Category: Food/Restaurants

Celebrate Ice Cream

Debbie Roney Smith on

Today is National Soft Ice Cream Day! This annual event celebrates ice cream and all the happy memories it has facilitated. Remember late-night ice cream runs with friends? Enjoying the first cone of the summer? The joy of dippin’ dots when visiting NASA? Ice cream pops up in the happiest of places. 

Ice cream wasn’t available to the general public until the 1800s thanks to the creation of ice houses and other cold storage constructions. Nowadays, it’s a lot easier to enjoy your favorite soft serve. Looking for a creamery to visit today in celebration? While you can find chain creameries such as Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queen almost anywhere, visiting locally-owned ice cream parlors is worthy of a special occasion. See the list below for some suggestions across the Florida Panhandle.

Tallahassee Beer Festival 2023

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The 5th annual Tallahassee Beer Festival is next Saturday, August 26th. Held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, the festival will run from 2-6pm. There will be over 100 homebrewers and breweries taking part in the Festival; they will feature over 300 different fermentations to sample. For those guests who don’t care for beer, there will be ciders, meads, sparking sodas, and wines available.

All guests will receive a souvenir-tasting glass. There will also be a Beer Mile; ambitious guests can register to take part in a one-mile race where participants drink a 12-ounce beer after each quarter-mile loop. All proceeds will benefit the United Partners for Human Services. Learn more by visiting the Festival website HERE. 

 

August Gardening

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August might seem like it’s too hot for planting but that’s not the case in the Florida Panhandle! Now is a good time to transplant a number of fall crops and start a variety of seeds. Transplant beets, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, kale, peppers, tomatoes, and tropical spinaches. As for seeds, now is a good time to start lima beans, pole beans, carrots, cucumbers, onions, squashes, and turnips.

Coastal Cat Cafe

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Pensacola’s first and only cat cafe has officially found a location to set up; they anticipate opening sometime in 2023. Coastal Cat Cafe’s future physical adoption location will be 1508 W Garden Street. The owners aren’t sure when this year the location will open but are firm in their community goal “to collaborate with local city and county shelters to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome adoptable cats.” Keep up to date by CLICKING HERE to visit their Facebook. 

Wildflower Summer Shop-n-Sip

Debbie Roney Smith on

GypsyWillow is hosting a Wildflower Summer Shop-n-Sip event this Wednesday, July 26th. From 6-8pm, there will be poetry, shopping, flowers, and fun! There will be in-store specials, snacks, drinks, and special guests. Special guests include:

  • Nicky Holta, local intuitive and QHHT Practitioner
  • Britt Matthews Gonzalez, author of “We are All Wildflowers” poetry collection
  • Bohemian Funk, local creatives focusing on the beauty of the natural world

Learn more by visiting the event Facebook page HERE. 

Sip & Shop Market

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Southern Fields Brewery is hosting its first Sip & Shop Market this Sunday. The event kicks off with a  Pints and Paint at 2pm. The Market will run from 3-6pm. There will be beer, food, a waterslide for all ages, vendors, AND live music performed by Dylan Kelley starting at 4pm. Learn more by visiting the event’s Facebook page HERE. 

 

Pensacola Splash Fest

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The Pensacola Splash Fest is this Saturday! Come to the Community Maritime Park in Pensacola to enjoy the family-fun festival. There will be water slide bounce houses, a dunk tank, water-themed obstacle courses, and class slip-n-slides. But the fun doesn’t end when you get out of the water: the festival will also have food trucks, craft vendors, games, and a watermelon-eating competition. If you’d like unlimited water rides, you must purchase a wristband. Wristbands are $15 for adults or $5 for event entry only. Wristbands for children 17 and younger are $10; kids 5 and under get in for free. Learn more by visiting the Splash Fest website. 

 

4th of July Celebration in Greenwood

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Dellwood Baptist Church in Greenwood is hosting a 4th of July Celebration on July 2nd! The focus of their celebration is on faith, family, and fireworks. The Celebration is FREE and will feature hamburgers, hotdogs, live music, yard games, shaved ice, and a fireworks display. The event starts at 6pm and lasts until after dark. Come out for a fun night!

Fireworks Extravaganza

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El Bethel Church is hosting its Annual Celebrate America Fireworks Extravaganza this coming weekend. Come out to Sneads Park on July 2nd from 6pm to dark for an evening of fun celebration. There will be free food, a free concert at 7pm, and fireworks at dark!

Bay Point Billfish Open

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The Bay Point Billfish Open starts this Wednesday, June 28th. The total prize money is expected to exceed $1 million this year. The payout for the largest blue marlin caught is expected to be $75,000 for first prize. There will also be Catch and Release categories for all billfish species. The fishing competition will also include live music, food and drink, an in-water boat show, and marina parties. Visit Point South Marina in Panama City Beach from June 28th to July 1st! Visit the event website here to learn more!