Weekend guide: Here are 10 fun things to do around Bradenton-Sarasota this weekend
Are you ready for the weekend? Us too.
If you don’t have plans yet, we’re here to help.
Here’s a hand-picked guide to fun times around Bradenton, Sarasota, Tampa Bay and beyond.
Are we missing a big event? Drop us a line at rballogg@bradenton.com.
Fun for everyone
Bradenton Farmers’ Market: It’s back! Stroll Old Main Street, stock up on fresh fruits and veggies, shop for crafts, listen to local live music, check out cooking demonstrations and more, every Saturday at the Bradenton Farmers’ Market.
Details: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. 400 12th St. W., Bradenton. Free.
Info: realizebradenton.com/farmers_market.
It’s pumpkin time: Fruitville Grove Farm Market’s 31st annual Pumpkin Festival features a free petting zoo, playground, live music, decorated photo spots and pie-eating and costume contests. Parking and admission also are free.
Activities in the $1-$10 range include pony rides, carriage rides, a wildflower maze, a kids fun zone and pumpkin painting.
Food trucks and food vendors will be on site every day of the festival.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in October. Fruitville Grove, 7410 Fruitville Road, Sarasota.
Info: fruitvillegrove.com.
▪ Hunsader’s 28th annual Pumpkin Festival offers crafts, live music, hayrides, pumpkin games, a corn maze, scarecrow displays, a petting zoo, train rides and more family-friendly activities.
There’s also a bounty of food and desserts to try, such as homemade ice cream and pumpkin pie.
Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 and 27. Hunsader Farms, 5500 County Road 675, Bradenton. Admission: $10. Children 10 and under: Free. Parking: $5.
Info: hunsaderfarms.com.
Free honey bee tour: Find out what it takes to produce delicious local honey during a free tour of the Sarasota Honey Company bee garden.
The tours include an introduction to beekeeping in Florida, agricultural history and a local honey tasting. If you like it, pick up a bottle to take home from the gift shop.
Private adult tours and field trips for kids are also available.
Details: 10:15 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Sarasota Honey Company, 2227 University Parkway, Sarasota. Free.
Info: sarasotahoney.com.
Night out
Oktoberfest fun: Corporate Ladder Brewing is celebrating Oktoberfest the right way with lots and lots of housemade lager.
The beers will be dispensed from traditional Czech side-pull taps, which allow for a beautiful, foamy pour.
Local food truck The Schnitzel Trailer will be on site serving up authentic German fare.
Anyone wearing Oktoberfest garb will get a free beer, the brewery says.
When: Noon-10 p.m. Sunday. Corporate Ladder Brewing, 4935 96th St. E., Palmetto.
Info: corporateladderbrewing.com.
At the museum
Discover the origins of mythic monsters: As it turns out, not all mythical creatures are a complete fantasy.
“Stories of mythical beings have been with us for thousands of years,” the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature says. “ ’Giants, Dragons & Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures’ traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most enduring mythic creatures.”
The exhibit includes interactive stations where visitors can build virtual dragons, create models of giant skeletons from mammoth bones and snap a photo with a fire-breather.
Details: Through Jan. 5, 2020. Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. $10-$19.
Info: bishopscience.org.
Theme park fun
Howl-O-Scream: It’s the scariest time of the year at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
The theme park’s after-hours Halloween spectacle returns this year with haunted trails and houses and roaming hordes of otherworldly ghouls.
The park is bringing back some old favorites for the event’s 20th year — plus plenty of new scares.
Details: 7:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, 10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa. $39.99 and up per night or $84.99 to get in all season.
Info: buschgardens.com/tampa/events/howl-o-scream.
Go outside
Nature escape: Rye Preserve in Parrish offers recreational trails through acres of peaceful scenery, including Florida ecosystems like pine scrub and oak hammock.
Bicycles are allowed on designated trails, and there are also prime spots for fishing, kayaking and canoeing, picnicking and wildlife viewing.
Tent camping sites are available on Friday and Saturday nights on a first-come, first-served basis.
Details: Open daily sunrise to sunset. 905 Rye Wilderness Trail, Parrish. Free. Camping fee is $20 per night plus tax.
Live music highlights
Boss Hawg Band at Joyland: The Boss Hawg Band brings “down home country, hard rock and southern-fried boogie sounds” to stages throughout Bradenton.
Details: 9:30 p.m. Friday-2 a.m. Saturday. Joyland Country Music Night Club, 5520 14th St. W., Bradenton. Cover: $5.
Info: joylandbradenton.com.
Kettle of Fish at Blue Rooster: The band is a local favorite that brings a “sonic smorgasbord of rock, reggae, blues and New Orleans soul.”
Details: 8-11 p.m. Saturday. Blue Rooster, 1525 Fourth St., Sarasota. $5.
Info: blueroostersrq.com.
Dr. Dave Band at Swordfish Grill and Tiki Bar: The Dr. Dave Band plays a high-energy blend of music that they describe as country-grass-rock.
Details: 5 p.m. Sunday. Swordfish Grill and Tiki Bar, 4628 119th St. W., Cortez. Info: swordfishgrillcortez.com.