Check Out the Latest Offerings and Happenings on Florida’s Sports Coast! Life’s a game, and you’ll never run out of ways to play it on Florida’s Sports Coast. Our destination is growing so quickly, it pays to check back often to stay in the loop about everything new that’s happening – from restaurant openings to major events on the near horizon. Here’s what you can look forward to in the latter half of 2025.
It’s fair to say that Emberwood Manor is not your garden-variety bed-and-breakfast. For starters, it serves not only a complimentary morning meal but also dinner — a private dining experience at Chef’s Table or a candlelit dinner under the stars. The chef-driven cuisine emphasizes local, seasonal ingredients. (Lunch, available by advanced reservation, offers light fare served in the dining room or as a gourmet picnic basket.)
The B&B’s five lodging spaces include rooms, suites and a standalone cottage. Each combines a refined feel with Old Florida charm. And unlike most B&Bs, Emberwood Manor is nestled within a working farm less than two miles west of downtown Dade City. You’ll want to stroll through the lush gardens — they’re quite something to behold.
The food-hall concept is all the rage these days, and Florida’s Sports Coast is getting on board in an unforgettable way. The Collective, the Sports Coast’s first ever food hall, encompasses an 18,000-square-foot indoor space with six locally owned food vendors that serve everything from tacos (Gallito Tacqueria) to donuts (Florida Donut Co.) The Collective is an offshoot of the adjacent Escape Brewing Company, which has expanded its taproom. The complex, located in Trinity, also features a large outdoor beer garden with lawn games and other fun activities. Events include live music on weekends, trivia nights, family movie nights and craft workshops, plus Bends & Brews, which combines yoga and beer.
This locally owned brewery did not waste time expanding. It opened as a small craft brewery and taproom in Land O’ Lakes in spring 2023, and just 18 months later added a larger space — formerly occupied by another brewery — to the west in Odessa. The new Thirsty Buffalo Brew Factory has been fully renovated. It features a dozen rotating taps of house-brewed beers, an extensive menu of pub-style eats and a full slate of events that includes trivia nights, movie watch parties and even a book club. The new location is yet another example of the growing craft beer scene on Florida’s Sports Coast.
Here’s an interesting idea that might at first seem counterintuitive: a microbrewery and lounge with a library theme. That’s Athenaeum Brew Lounge, located in the heart of downtown Dade City. It features a rotating tap list of literary-inspired beers like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Booktober and Jack Pumpkinhead. The decor includes bookshelves, a small, curated library, reading nooks and a communal space for trivia, story nights and relaxed socials. The place, which goes by ABL, isn’t rowdy, but it’s okay to make a little noise. They’re bartenders, not librarians — and they won’t shoosh you.
• Tallo, which officially opened on May 15, 2025, specializes in American-Caribbean cuisine that blends flavors from Puerto Rico, Cuba and Dominican Republic, along with burgers, pasta, seafood dishes, flatbreads, and more. The ambience is upscale but relaxed. The restaurant also has a creative, Island-influenced cocktail menu, with offerings like Limbo Lemonade, the Tourista and the Tallo Sour.
• Andy’s Frozen Custard, part of a chain with 150 locations, had a grand opening in Lutz in May, 2025. The store serves thick, creamy frozen-custard scoops, sundaes, shakes, floats and more. The vibrantly colorful place has drive-thru and walk-up service.
• The third Dave’s Hot Chicken on Florida’s Sports Coast opened in mid-April in Odessa. The restaurant serves Nashville-style hot chicken — with seven spice levels, culminating with the ominously named “Reaper.” You can get tenders, sliders, bites and sandwiches, with sides like seasoned fries, mac & cheese and kale slaw.
Get your jump-scares in early this year! Scream-a-Geddon Horror Park opens on weekends beginning in late August and gradually expands its schedule until it goes to seven days a week in October. Situated on 60 acres of forested land in Dade City, the independently owned attraction opens the coffin for this year’s blood-curdling gauntlet, which includes Kilgore’s 3D Circus, Ravenhill Asylum, Bloodwater Bayou, Demon’s Revenge, Breach, and Zombie Paintball Assault. Visitors can also ghoul-out at Bonzo’s Beer Garden and the Monster Midway.
Motorcycle enthusiasts rumble into New Port Richey to show off their gleaming machines, admire others, and compete in 20 different bike show categories. Downtown streets are blocked off to traffic other than bikes and pedestrians, with rock, blues and country bands playing on two separate stages. It’s all sanctioned by the Chamber of Commerce and admission is free. This year’s Cotee River Bike Fest, the 20th annual, was rescheduled from January, so check the website or local listings before attending these October dates.
This gathering has nothing to do with insects, but rather bugs of the Volkswagen variety. And it’s not just Beetles, but also vans, vintage models and custom builds. Bug Jam is a celebration of all things VW, the largest event of its kind in the Southeast. Bug Jam routinely attracts more than 700 show cars, 150 vendors and 12,000 spectators. Even if you’re not a Volkswagen enthusiast, this car show should still be a gas. Admission is only $10 per day, $15 for both days, with children under 10 free.
The event begins the Florida’s Sports Coast Holiday season with the lighting of a 50-foot Christmas tree on Nov. 9. Over the following seven weeks, you can experience Symphony in Lights, a dazzling light display synchronized to Holiday music. There will also be live bands and solo artists, strolling characters like stilt-walkers and balloon artists, all leading up to Santa’s Arrival. Kids will enjoy rides down a 50-foot tubing slide. A Holiday Market will feature hand-crafted items, unique gifts and treats.
One of the jewels of Florida’s Sports Coast, SunWest Park sits on a 70-acre spring-fed lake that’s surrounded by a man-made, white sandy beach. The facility, located in Hudson, was severely impacted by two major hurricanes in 2024. Crews and machinery had to dredge out sediment from storm surge and replace it with 26 truckloads of fresh white sand, then reinstall the inflatable obstacle course, known as The Lift Adventure Park. Sunwest Park is up and splashing again, with paddleboard and kayak rentals, cable wakeboarding, sand volleyball and other activities that amount to a whole lot of wet-and-wild fun.
Here’s something to look forward to! Continuing Florida’s Sports Coast’s reputation as the land of lagoons, this state-of-the-art attraction will be the cornerstone of Angeline, a 6,200-acre planned community emphasizing wellness, which is underway north of Land O’ Lakes. The lagoon, when open, will feature crystalline waters and an array of features that allow guests to play and exercise. No completion date has been set, but it will certainly be another feather in the Sport Coast’s cap.
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