Play, stay, even study: A family golf-cation at Reunion Resort
My son Zack started playing golf over a year ago, but this summer after five weeks of golf camp and lessons from a pro, it was official: He’d caught the golf bug. From then on he wanted to spend more time on the course and the driving range. Reunion Resort in Orlando offered just that. Only […]
S is for Sports: Rays, Bucs, Bolts, Rowdies — they're baaack!
For the last several weeks, we’ve been teasing the content of this year’s A to Z Issue, a celebration of people and businesses who have been successfully riding the turbulent waves of change and offering service and hope to the community at large. The print edition is now arriving in local mailboxes, but if you can’t wait for […]
Hassle-free boating with Freedom Boat Club
With the gorgeous but hot-hot-hot weather we’ve been having of late, plus the need to social-distance, being out in the bay on a boat seems like the ideal outdoor activity. Boat dealers are reputedly extremely busy for those very reasons. But what if you don’t have a place to dock a boat, a vehicle to tow […]
Go ALL-IN: Fanatics, Inc.'s amazing celebrity sweepstakes to feed those in need
In the middle of March, Michael Rubin began to realize how bad the COVID-19 situation was getting and decided he needed to do something. As fate would have it, that same weekend Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania called him to ask for help in assisting with the production of masks and […]
Outdoor Adventures Are Still Possible, and Bill Jackson's is still open
Editor’s Note: The world we’re living in has changed drastically since we published our Great Outdoors issue last month. But Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure, which Eric Snider profiled for that issue, remains open 10-5 Monday-Saturday for takeaway shopping. While many of the in-store experiences described in Eric’s story (below) have been postponed for the […]
Mmmm…That's Good Bass: The growth of Bass Pro Shops (and yes, they're open)
Editor’s Note: The world we’re living in has changed drastically since we published our Great Outdoors issue last month. But the Bass Pro Shops store in Brandon, which Eric Snider wrote about for that issue, remains open, including special senior shopping hours on weekdays. While conditions may not be all as Eric described them in the […]
The LPGA in Tampa Bay: The Pelican Women's Championship moves to November
The 1-year-old Pelican Golf Club in Belleair was scheduled to have its big coming-out party next month as the host course for the Pelican Women’s Championship. The party’s been delayed a bit; due to safety concerns during the pandemic, the tournament has been rescheduled to Nov. 9-15. But no matter the date, this will be […]
Still Swinging: Golf stays the course in an uncertain time
Golf — it’s the last game standing. For the time being, of course. While basketball, softball, flag football, soccer, volleyball, tennis and pickleball players are all sidelined — or should be — golfers are still in the swing of things, with most courses open. Imagine being out in the open air on beautiful expanses of […]
Get Pedaling: It's a good time to buy a bicycle
The pandemic has kicked off a bicycling boom. Which makes perfect sense. People are yearning to get out of the house, breathe in real air. Gyms are closed. The weather’s good. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve cycled. Perhaps there’s a bike in the garage collecting rust. Leave the WD40 on the shelf — […]
Stand & Deliver: A newbie's first stand-up paddleboard experience
Editor’s Note: Resie Waechter wrote this story about her first experience with SUP for our Spring 2020 “Great Outdoors” issue, which went to press before the COVID-19 shutdowns. While Urban Kai is not offering group paddles at the moment, you can still rent a board and take it out onto the river — a very pleasant […]