Radio St. Pete Insiders, this week I introduce a curated calendar of the best events plus dining, nightlife and fun from around Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg to the beaches…and beyond! Just sign up for the newsletter, and you’ll get my Let’s Go Guides as well as the monthly Radio St. Pete news and programming update!
You can hear more of my cool things to do weekly on Wednesday with Wiser (noon-12:30) and Saturday Live with the Sassy Scribe plus RSP’s podcasts. Here are a few of my favorite things! To get the details, like the venue on Facebook.
Mezzo Market is St. Pete’s largest monthly street market with boutique shops, vintage goods, handmade products, plants, food, drinks, and live music! Visit the 2024 first Mezzo Market this Sat. 1/20. Located on Baum Avenue between Intermezzo and Green Bench Brewing. On Sunday, Tampa Bay Markets’s new St. Petersburg market features 75 vendors, live music, family fun at St. Petersburg High School. Radio St. Pete was live from the market 1/14. Hear more.
Craftsman House 1/20 Claudia Schmidt has been perfecting her craft of writing and performing for 50 years. It begins with her multi-octave voice, 12 string guitar and mountain dulcimer. As a bonus, Kip Kelly opens. Kip is one of the top singer-songwriters in the Tampa Bay region. His original songs are sure to elevate him beyond our region.
The St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club kicks off its 100th birthday on 1/20 with the 12th Annual Tweed Ride through downtown St. Pete @4pm preceded by tea and scones @2pm. A dinner, Junco Royals and shuffleboard follow; tickets are on sale now. On 1/24 @6pm, there’s another celebration and on 1/27-28 the club hosts a national tournament with competing clubs from around the U.S.
St. Petersburg Power and Sailboat Show 1/18-21 at the Mahaffey Theater Yacht Basin showcases marine gear, boating/fishing seminars and like kids fishing clinics. Also this weekend 1/19-21, the John’s Pass Seafood Festival serves up seafood in Madeira Beach at historic John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk with food, live music, games, family fun, arts and crafts and yes, beer here!
Stargazers, join the astronomy club at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve’s Education Center lobby on 1/20 @7pm and search for Jupiter and Orion Nebula, Saturn and winter constellations with high powered telescopes. Also on 1/20 you can do the hustle at the Third Annual Gulfport Rocks the ‘70s @7pm at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom to benefit the Lion Club charities. Get tickets online or at the door.
On Sunday 1/21, the 20th Annual Festivals of Speed at St. Petersburg Presented by PORSCHE Clearwater will take place downtown in beautiful Vinoy Park overlooking the bay. This luxury lifestyle Motorsports display will showcase over 250+ exotic, classic, muscle cars, motorcycles & luxury brands. The Festivals of Speed show field has become known for its unique diversity, showcasing both vintage and contemporary vehicles of all makes and models placed for display among the splendor that is Vinoy Park. Offshore race boats, antique boats and other unique watercraft are encouraged to display. The park overlooks the water with magnificent views of the bay and vibrant downtown. Guests will experience automotive designs by Porsche, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston-Martin, BMW, Mercedes, McLaren and more. Onsite cafes serve fine wines and festive cocktails with exciting culinary offerings. Guests can also enjoy a cigar lounge, great music, awards presentation and more.
DINE & DRINK Life’s a journey but you still gotta eat. In downtown St. Pete, it’s Gratzzi or Bonu for Italian, lunch at Parkshore and happy hour wine/oysters at Sea Salt St. Pete. For Asian fare, Pin, Wok & Bowl or Glass Noodle serve up authentic dishes. Concrete Jungle two-level cocktail lounge is in the old Iberian Rooster location and serving Mexican regional “vibrant flavor fusion” dishes and drinks (The Jungle Boogie) from Tulum and Yucatan Peninsula. Taking visitors to Ft. deSoto? You won’t go hungry. Check out these great Tierra Verde restos: Island Grille & Raw Bar has an extensive menu with steaks, seafood, and pub fare with live entertainment daily. Sea Worthy Fish + Bar and Billy’s Stone Crab serve up terrific seafood as well and Billy’s rooftop bar with music is a local fave. For classic European-inspired fare, head to ALSACE French Bistro or Tony and Nello’s Southern Italian Cuisine. Circo Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria is a fun family restaurant. For craft cocktails and the sunset, Vista At The Top is my fave.
MUSIC/NIGHTLIFE This Thursday 1/18, America’s Got Talent winner Sal “the Voice” Valentinetti comes to The Palladium Theater in downtown St. Pete. Tickets are going fast! Since racking up over 450 million views worldwide with his captivating America’s Got Talent audition, the charismatic crooner has been invited to appear in hundreds of sold-out performances around the world. From sharing the stage with Heidi Klum at Madison Square Garden to opening for Jay Leno in Las Vegas; it’s safe to say that Sal is only getting started. And just in time for the holidays, Christmas Presents, Sal’s first ever Christmas album with all of the best classics. Said Simon Cowell about Sal on his AGT performance: “I am slightly starstruck right now.” Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti, Heidi Klum’s unforgettable 2016 Golden Buzzer recipient and finalist of America’s Got Talent, is an Italian-American crooner known best for his flawless vocals, larger than life personality, and his heart of gold. Born August 26, 1995, Sal was raised in the small town of Bethpage, New York where he still resides today. From a very young age Sal was influenced by his grandmother to love the musical genius of the classic crooner sounds of Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. At the young age of fifteen Sal realized the hidden talent he possessed and began performing his flawless tribute to the great Frank Sinatra across New York. BUY TICKETS
I love the Tuesday concerts at The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, and can’t wait till 1/23 to groove with the St. Pete Sax Quartet. From jazz to classical to popular arrangements, the four voices of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone come together to form rich harmonies. The concert is included with admission; free for members. Registration not required. Admission is just $10 on Tuesdays for all adults. For more great music at the beaches, check out Fiona Frensch at The Deck in Isla or The Saint, and her Monday Women In Song on Radio St. Pete.
SHOP Think global, shop local at the fabulous markets around Pinellas County include Gulfport Tuesday, Madeira Beach Wednesday, Treasure Island Friday, Corey Avenue St. Pete Beach Market Sunday and Creative Pinellas at Pinewood on the 3rd Saturday of the month, as well as Pinellas Arts Walk on the 4th Sat. where muralist Derek Donnelly has his studio. On the 2nd Saturday of the month, ArtWalk showcases galleries and more from the Warehouse District, The Edge, Grand Central Avenue and more.