Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair & Pirate Festival

The Gulf Coast’s annual ren fair is back! Come out to the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds on March 2nd & 3rd to enjoy all things yo ho ho, ye olde, and ye haw! This year’s festival is open to those who enjoy renaissance fun like turkey legs and jousting, pirate antics such as excessive drinking and sword fights, AND cowboy culture with lassos and tales of the Wild West. This year also features a Roaring 20s stage that will showcase Irish step dancers, belly dancers, and a swing band. The Renaissance Fair and Pirate Festival encourages visitors of all ages and all costumes. Learn more HERE

Mardi Gras at Little Village & FINNS

Little Village & FINNS is hosting a Mardi Gras 2024 Party! Come out all weekend long (February 2-4) to enjoy live music, Mardi Gras food specials, and more. The waterfront property features indoor seating, a side deck, and a front-covered pavilion. See the live music schedule below:

  • Friday, Feb. 2nd – WOODS THE BAND 6-9pm
  • Saturday, Feb. 3rd – ANTHONY PEEBLES TRIO 10:30am-1:30pm + VOODOO J3LLY (TYLER JAMES TRIO) 4pm-7pm
  • Sunday, Feb. 4th – LEANA CARTER 1pm-4pm

Milk & Honey

Today’s local business spotlight is Milk & Honey!

Located in Marianna, the shop is a multi-purpose shop that serves coffee, fro-yo, soft serve, and more. They also function as a community center where individuals can hang out doing computer work, catch up with friends, and more. They even rent out their rooms for organizations and groups to host meetings and events.

Visit the Milk & Honey Facebook page to stay up-to-date. 

Walmart’s Sensory Hours

Walmart’s across the United States and Puerto Rico are implementing semi-permanent sensory hours. The hours will take place every day from 8-10 a.m. Depending on how things go, these hours could become permanent. 

Sensory hours are designed for those who are easily overwhelmed by external stimulation. During as typical Walmart visit, highly-sensitive individuals have to handle an influx of stimuli including stranger’s conversations, accidental touch, bright overhead lights, store music, and more. This can cause irritability, stress, agitation, insomnia, loss of focus, overwhelming feelings and thoughts, and anxiety. Some individuals even experience physical symptoms such as tight, itchy skin or buzzing nerves. 

Panhandle Butterfly House

Did you know that the Panhandle is home to a butterfly house? No, not the world-famous Gainesville Butterfly Rainforest and McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity. The Panhandle Butterfly House had it’s grand reopening this spring and has been slowly improving it’s grounds throughout the year. It was originally located in Navarre but recently relocated to Milton. 

The Panhandle Butterfly House is committed to displaying exclusively Florida-native butterflies; this allows visitors to learn about the butterflies they may encounter in their backyards and throughout nature in their area. Additionally, the House raises native butterflies, allowing volunteers and visitors to witness the full butterfly life cycle from egg to hatching to caterpillar to chrysalis and then – the emerging of adult butterflies! 

Learn more by visiting the official Panhandle Butterfly House website. 

Right Whale Festival 2023

The 2023 Right Whale Festival will take place on November 4-5 at Main Beach Park in Fernandina. The festival is part of a regional effort to educate and protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Every year in late fall, these endangered whales return to the warmer waters off the coast of northeast Florida to give birth and nurse their young. There are fewer than 350 right whales left. 

The festival features family-friendly education, marine exhibits, animal ‘ambassadors,’ a beach clean-up, live music, kids activities, food, and more. Learn more about the event by visiting the festival website

Trunk or Treat

Marianna families: come one, come all to Chipola College! On October 31st from 4:30-6:30 pm, the college will be hosting a community Trunk or Treat around Indian Circle. Individuals of all ages are encouraged to show up in costume for a fun afternoon. 

Sykes Family Farm Crop Maze

Sykes Family Farms’ 9-acre corn maze is once again open for the spooky season! Located in Elkton, this crop maze has four phases. Guests are provided with a question-filled passport to help guide them through the maze. This year’s maze is a tribute to country legend Reba McEntire; expect some themed crop patterns and more! Admission to the crop maze also includes hayrides, duck races, pedal carts, corn popper, a chance to meet the farm animals, and the playground. The maze is open during daylight hours and after dark. Please note that guests entering the crop maze after dark must have at least one flashlight or glowstick per group. Learn more by visiting the Sykes Family Farm website. The crop maze will be open October 13-15, 20-22, and 27-29. 

Ghost Tours

Just in time for the spooky season, here are two options for ghost experiences in the Florida Panhandle. Both offer unique views of an areas haunted, historic past.

In Apalachicola, join a ghostly night tour of the downtown area. It’s a 90-minute tour lead by an experienced guide who uses ghost-hunting equipments. Select tour participants will be allowed to work the EMF detectors! If the macabe is more your speed, sign up for the “Ghost Stories and Poe” tour which is lead by a ghostly “Edgar Allen Poe” character; he retells local lore and paranormal investigations. The Ghost Tours are available throughout October while the “Ghost Stories and Poe” tour is available only on Oct. 13, 14, 27 and 28. Visit the ghost tour website HERE to secure your spot or learn more.

Milton’s Ghost Walk, held annually on October 21-22, regularly attracts more than two thousand people! The city’s Halloween ghost walks explore Milton’s eerie past via community ‘ghosts.’ The tour leaves every 15 minutes starting at 6pm each evening. Come out to learn about the scary history of this small town. Be sure to bring a sweater as temperatures are expected to dip into the 60s or below. Learn more by visiting the event listing HERE

Sunland Center Fall Festival

Sunland Center’s 42nd Annual Fall Festival is less than a month away! Held on the historic grounds of the Sunland Center in Marianna, this festival features over 100 vendors offering a variety of food, crafts, arts, and activities. There will also be live entertainment, food trucks, and a parade. Best of all? The event is FREE to enter. Be sure to bring cash and card for vendors and food. So come out on October 28th from 9am-2pm and get ahead on your holiday shopping with a family-friendly fall afternoon! 

Interested in snagging a booth rental? Contact Onna Lipford (850-482-9371) or James Godwin, Jr. (850-557-0911). Parade inquiries should be directed to Chris Weeks at 850-482-9372.