Just like riding a bike 🚴🏻‍♂️

Bike better in Tampa Bay

It’s legal to pedal on the sidewalks as long as you let pedestrians pass by. | Photo by TBAYtoday

Cycling improves both your health and the planet’s, but biking can sometimes be tricky if you don’t know where you can ride safely or if you don’t have the right gear.

Here’s the lowdown on making every trip a joy in Tampa Bay:

Take these trails

The Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail | 47 miles
This Pinellas County trail is a hotbed for commuters trying to get to work instead of using a motor vehicle. The trail stretches from Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg, passing through Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Belleair, Clearwater, Largo, Seminole, South Pasadena, and Gulfport.

The Courtney Campbell Trail | 10.5 miles
Looking to get from Pinellas to Hillsborough? This trail lets you cruise alongside the scenic Courtney Campbell Causeway over Old Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Riverwalk | 2.6 miles
Ride along the Hillsborough River and pass through some of Tampa’s most iconic spots: Armature Works, The Tampa Museum of Art, and Amalie Arena. Plus, enjoy the small, shaded bench areas if you’re looking for an oasis from the sun.

Get this gear

The Problem: 🚶‍♀️You don’t own a bike
The Fix: Download the HOPR Transit app and find a ride at any of the Coast Bike Share Hubs around Tampa and St. Pete.

The Problem: 🎒 Lugging stuff around
The Fix: A better backpack. Tampa Bay Outfitters offers the Osprey Syncro 12, complete with a water reservoir — which is perfect for keeping you hydrated in the Florida sunshine.

The Problem: 🌧 Rain
The Fix: We highly recommend these clip-on mudguards to help deflect the water and keep your derrière dry.

Did we miss your favorite spot to bike? Please email us your favorite trails + gear.

More Wheelie Good Ideas

Click here to have your event featured.

Today, Jan. 20

St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show | Friday, Jan. 20-Sunday, Jan. 22 | Times vary | Plaza at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts, 500 Bayshore Dr. SE, St. Petersburg | $21 | This annual show has everything from fishing boats to luxury yachts.
Papadosio | Friday, Jan. 20 | 7 p.m. | Jannus Live, 200 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg | $21.50 | Jam out to the livetronica-jazz stylings of Papadosio.

Saturday, Jan. 21

Fun Fitness Bootcamp | Saturday, Jan. 21 | 9-10 a.m. | Family Park and Picnic Area, 600 2nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg | Free | Train all your muscle groups with this strength and agility class.
2023 Ashley Children’s Gasparilla Parade | Saturday, Jan. 21 | 3:30-6 p.m. | Bay to Bay and Bayshore boulevards, Tampa | Free | This family-friendly parade hosts hundreds of krewes, marching bands, dance groups, school performance teams, and more.

Sunday, Jan. 22

Tincture Making 101 | Sunday, Jan. 22 | 1 p.m. | Sweetwater Organic Community Farm, 6942 W. Comanche Ave., Tampa | $20 | Make your own natural first-aid kit out of roots and plants.
American Guild of Organists Choral Festival | Sunday, Jan. 22 | 6-8 p.m. | Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, 3501 San Jose St., Tampa | Free | Listen to works by Bach, Vivaldi, Brahms, and Mozart, sung by a mass choir accompanied by brass, organ, and piano.

Monday, Jan. 23

Movie on the Lawn | Monday, Jan. 23 | 7-8:45 p.m. | Armature Works, 1910 N. Ola Ave., Tampa | Free | Get your Gaspy costume on and bring your popcorn to watch “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Quality should never be a luxury

Two women wearing high-quality, neutral-colored cashmere sweaters sit on the beach together.

Quince delivers high-quality essentials at affordable prices, directly from the factory to you. | Photo by Quince

You deserve to have nice things. At Quince, you can treat yourself to the finer things in life. We’re talking 100% Mongolian cashmere, washable silk, Italian leather, 14K gold, European linen + more everyday luxuries — always up to 80% less than other brands, always with free shipping + returns for 365 days.

Plus, Quince partners with responsible factories around the world and bypasses the traditional retail middlemen, so you can sustainably elevate your life at affordable prices.*

SHOP

Weather

76º | Partly Cloudy | 20% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:22 a.m.
Set: 6:02 p.m.

Tides
Old Tampa Bay

High: 12:49 p.m. + 5:12 p.m.
Low: 9:04 a.m. + 7:19 p.m.

Clearwater Beach

High: 12:10 p.m. + 9:52 p.m.
Low: 4:48 a.m. + 3:55 p.m.

Development

The owner of the Oxford Exchange (420 West Kennedy Blvd., Tampa) acquired the former Kojak’s House of Ribs barbecue restaurant on Gandy Boulevard for $4.6 million. The new owner has not yet released plans for the property. 🍖 (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
St. Pete officials are allocating $1.95 million to upgrade and repair Williams Park’s bandshell (350 2nd Ave. N.). The project would bring the stage into Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and prepare the facility for a historic designation. ♿️ (St. Pete Catalyst)

Eat

Fire up the grill and welcome Hong BBQ + Hot Pot (5840 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa) to TBAY. The Asian eatery opened this week + offers an ultimate all-you-can-eat menu of meats, soup bases, seafood, and sides. The full experience (a boiling pot of broth and a built-in-to-the-table barbecue) costs around $36. 🍲 (That’s So Tampa)
Make tonight pizza night. GreenWise Organic Pizza is two for $12 at Publix GreenWise Market through Wednesday, Jan. 25. 🍕*

Closing

Pop Goes the Waffle is closing its brick-and-mortar restaurant (5004 Tangerine Ave. S., Gulfport) this Sunday, Jan. 22. The owner chalked it up to the cost of goods + inflation driving declining sales. However, the company will continue operating its waffle truck and wholesale division. 🧇 (St. Pete Patch)

History

Big John, the Guinness World Record holder for the World’s Largest Triceratops, is officially a TBAY resident. The Triceratop’s unveiling at Glazer Children’s Museum is Fri., May 26. The nearly 26-foot-long, 66 million-year-old Cretaceous king is estimated to be 5-10% larger than any other known triceratops. 🦕 (That’s So Tampa)

Ranked

No. 5. That’s where Tierra Verde ranked on TripAdvisor’s list of trending destinations to travel around the US. The boating community is known for its proximity to nature, quaint seaside resorts, and acclaimed seafood restaurants. Other cities, like Sonoma, California, and Juneau, Alaska ranked higher. (WTSP)

Plan Ahead

Keep an eagle eye on the 10th Annual Raptor Fest coming to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (101 Country Club Way S., St. Petersburg) Sat., Feb. 4. The festival includes educational programming, bird walks, vendors, and activities — like watching trained birds take to the skies. 🦅 (I Love the Burg)

Travel

Visit Tampa Bay is taking over the World Trade Center in New York for its most extensive out-of-state tourism marketing campaign yet. The campaign is also targeting Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, the UK, Germany, Mexico, and Latin America to bring new tourists to Tampa. (Travel Pulse)
Heading abroad in 2023? Babbel offers lesson plans for 12 different languages spoken throughout Europe (where 59% of our readers plan on traveling to in 2023). Prep for the trip of your dreams with bite-sized, 10-minute lessons that will help you learn the new language in as little as three weeks. 🌏 *

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

The Moxy Hotel makes moves 🏩

The Moxy Hotel moves forward in St. Petersburg 🏩

The Moxy Hotel’s framework will transform into an ultra-modern oasis. | Photo by TBAYtoday

You’ve got a lot of moxie, TBAY, but have you seen what’s going up in St. Pete’s Edge District?

The Moxy Hotel by Marriott (1234-1246 Central Ave.) is making quick headway.

As of this week, the last beam is officially in place atop the 163-key hotel — a tip of the hat to the St. Pete Catalyst for putting this on our radar.

The plan is way ahead of schedule, seven months to be exact, according to the developer, PTM Partners.

Right now, the construction of the cozy yet social stay should be completed in early 2024.

The latest plan for the lobby includes high ceilings, an open floor plan, and an entryway bar facing the main avenue. The plans also include 5,000 sqft of retail, and a three-story, 30,000 sqft adjacent building slated to become a food hall.

To keep up with Tampa and St. Pete’s ever-changing landscape, check out our 2023 developments roundup here.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Brad.

Editor’s pick: This wild Tampa Bay Times article caught my eye this morning. Apparently, 46 years ago this week it snowed in the Tampa Bay area. And even though people were actually able to make snow angels and throw snowballs — the weather actually caused a state of emergency. ☃️

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We rounded up a handful of spots to hone your pottery skills in Tampa Bay, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Brad Haft, Bailey LeFever, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Emily Shea, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Kailey Burke | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

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