You're gonna need a ticket for most of the food and drink happenings included in this next round-up. But there's plenty of fun to be had for beer lovers, oenophiles and, well, people who enjoy imbibing at museums around town (we know you're out there).
• The Tampa Museum of Art's new Riverwalk Cafe, which is operated by SaltBlock Hospitality Group and has replaced Sono Café, invites the downtown Tampa crowd to kick off the weekend with cocktails and fresh oysters. Every Friday over the summer, Happy Hour on the River is set to take place from 5 to 8 p.m., which is actually pretty long for this beloved drinking sesh. Free, money for food and drinks. 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa. 813-421-8367.
• At another museum on the other side of the bay, Night 2 of the annual Beer Project, held from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, presents collaboration brews from USF St. Petersburg's Brewing Arts Program and locals like Green Bench Brewing Co., 3 Daughters Brewing and Mastry's Brewing Co. Each recipe was inspired by the ancient city of Antioch and mosaics at the Museum of Fine Arts. In addition to the beer, admission includes light snacks, a tour of the MFA's mosaic conservation lab, presentations from beer experts and curators, and access to the galleries. Find tickets online. $40 for members, $45 for nonmembers. 255 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg. 727-896-2667.
• Made possible by Lector's partnership with Naples wine importer and distributor Cerdá, Llanos y Cía, the Cacique Maravilla Tasting allows regionites to rub elbows with the seventh-generation owner behind the Chilean winery's vineyards: Manuel Humberto Moraga Gutierrez. Gutierrez took over production nine years ago and manages the estate in the Bío Bío Valley that Cacique Maravilla calls home. His winery makes traditional, ancestral wines that attendees sample between 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Saturday, while the voice and acoustic guitar of Acho Brother provides the literary natural wine shop's soundtrack. 305 E. Polk St., Tampa. 646-701-2575.
• Beloved Tampa breweries and restaurants come together during the movie-themed BeerFest, filling up Tampa Theatre with snacks and craft beer on Saturday. Participants of the festival's seventh installment — titled Hop Gun — include 7venth Sun Brewery, Anise Global Gastrobar, Crooked Thumb Brewery, Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe, Escape Brewing Company, Haven, Hidden Springs Ale Works, Independent Bar and Cafe, The Refinery and Six Ten Brewing. Guests with Premium Sampling admission get one-hour early entry, followed by Grand Sampling ticket holders at 8 p.m. Come dressed as a Top Gun character, or in a costume inspired by the flick. Tickets are up online. $40-$65 in advance. 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa. 813-274-8981.
• On Sunday, small plates take center stage throughout Tapas, Ole!, the latest AJ's Kitchen Drawer cooking class. The hands-on experience invites attendees to create, then enjoy, their own tapas. Get tickets online. $50. 3974 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa. 813-328-4122.
