Celebration of Lights at Homosassa State Park puts on a great show…read more You will notice there are two parking lots. The one that is on this address is the main parking lot. It is further than the other parking lot, but I love the tram they take you on. It's so breezy, comfortable, and fun. The other parking lot is smaller, so good if you come early, but the tram is a fun simple experience through the trees. You first walk into a park and there are a tunnel of lights. You will see the water with lots of fish, and what they call the fishbowl where the water is lit up at night, and it illuminates the water down below so nicely. Keep walking, and you will see a big house, which is their office area, and more restrooms for the public. You will here music and see lights. You will now find the main area of lights. It's not like a lot lot, but it's so concentrated, it looks beautiful, my most favorite Xmas lights this year. People are sitting since there are chairs, and some bring chairs. They are waiting for the show including synchronized lights, singing, Christmas carols, real Christmas manger, angels. It is a great show. We loved it. Perfect for Xmas eve. They have one day left this year, Sat. Dec. 26. Make sure to do it if you have a chance.

Brooksville Main Street has breathed life back into the sleepy little town of brooksville. This…read morecommunity revitalization effort has been a huge success in bringing new people to the area and the people native to town together. They have regular community events, monthly free concerts, Friday Night Live, art festivals, And recently started doing a vlog on Facebook. Tina and Ryan are the faces of Brooksville Main Street and their passion is reflected in everything they've been doing, if you have a chance to come to the little civil war town of brooksville make sure you check out what's going on with Brooksville Main Street you won't be disappointed!

What a lovely way to spend a summer day! The farm currently has u pick sunflowers as well as…read moreadditional flowers and vegetables. The cost is per stem and very affordable. A really nice touch is you can buy a jar to bring your flower homes in water, which was awesome to help preserve them. Before you pick, they give a quick educational overview so you know the best flowers to pick. Mine lasted over a week which was incredible.

We went to Sweet Fields Farm for the pumpkin patch. It was about a 40-minute drive away, and when…read morewe arrived, we saw the parking lot was almost full, indicating that it's a popular destination. The farm's entry fee was $14 per person, and the pumpkin patch was beautifully decorated, offering great photo opportunities. Beyond the Pumpkin Patch, Farm offers other activities for children to enjoy. These include interacting with various animals, participating in a hayride for a tour of the farm, and more. The farm also offers freshly made apple cider vinegar, which is perfect to try. On our visit, there were also chicken and pizza food trucks for lunch, making it easy to enjoy a meal while exploring the farm. We enjoyed our visit to Sweetfields farm, as it offered a variety of activities that the children particularly enjoyed.

Just moved to the area, and learned that Manatee love to come to the springs. So after much…read moreresearch we discovered that there is a festival that you can attend with live music, food, shows, and EVEN a bus that takes you into the spring to see the manatee. When we arrived we paid the 20 dollars to park. The lot was huge and had plenty of parking. We walked around to get our bearings, and then stood in line for the bus. The bus was a very large charter bus. As we drove past the massive line of people waiting to get inside the park, who were all in park, we realized that we made the right choice. For 10 extra dollars we didn't have to wait in a long line of cars waiting to get in. Supposedly the wait was a 45-90 minute wait depending on how long people spent looking at manatee. After enjoying the manatee the bus drove us back to the festival grounds. We got a few beers, and food. There was plenty of food trucks with lots of good options of food. After eating we sat at the main stage, and listened to the live music while we waited for the frisbee dog show. The show was a perfect ending to our day. We had so much fun that it's now on our must-do list when advising people of things to do. Can't wait till next year!

If you know me you're not shocked that: a) I've been to a few festivals and b) I'm a huge fan of…read morelocal craft beer. This was not my first festival, but it was my first chance to go to Hogtown Beer Festival and I can say this one is well worth the price of admission. From planning to pours and plates, this event had a big festival's worth of awesome packed into a quaint, but bustling, space. The Location This year's festival took place in the Tioga Town Center, which provided a number of advantages including ample natural shading from trees, plenty of space for each beer/food tent, and comfy grass to walk on as the time ticks by (any fest-goer knows the woes of walking on hot asphalt for hours). I found the layout to be excellent in concept and decent in execution: 4 main sections where created, each providing numerous different beer/brewery options and a couple of different food choices. If you have a group and split up for any reason, it becomes really easy to find one another this way because you can reference the food options you see and sort it out. For me this location was perfect: so much shade to break the heat and so much room to move around. The other, larger festivals have several perks but comfort is typically not one of them due to overcrowding. If a line started to form at Hogtown's fest it was easy to deal with, but my past experiences generally require you squish against sweaty, suntanned limbs while frying in the sun. The Logistics From proper advertising and social media updates to well-informed staff and even a nifty beer booklet with maps and beer checklists, this crew worked very hard to be organized. Parking could have been a nightmare but they had a charter bus shuttling people from a roomy field for offsite parking (primetime for applying sunscreen too). Stations were positioned in numerous places for washing hands after a quick nibble and water coolers were all over the place to insure people were hydrated. The above said, there were some issues that I might even say are inevitable. To start, the locations of several beer tents were inaccurate on the beer booklet. Not a big deal, but it happened. The water coolers weren't marked or identifiable unless you knew they were there, but I don't recall any announcement about them. Another minor item, though I recommend clear labeling next time. The Libations & Stations There are two ways to win my heart at a festival when it comes to featured brews: go all-in on top-rated, diverse breweries or focus on all-local pours. Hogtown was more the latter, but did lean a little more on the macro-micro breweries than I prefer (think things you find at Publix versus your go-to beer shop). I know that these beers are helpful in transitioning new folk away from watery pilsners but for the price tag, it would be nicer to pull more quality into the mix (in the form of blossoming FLA breweries) than to inject average brands. For what was offered, I probably would only invite Floridians to travel into town for this one but all would get a solid showcase of Central Florida talent. I focused a bunch on getting to know some really great Florida spots like Infinite, Proof, and Coppertail as well as stopping by the Gainesville favorites to see what special goodies they blended up. This year many of the tents came with timed releases of unique/rare items which I love because it helps spread out the fun. One tent even had a few baskets to raffle and yours truly nabbed a growler bundle! As for the food, it was nice to see that largely the food was provided by local bizes as opposed to chains. A recently-closed German sausage hotspot made a guest appearance and generated a healthy buzz, which just goes to show the thoughtfulness of those in charge of the event. Most took cards for pay, and the choices were plenty diverse for any appetite. One vendor was even giving away pork sliders and mac n cheese for FREE! Final Thoughts Having this festival under my belt, I'm likely to go back next year especially if the same people are working on it. There were enough local breweries pouring to keep a vet enthusiastic and also some more common beers for those looking to go quantity over quality, which is fine. A little rough around the edges in some places, but largely an event put together by a group of well-seasoned beer fans. Next year I'd like to see a few more SOFLA beers invited up and I'd have enough to toss up an extra star.

Had a blast at this year's Hogtown Craft Beer Festival. Honestly, one of the better beer festivals…read moreI've been to - and I've been to a lot, including much larger ones like Hunahpu's Day put on by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa. HCBF had a phenomenal selection of beers and the nice option of having some free food (smaller bites) or larger, pay-as-you-go selections from food trucks and local vendors. The organizers did a great job keeping the check-in line moving quickly and putting together the "Passport", but my only criticism would be to wait until a little closer to the event to print the latter next year, as some of the vendors were not listed in the accurate "tent/pod" and some beer selections had been replaced by the breweries. Can't wait to come back next year!

Congratulations to the organizers on this 15th annual Festival for another incredible experience…read more This is my only "taste of Greece" in these parts and I always take advantage of it. There's always so much to see and do here...especially eating!!! Everything is homemade and the desserts are some I have never seen. In fact the line for them is always the longest. New this year is an outdoor area so there's even more seating in the beautiful sun. If you should need an interesting gift for someone you'll certainly find something here as most vendors sell Greek items as well as some groceries. Entertainment is always fun as anyone is welcome to dance to their fantastic band. Then there are the professional dancers who attend UF and perform the classic Greek choreographed dances. Definitely the best 3 day festival around that good for kids and families!

Small festival with a lot of heart. Good band started at 5pm. Lots of nice merch along the sides of…read morethe event room. ONLY 1 kind of GREEK BEER...hubby didn't like that kind. In a warehouse like room, but all the tables were dressed up festively. Souvlaki was boring, fries were overcooked, gyro was just ok, napoleon was kind of nasty--basically just frosting piled up with very tough phillo layers in between frosting layers. Kid activity area looked just awful! Once was enough. We may try Tarpon Springs next time for Greek festivals.

Water enthusiasts, discover Florida's soul in the warm Gulf water, spring-fed rivers and bountiful…read morelakes & dive for scallops, swim with the manatees or reel in some of Florida's best fishing. If land is what you're trekking for, take a hike through unspoiled forests, enjoy a round at some great golf courses or cycle on one of America's top-rated trails. Or, if you're a foodie, there's a vibrant food scene with a diverse array of restaurants offering fresh seafood, gourmet dining, and international cuisine. This picturesque town also has a historic downtown Heritage Village District offering eclectic shopping, festivals, arts & craft shows, and even music competitions. Truly, the gem of the nature coast.

What a cute little city! Apparently they only have 2 things here... retirees and manatees. Some…read morecould say they look the same sometimes. This town has a lot of flare, especially in the winter. I've never seen so many manatees in my life! This is the only place you can legally snorkel with the manatees and the home of the annual manatee fest. Don't miss some of the amazing seafood, Homosassa springs park, kayaking, and snorkeling with manatees!