I checked out the Florida Manatee Festival for the first time in 2023. The festival helps bring…read moreawareness to the gentle giant, the manatee. As well as help support local and regional businesses. The festival was much larger than I imagined. Blocks and blocks of vendor tents. Even on the side streets. Tons of food, arts and crafts, t-shirts, hats and even alcohol. It was dog friendly and the cost to enter was $5, children under 12 were free. I never realized how much I loved manatees until experiencing them in person. There were several natural springs in Crystal River that attracts the manatees when the Gulf of Mexico water gets cold. The natural springs have a constant water temperature of 72 degrees. I found a manatee t-shirt from an artist who shot the picture on the shirts. Amazing! I also purchased a Crystal River ball cap from one of the local stores as their prices were cheaper than the festival prices. I also enjoyed a delicious gator poboy sandwich. Yummy! I would absolutely recommend the festival! But don't forget to check out the manatees in the springs while you're there.

We've attended the Manatee Festival in Crystal River for probably 15 years, and it's always been…read moresomething we genuinely look forward to. Overall, it's still a fun festival, and the opportunity to view the manatees is always beautiful. The educational aspect is especially important and well done--it helps the public appreciate and respect these animals without harming them. That said, the festival has changed in ways that are disappointing. Charging $10 per person just to enter feels excessive, especially considering the lack of basic accommodations for attendees. The food vendor setup is poorly designed. Some vendors are placed in areas you don't even see until after you've already eaten, which hurts both the vendors and the guests. With such a large festival, having two food sections is fine--but one of them, despite drawing thousands of people, had only one picnic table. There were virtually no places to sit and eat, leaving people standing awkwardly while trying to eat messy festival food. The porta-john situation was also inadequate for the crowd size. There simply weren't enough to accommodate the number of people attending. It feels like the festival has been redesigned in a way that doesn't make much sense logistically, and there's a growing sense of greed without a corresponding improvement in services for patrons. We still enjoy the festival and will always appreciate the manatee experience, but the organizers really need to refocus on crowd flow, seating, restroom availability, and overall attendee comfort--especially if they're going to continue charging admission.

The Tarpon Springs Seafood Festival (aka Sponge Docks) was a great excuse to visit the area again…read more The festival is in the back half of the sponge docks area and was put together very well. Not only can you visit the open shops and restaurants, but therr is a huge food court of food trucks. Food was expensive and most people sold the same thing. We got catfish and fries from Bama's Famous Food Truck and it was good. Owner was friendly. Dole came through with dessert. And we got mini donuts near food court entrance. So good. There are lots of pets, people and fun things to buy from the multitude of vendors. The diversity was refreshing, and the creativity was the best I have seen in a while. Parking is a challenge for sure. A free trolley from a nearby park was appreciated but there was barely any parking spaces available at the park. We had to strong arm into a spot when someone left. Sorry, we were there first silver car. Overall a good time, with lots to see and eat and clean bathrooms. I enjoyed my time and will go again next year.

This is a really nice festival. There are numerous vendors selling lots of homemade crafts etc…read more There were also lots of vendors selling seafood, as well as other food items. We got the crab cake at one of the places and weren't impressed. It was all filler. There is a large tent that had live music and plenty of places to sit and enjoy the food.

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.

Kumquat fest was later this year - Sunday, March 8th, 2026. It's usually the last week of January…read morebut they changed the date this year due to the cold windy weather. We decided to go since it was a Sunday. We can tell there were less vendors bc maybe bc of the new date. Not sure. It is a lot of arts and crafts vendors all throughout the town. This is really cool bc there's lots to see. Also it brings business to the businesses here. Many businesses have changed and closed. I haven't been in a while so this is a nice way to see what businesses have come and go by walking all throughout the town. I definitely want to come back. Parking is not bad bc it's also throughout the neighborhoods. You really don't need to pay for parking. You do have to walk so if walking shoes are better, then wear them

Such a fun festival! First time going…read more Lots of vendors, food, drinks, kumquat themed items, and music. We got kumquat margaritas! So good. Love that you can walk around with alcohol.

sad no blues played and they have blues performers who play in Dunedin. I know I will not be…read moreattending again

Definitely a great festival to go to. It definitely showcases downtown Dunedin in the best way…read morepossible. There are tons of vendors food, drink, arts, and crafts galore! Everything is local! There is music playing all throughout Main St. This is truly a blast!!!! Definitely a must check out Festival held in November! There's a good amount of food and drinks spaced out everywhere so this is definitely the only place you need to be!!! I love love love Downtown Dunedin!!!!

Perfect location for a great weekend arts crafts and seafood festival in November. Admission is a…read more$3 donation per person and parking close by can cost $5. Lots of arts and crafts vendors on both sides of a local street leading up to the main festival location. Entertainment on a main stage, and chairs under a partially shaded area made for lounging and resting in the heat of the day. Various food vendors are set up around the festival grounds, and you never know what might be the next food item. I saw frozen cheesecake for sale and it looks tempting on a hot day. Definitely recommend checking it out early - we arrived at 11:30 and streets were packed near the grounds.

Good food, great music and a vast variety of vendors!! The rain held off and it was a great dayread more

Husband got us VIP tickets for Nude Nite in Tampa. The early entrance was not worth the extra…read moremoney. We were done with all the exhibits within half hour. Most of the art was of nude women with only a handful of nude men. The venue had 4 restrooms. Three were for anyone to use & the fourth was for "women only". No "men only" restrooms. I don't like sharing restrooms with men. The venue also had very limited bench seating to rest if needed. I've been to NYC nude art shows, exhibits & museums with my husband and they are second to none.

I have gone to nude resort and it was a boring experience...but it was only 20 dollars spent so I…read moredidn't miss much

It calls Freedom Festival in the mall. I believe is freedom of shopping. Even you have kid; there…read moreis plenty of freedom kid activities. If you are father or husband, this is great way to spent time with your family. Open the freedom wallet for your wife to shop and take your kid to the festival activity. This is a well organized block party. Love every minutes of it. It starts with pageant contest and follows by the freedom bicycle decoration contest, watermelon eating contest, parade, fireworks. The Paseo Drive is filling with people. The kid activities include hokey stick goal shot, balloon sword, acrobat elastic jump, face painting, moon wall, air slice, pirate ship invasion and many more. For adult, you know what to do. I was introduced by a vendor for Wikid Watermelon for the custom watermelon kegs and carving. The carving is beautiful for special event. Overall the party is great. People make up this party. The Shop of Wiregrass is smart to hold this party one day before the July 4 with fireworks. It get the maximum people without compete for the actual July 4 fireworks with many locations.

Last time I came to this it was a great festival with lots of terrific artists. So much so I had…read moreone painting in particular shipped back to Long Island to me. This year I don't know if it was because it was a bit cold or because of COVID-19 this year it was like... eh. I wish honestly that we didn't even come this year. That's how lousy it was. Maybe next time I come back and attempt this festival it'll surpass this year's lackluster event. Just being super honest. I'm keeping the 4 because a lot if not all of these artists and curators bust their butts to sell their craft. Also pro tip... get there early so you're not stuck paying for parking.

They don't tell you dogs aren't allowed until AFTER you've paid for parking. $5 and a lot of hassle…read morefor NOTHING.

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.