One of Tampa’s biggest events, Tampa Riverfest, is back! The popular event is produced by the non-profit, Friends of the Riverwalk, and kicks off on Friday, May 3rd and continues through Saturday, May 4th. Taking place along the Riverwalk, there will be tons of family-friendly events showcasing Tampa’s cultural institutions, local music, and restaurants. Keep reading for all the details on what to eat, what to do, and more! The Food at Tampa Riverfest Friday night, May 3, at Riverfest kicks off with a night of live music, beer tents and food trucks at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Snag a wrist ..read more

The Great American Solar Eclipse will put on a celestial show on Monday, April 8, 2024, and you can celebrate this unique event with the kids at one of several solar eclipse watch parties in Tampa Bay. Even though we are not in the path of totality where the moon blocks the sun completely, we will still get a partial view and it’s something you don’t want to miss because it won’t happen again in the contiguous United States until 2044. Fun Fact: The Tampa Bay region will be within the totality of a solar eclipse in 2045. The eclipse will begin in Tampa Bay at about 1:43 pm, and peak at about 3 ..read more

A nationally recognized friendship coach and Tampa Bay resident spotlights female friendships in her new book. Friends are good for the soul. We feel it, and research proves it. “The number one thing that determines our overall well-being and life satisfaction is the quality of our relationships,” says Danielle Bayard Jackson, citing a Harvard University study on happiness. The former educator is now a friendship coach who focuses on women’s friendships. Her debut book, “Fighting For Our Friendships,” explains why these friendships are so deep, yet fragile, and provides tangible strategies to ..read more

When it comes to teaching kids how to read, Kaitlin Behn is an expert. However, despite many years of working hard as an elementary school educator, Behn found that many of students still struggled with learning to read. “What my kids needed was greater than what I was providing,” Behn says. “The literacy curriculum wasn’t cutting it. Then I heard about UFLI and I bought it with my own money. The results were unlike anything I’ve ever seen!” UFLI (which stands for University of Florida Literacy Institute) is literacy curriculum that was created by the University of Florida for teachers, by tea ..read more

Cookies and badges are sweet, but Girl Scouting encompasses more than Thin Mints and financial literacy badges. Girl Scouting is about the undergirding lessons, ones carried throughout a woman’s life. Tampa Bay houses the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, which spans eight counties and is one of the country’s fastest growing councils. GSWCF CEO Mary Pat King shares how Girl Scouts supports girls’ personal development and bay area communities. Lesson: Leadership King, also a Girl Scout mom, spent years working at national headquarters in Washington D.C. She assumed her role as chief executiv ..read more

Earth Day takes place on April 22 and is a day when we celebrate our planet and learn how to make it a better place. In addition to learning the different ways we can show Mother Earth some love at home, several events around town showcase how we can help our planet and also have fun. Check out our list of Earth Day events around Tampa Bay that the whole family can enjoy! Make sure to keep checking back as new events are added! Earth Day Events in Tampa Earth Expo at New World Tampa When: Saturday, April 6 from 3 pm-6 pm Where: 810 E. Skagway Ave., Tampa Presented by the City of Tampa’s “Food ..read more

The Florida Aquarium, world-renowned for its leadership in coral restoration and reproduction, officially opened a new 4,200-square-foot expansion of its Coral Conservation and Research Center at the Apollo Beach campus. During a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, dignitaries, partners and stakeholders from across the state joined the celebration, highlighting the Aquarium’s unwavering dedication to advancing critical coral conservation efforts. The Florida Aquarium’s innovative Coral Conservation Program has made international headlines with its reproductive breakthroughs, including: 2019: Spaw ..read more

When it comes to trying on clothes or finding a bra that actually does what it is supposed to do, many of us will agree that things aren’t the same after having children. Unfortunately, if something doesn’t fit or feel good, we move on to the next thing, leave a store empty-handed or return an entire online order in disappointment—over and over again. But not this mom. With a background in fashion and a passion for dressing women the right way, Christian Vorderbrueggen decided to create the next thing and end the cycle of disappointment with a maternity bra that combines comfort and beauty. Th ..read more

In a country where customer service and client experience are on the decline and the investment for AI solutions has replaced live conversation on company telephone lines, it is refreshing to find a local small business where the next generation wants to do better. If you’ve ever visited Elite Body Cryotherapy in St. Petersburg, you may know Daniel. At five years old, Daniel is inherently drawn to connection, he doesn’t shy away from conversation, and he seeks ways to be helpful in his family business. He is a joy to all who are greeted by his smile, a friend to the members who frequent this b ..read more

As parents, we sometimes struggle to find books that our children are interested in reading. When my son was younger, I would pick out books that I wanted to read to him. Now that he is older, he is becoming more opinionated about what he wants to read. The best course of action is to allow him to pick out the books he wants to read. Whenever we visited a Hillsborough County Public Library (HCPLC) branch, we headed to the children’s section so he could look through the books on the shelves and decide what books he was interested in reading. As my son grew up, and the stack of books he wanted k ..read more