Great experience for the kids and adults! There was a food truck on site, which was helpful (and…read moredelicious)! The volunteers were all so nice. The ride lasted about 20 minutes, and there is a museum to look at before or after. The park also has a playground, but we didn't get to check it out due to rain. You could make a whole morning of this event and a full day if you explore the whole park!

On my first visit to CP & G Railroad my daughter and I had an absolutely perfect day. There is…read morenothing I would've added or changed about the experience. So, I rated it as such. But a return visit, on Easter, showed that I sort of jumped the track a little. Things were not executed nearly as flawlessly on the second go round and some underlying warts were exposed. The reason I returned to the railroad during Easter weekend is because I remembered the owner of the railroad really talking it up at Christmas time. He told those of us that were there that on the Saturday of Easter weekend he takes the trains out, stops at a designated spot and lets the kids get off the train to hunt for eggs. At the end of that, they return to the station and can have their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. It sounded like a cool experience. So we returned. The first thing we noticed when we checked in was that there were a lot of people here for the trains. It was like three or four times the size of the Christmas crowd. My wife and I registered our daughter, put on our arm bands and then went to stand in line at the station. Here we waited. And waited. And waited some more. After about twenty minutes in line one of the volunteers got a brilliant idea to change the way the line moved so that people would be forced to go through the train station building. This is where the Easter Bunny was. It was a great idea, everyone could now get their picture with the Easter Bunny while waiting in line. About the time we exited the building, which meant we were just a train or two away from finally getting on, another volunteer came along and took the chain down that was redirecting the line. This meant that some people decided they didn't want to go through the building and walked through the area where the chain had been removed. This cut about fifteen minutes off their wait time. Of course the people who were coming out of the building were pretty miffed that these people were allowed to cut and weren't forced to go through the building. An argument ensued between volunteers and people waiting to get on the trains. Eventually it was sorted out but the man who runs the trains was not happy. He could be seen yelling at one of the volunteers. After a thirty to forty-five minute wait, we were finally able to get on a train. The egg hunt was fun for my daughter. She loved finding them, picking them up and shaking them. Unfortunately, because of the long lines and the people waiting to ride, the conductor rushed us quickly through the hunt. My daughter had to just grab a bunch of the eggs and open them later. When we returned to the train, we realized that someone had taken our seats. That meant that my wife and I had to sit apart on the ride back. One of the cool things about the railroad is that you are allowed to ride all day long. At Christmas my daughter and I took three trips around. Because of the wait, we only rode the Easter train once. A big disappointment considering how far we had driven to ride the trains. The day can be summed up perfectly by the fact that as we departed from our train and moved off to the side so my daughter could open the eggs she collected the train we had just gotten off of jumped the tracks. It wasn't a big deal, no on was hurt and it was fixed in a few seconds, but it just sort of symbolized the fact that the CP & G Railroad is not yet ready for the big crowds that Easter brought. Hopefully they can figure something out before the Fourth of July trains get rolling.

Lakeland 1st Friday is top-notch! This past Friday the theme was Cookie Carnival. My friends and I…read moregot to be cookie judges. We were given baggies with 10 tickets to try 10 different cookie vendors (who were also selling cookies). We were also given 1 token to vote for our favorite & instructions to Have Fun! It was a blast & yes, we accepted bribes JK. It was a lovely evening with something for everyone-vintage cars, vendors, food, crafts, kids activities. Even the doggies came out Love, love, love Lakeland 1st Friday

This was my first Friday of Wakeland and it did not disappoint. From hurricane wins to tornadoes we…read morehad it all. I commend the construction crews who built buildings to withstand this weather

Spirited Dinner is actually mean spirit drink pair with dinner. This is a very delightful even to…read moreattend. Many people wear a formal night wear and the ladies present themselves very beautifully. The hostess great us and point us to the assigned table. The pre-dinner starts with an open bar and Hors-d'oeuvre. I am attending with my two favorite people Anna and Nick during the dinner extravaganza. I like Hors-d'oeuvre. When we see new item pass by, we are waving to direct to our direction. They have started with curry beef, Cheese ham bread plate, fried oyster, scallop dumpling. The appetizers are amazing. I like the fried oyster on the shell. The oyster is light batter and fried and top with larger egg caviar. Mm Mm Mm Good. The caviar pair on top of the oyster with lightly secret sauce has made this oyster one of the best that I ever taste. I was wondering which chef prepares this. Since this dinner have five chefs prepared the meal and five mixologists prepared the pair cocktail is such a treat in one night. Many praise to the chefs and mixologists with a successful night. Many thanks to the organizer who gather name chefs into one place. And thanks to the men and women who serve us tonight with a wonderful job. It show the true color of the Bay Area restaurants that we are living in many wonderful restaurants and bars that many city may not have. It show the living in the bay area is vibrant and great. The first course is the Rooster and The Till's Lamb Heart Tartare serve with green harissa, pistachio and radish. The Tartare is mix well and balance. The green harissa take the edge off the tartare and make it very desirable to taste. It pair with Ciro's Speakeasy J Bitter Blush cocktail - Twisted Sun Rum with house made pistachio, Orgeat, Fresh Lime Juice and Aperol. The rum with slightly sweetness balance with the twist of the lime juice made it the best drink of the night. This is the glass that I may go for more. The first course and drink are part of my favorite tonight. The second course is the Massimo's Twisted Sun Rum Glazed Kurobuta Pork Belly and Scallop top with bean ragout. The pork belly is glazed on the bottom make the meat part tough. The pork belly has three parts - skin, fat and meat. The chef needs to conquer all three parts to make it great. That why pork belly is difficult to prepared. I believe the meat part was not up to texture that needs to be for all three parts to be harmony. Some improvement can be made. This dish is pair with Pangea Lounge Italian Sun cocktail - Twisted Sun Rum, Jack Simple. It garnish with pumpkin seed rub, red pepper and lemon peel. The jack actually makes it strong for me. I am more into wine so I cannot comment on this drink. It is pretty much hate it or love it situation, no in between. The third course is the Mise en Place's Red Miso Coconut Tea Cured Tuna accompany with Smoked pineapple crab salad, Edamame Peanut Puree and Blood Orange Curry Salt. A cure meat with salt will make it too salty. I have to remove the salt on top and eat the cure tuna along. The tuna has it unique way to cure and it taste like chewy candy. This dish is pair with the Mandarin Hide War on Winter cocktail - Twisted Sun Rum, pineapple juice, white coconut, tea concentrate, giffard orgeat and angostura. I like this better than the second dish drink. The fourth course is Maestro's at the Straz's Hay Smoke Duck Breast top over Goat Cheese Cake. It accompanies with rum braised figs, pea shoots, roasted golden beets. This is one of my favorite of the night. The duck is will smoke to medium that preserve the tenderness of the meat. This is very hard dish, a slight mistake will make the duck are too tough to eat. But tonight the chef has done a wonderful job to prepare this. This dish is pair with the Anise Global Gastrobar "And the Gander" cocktail - Twisted Sun Rum, cinnamon mango reduction, honey syrup, lemon juice, ground cinnamon. The drink matches the requirement of the dish and pairs it beautifully. The last course is the CENA's Carrot Cake with goat cheese mouse, pineapple jelly, carrot orange foam, brown sugar streusel, and mint rum fluid gel. A simple carrot cake is paired correctly with jelly and gel that make it perfect closing for the night. The surprise of this dish is the white chocolate slide make we like kid want the candy in their hand. This dish is pair with The Bricks' "Better Days" cocktail - Twisted Sun Rum, coco lopez, carrot juice, orange juice, vanilla ice cream, and grated nutmeg. At this point I only take a sip for the fun of it. I like it but not the favorite. The feature spirit tonight is the unique Twisted Sun Rum. It is a cool name. The rum is great mix with juice, lime, sweet, vanilla ice cream. I believe it may be good with chocolate. Overall the experience tonight is great with the food and drink. I am enjoying the night with my main man Nick and accompany with Anna. Our table is certainly great and makes the most noise of the night. Great Party

The cell phone lit up Wednesday night. One simple message. One invitation. One great venue. One…read moregreat cause. One great five-course dinner paired with five potentially fabulous cocktails. One wonderful reason to get all dolled up. By six o'clock the very next night I was ruffling up my puffy a-la- sex-and-the city black mini skirt and annoying my downstairs neighbor with the incessant clicking of my very high heels. The Spirited Dinner sponsored by Northern Trust and on behalf of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for Performing Arts had just begun. Each table exquisitely decorated like your own very small English garden. Roses, and silk. Candles and crystals. Emily introduced herself. Friendly and knowledgeable about the benefit and the history of the conservatory and its importance for Tampa. Blue eyes filled with light and enthusiasm. The rum to be featured throughout the night was Twisted Sun. Ordered a "Cuba Libre" (rum and coke with lime) and, when I turned away from the bar, the amuse bouche were passed around. A charcuterie plate with savory slices of salchichón and blue cheese. A curried beef tartare on a sesame cracker. A scallop hidden in a pastry puff. A panko covered fried oyster decorated with caviar eggs and floating on its shell in a light sauce of Tabasco and citrus. Waiters attentively and encouragingly passed by and always stopped to offer. The fried oyster was so fresh and lightly breaded... I discreetly swayed many times in the direction of the server. It was a gastronomic waltz we were doing. I hope only he noticed. The strangers at my table were the perfect companions. Within five minutes of seating, we managed to drown our candles with the water they were floating on and a handsome man spilled his first cocktail on the table and his tie. The ice between us officially broken and skated on. Ferrell Alvarez (Rooster and the Till) prepared Lamb Heart Tartare with green harissa, pistachio and radish. I was apprehensive. Heart? Lamb? Somehow I began to feel like Maleficent. Ignored the first impulse to deny myself the experience. The texture of the meat incredibly tender. Unsavory but to be eaten along the drops of various sauces. The grains of sea salt distinctively discovered. The drink was called "Bitter Blush." A bittersweet pink cocktail created by Brenda Terry (Ciro's Speakeasy.) The second course was prepared by Chef Massimo Patano (Massimo's). Kurobuta pork belly and a scallop glazed with Twisted Sun Rum over bean ragout. The scallop, a smell of the ocean. This plate was served along an "Italian Sun." A cocktail confectioned by Brad Coburn (Pangea Lounge) and composed of Twisted Sun Rum, jack simple, garnished with pumpkin seed rub, fresh red pepper and lemon peel. A kind of classic Old Fashioned, but with rum. Smooth with a discreet kick. The rub kindly placed on only one side of the rim of the glass. A choice. A blessing, really, as I am allergic to pepper and my lips would have looked like Angelina Jolie's, but in steroids. An instant kissing-fish transformation unlike Cinderella's. The third course featured red miso coconut tea cured tuna, smoked pineapple crab salad, edamame, peanut puree, blood orange curry salt. A delicacy created by Marty Blitz (Mise en Place). What a beautiful plate. The drink was "War on Winter," a libation of Twisted Sun Rum, pineapple juice, white coconut tea concentrate, Giffard orgeat and angostura. The fourth course belonged to Maestro's. Hay smoked duck breast, savory goat cheese cake, rum braised figs, pea shoots and roasted golden beets. If my table mates and I had had our way, we would all have stood on our chairs and salute Chef Benito D'Azzo with a rendition of "Oh, Captain! My Captain!" This foodie madness was paired with Justin Gray's (Anise Global Gastrobar). "And the Gander" was Twisted Sun Rum, cinnamon-mango reduction, honey syrup, lemon juice and garnished with a puff of cinnamon. Lovely sweetness like a fruity kiss. The gastronomic hallucination ended with a carrot cake, goat cheese mousse, pineapple jelly, carrot -orange foam, brown sugar streusel, mint rum fluid gel. Look at the picture and behold an edible miracle. Evan Schmidt from Cena balanced all components and flavors. Autumn on a plate. The last drink perfectly named "Better Days" (by Scooby Oliver) an alcoholic version of a milkshake. Twisted Rum, coco lopez, carrot juice, orange juice, vanilla ice cream and grated nutmeg. It tasted like Christmas. The Spirited Dinner spoke about spirit and to the spirit. The name no longer about the spirit as in alcohol, though very present, but rather, the spirit of every talented chef and mixologist who poured his or her spirit into the event. Everyone left feeling satiated, a tad tipsy or a bit drunk... and in awe of the culinary holy.

Downtown Dade City Main Street is a cute quaint downtown city that is known for antique lovers…read more They have quite a bit of antique shops, gift shops, a dog store, jewelry store, AT&T store to name a few. The majority of these stores are locally owned, and that's a good reason I love it here. If anyone has ever watched and loved the show Ghost Whisperer, this downtown reminds me of it always. In the center is the typical square with the beautiful Pasco County Courthouse. There are quite of restaurants in the area including Matter of Taste, The Garden Cafe, Rebecca's At City Market formally known as City Market Bistro, Kafe Kokopelli, and Del Carmen's Mexican just to name a few. If you want eclectic and different, I suggest you try Kafe Kokopelli for dinner. There are often different events going on. The last one I went to was the Xmas Parade. They also had a Xmas Walk, and a Car Show. Check it the Dade City Events Page.

Love downtown Dade City. Quaint, small town feel and have shops, restaurants and now their own…read moreBrewery!!

Such a random little roadside gem--a Sphinx statue sitting at the corner of N. Florida Ave & E…read more 124th Ave! I used to love it as a kid, and honestly it still makes me smile every time I drive by. It doesn't really "fit" with its surroundings, which somehow makes it even better. Not a destination on its own, but totally quirky, totally random, and definitely worth pulling over for a quick photo or a little nostalgia trip. There is some wear and tear. It has been around for decades.

Cool little piece of Americana in Plant City, Florida. The strawberry on the water tower signifies…read morethe strawberries grown here and the popular Strawberry Festival. I would definitely recommend checking it out. It is right across the street from Ellis-Methvin Park.

This is an interesting historical feature on Limona Road off Lakewood Drive. A historical marker in…read morethe Limona Cemetery commemorates the location on what was once a Seminole trail. It connected to Fort Brooke where Tampa is now and was developed in the lat 19th century. The Mr. Pratt.gent whi developed it also started the Tampa Historical Society. :)

Florida is beautiful, even on a rainy day. There are over 900 historic buildings. It helps to…read moreresearch websites to make a travel plan.

West Tampa is a vibrant and historic area of Tampa that is a bit economically downtrodden but full…read moreof spirit. * The West Tampa Library is a beautiful historic building. It's actually in the site of a former tobacco factory (Tampa's first!!!) The Free Library was funded by a Carnegie endowment and is one of several Carnegie librsries in Tampa. * Centro Español is a beautiful historic cultural center on Howard. * Samuel L. Davis Cigar Factory * Morgan Cigar Co. Factory * Cacciatore & Sons There are also some cool buildings around West Main and lots of unique independent food venues including Bar-B-Que King for ribs (real wood smoked!!!), Fortune Street Fish Market for live blue crabs or prepared garlic crabs, gumbo and other delicacies, Lanna's Latin food, 813 Salads and Seafood for waffles and fried chicken.. And more.. If you haven't hit Armenia Ave. for Colombian food you are missing out! La Montana bakery for guava and cheese pastries, pan de bono, and fruit with condesned milk. Tico Market is next door. Grab some arepas and queso (cheese) for home cooking. Alessa Bakery on Cypress is also in the area and a true Tampa landmark bakery and lunch spot with big time sandwiches and devil crab. West Tampa Sandwich Shop. And Pupuseria Centroamericana. And don't forget enjoy Cuban Coffee at Arco-Iris!!!!!!! It's impossible not get a feel for Tampa's history and culture here. Everyone was friendly in the area especially the guy in the park talking to himself..