 137 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, thetamparefinery.com.
