📜 A Few Reasons to Scroll Today:
Connect with Nature: How to NOT get Dengue Fever
Local Businesses: A new market in Oxford Exchange
Site Seeing: When Bayshore Blvd. will be closed
Hidden History: A 112-year record
Fun Things to Do: 3 outdoor markets
Worth the Drive: An epic day trip
Community Contributions: Your epic questions, answered
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Connect with Nature
How to NOT Get Dengue Fever in Tampa
On Sept. 24, Hillsborough County Commissioners declared a state of emergency for a Dengue Fever outbreak from mosquito bites in the Tampa Bay Area. The good news is they already sprayed to control mosquitos in South Tampa from MacDill Air Force Base to Gandy Boulevard on the night of Sept. 18, but the county further advises:
Residents can do their part as well by following the 3 Ds:
Dress in light-colored, long-sleeved clothing with closed-toed shoes.
Defend using an insect repellent with a CDC-recommended ingredient such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
Dump or cover standing water.
For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most reviewed and highly rated insect repellents on Amazon that contain at least one of the county’s recommended ingredients:
*Buying anything on Amazon through asterisked links may provide us with affiliate commission, which helps fund us to keep writing for you.
The county also recommends “light-colored, long-sleeved clothing with closed-toe shoes”. This is exactly what I’ve found works best while filming more than 300 sunsets over Tampa Bay, including extremely buggy ones. I wear this women’s light-colored, long-sleeved hoodie* because its extra-long sleeves with optional thumbholes cover half of your hands, the zipper almost reaches your chin, and the hood covers your head with an optional ponytail flap. It also provides UPF sun protection, so it’s great for any outdoor activity.
Countless times, people next to me spraying bug spray while wearing short sleeves get too many bites to tolerate, while this hoodie, pants, and closed-toe shoes allow me to stay out for the entire sunset! Women can choose from eight light colors from XS to XXL sizes. The same brand also makes several men’s versions* of light-colored, long-sleeved hoodies.
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Upcoming Natural Events
Notable Weather Changes: Right now is our first cold front of the season, plus no rain through Tuesday. Then we’ll get spotty thunderstorms every evening through at least Oct. 4.
Major Sky Events:
Watch the large, orange full Harvest Moon rise by going to Bayshore Blvd. and looking east on Sept. 26 at 7:16 PM.
A SpaceX Crew-13 launch to the ISS should be visible in our northeastern sky if they launch as scheduled on Oct. 1 at 11:10 AM.
Local Businesses
Businesses on the Move
Calore Club: after months of pop-up events, they have opened their own fitness studio at 202 N. Rome Ave.
Cheese Please / Bar Ten: the cheese shop, wine bar, and restaurant has closed and announced they are moving. However, they have not yet revealed their new location or reopening date.
Legends Guitars has opened at 3133 W. Kennedy Blvd., reviving a Tampa music store name that disappeared more than a decade ago.
Wright's Gourmet House is expanding in October with a new retail market and baked goods in the old Candle Pour space inside of Oxford Exchange.
➡️ Is your business opening, closing, moving, or renovating? Reply to this email for a chance to feature it.
Site Seeing
Traffic Changes
Bayshore Blvd.: there will be multiple road closures along Channelside and Bayshore Blvd. for the St. Jude Walk/Run on Sept. 26 from 6–10 AM.
Raymond James Stadium: expect heavy traffic around the Bucs vs. Vikings game on Sept. 27 at 4:05 PM.
Hidden History
This Week in Local History: Hurricane Helene
Two years ago on Sept. 26, Hurricane Helene hit us and forever changed many things. But this year, we have the most opposite scenario possible. There still has not been a single hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean by this date for the first time in 112 years. The cause? This year’s El Nino has also shattered temperature records. Tropical Storms Fay and Gonzalo are currently far out in the Atlantic and not a threat to Florida. But don’t dismantle your hurricane kit yet. The end of hurricane season is still 2 months away.
Fun Things to Do
The cooler fall weather means more outdoor events in South Tampa!
Sunshine Market: 50+ vendors and live music will be outside at Midtown Commons on Gramercy Lane on Sept. 26 from 10 AM–2 PM.
4th Sunday Morning Market: 70+ vendors, food trucks, and live music will be outside at Westshore Marina District on 4900 Bridge St. on Sept. 27 from 9 AM–1 PM.
Recovery Run & Reset: Go for a 5K run with three pace groups, then recover with a flow and cool-down led by a lululemon Ambassador. Afterwards, get a private lululemon shopping hour. Check in by the fountain in Hyde Park Village on Sept. 27 at 8 AM, ends at 11 AM.
Midnight Book Release Party: Rebecca Yarros' next dragon-filled book, “Threshing Day,” releases at midnight on Sept. 28. Oxford Exchange and Teabella Tea Company are hosting a costumes-encouraged party from 10 PM–midnight. Buy tickets on their website.
Build a Film & “From Script to Cannes in 7 Months” Workshop: Learn how local filmmakers went from script to Cannes in seven months. Hosted by Sunscreen Film Festival, Film Tampa Bay, and the University of Tampa on Sept. 29 from 6:30–8 PM at the Ferman Center for the Arts in Tampa. Admission is free.
Sunset Market: 50+ vendors, food trucks, and live music will be outside at Midtown Commons on Gramercy Lane on Oct. 1 from 6–10 PM.
➡️ Do you have a unique public event coming up? Reply to this email for a chance to feature it.
Worth the Drive
Day Trip: Universal’s Epic Universe
Entering the time portal to Epic Universe. (By Danielle Glick for The South Tampa Scroll).
Did you know the least crowded time of year to visit Orlando’s theme parks is any weekday in September after Labor Day? Weekdays in October are pretty great, too, especially if you pick a cooler weather day. October weekends can get more traffic for special Halloween events, but these are concentrated in certain parks; the other parks are still low-traffic.
I investigated this in person last week at Epic Universe and last Sept. at Animal Kingdom, and I can confirm it isn’t crowded! Even though Epic Universe opened only a year ago, the wait times were short enough to ride every ride in one day without an express pass— if you pay attention to current wait times in their app.
The catch with going anywhere touristy during its slow season is that sometimes things are closed for maintenance or renovations. I happened to go when Epic’s dragon show was closed for a whole week. And more than one attraction was closed at Animal Kingdom when I went on a Sunday last Sept. But you can’t do everything in one day anyway, so it’s still worth going!
Roundtrip time away from South Tampa: a full day.
Foodie Finds in Epic Universe
Quiche Lorraine at the Café L’air De La Sirène™ in Epic Universe. (By Danielle Glick for The South Tampa Scroll).
I was impressed by the menus at Epic Universe for not focusing on mass-appeal, kid-friendly, or fried foods— not just in their fancy sit-down restaurants, but everywhere! For example, I got a housemade salmon burger on a pumpernickel bun in a quick serve restaurant in the middle of the dragon universe. To put into perspective how adventurous that is for a theme park: how many restaurants in South Tampa offer pumpernickel, or salmon burgers?
I was most blown away by the Quiche Lorraine in the Paris Wizarding World at the Café L’air De La Sirène™. This quiche is so excellent, it could be served in any high quality French restaurant, like South Tampa’s Bar Terroir. Its bacon and egg custard is light and fluffy, like a soufflé. This texture contrasts with the flakey pie crust and silky Mornay sauce. An arugula (not iceburg!) side salad lightly tossed in olive oil and vinegar balances the rich quiche. This is possibly the most flavorful, real food I’ve eaten inside of any Florida amusement park. (Not counting the Disney and Universal-owned restaurants outside of their theme parks.)
Nearby Events
XINSURANCE Clearwater Offshore Nationals: Watch specialty powerboats race along Clearwater Beach now–Sept. 27 for free.
Raprager Farms Fall Festival: Pumpkins, hayrides, a petting zoo, mechanical bull, fall food, craft vendors, live music, and evening haunted farm activities on weekends from now through November in Odessa.
Tampa Bay Boat Show: the area's largest boating event with free admission and $10 parking if you buy online. Sept. 25–27 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.
2026 Tampa Bay Debris Derby: compete as a team or an individual in a Tampa Bay trash collection tournament to win prizes. Hosted by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program on Sept. 26 from 8:30 AM–2:30 PM at E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin.
Beats on the Street: a free block party with over 25 live bands and a silent disco. Bar proceeds benefit Recycled Tunes. Sept. 26 from 3–9 PM at 971 Water Street in downtown Tampa.
Plant City Oktoberfest 2026: Historic Downtown Plant City fills with German food, biergartens, live music, vendors, and games on Sept. 26 from 3–10 PM.
Sake Block: possibly the nation's first sake tasting and ceramics festival, with 10 sake vendors, live jazz, and live pottery firing. Hosted at the Morean Center for Clay Event Space on Oct. 1 from 6–11 PM in St. Petersburg. Buy tickets on their website.
The Haunting: a Halloween pop-up bar at Strandhill Public (309 W. Palm Ave. in Tampa) on Oct. 1–31.
Community Contributions
Cast Your Vote
➡️ Would you like to learn more about visiting Epic Universe in a future edition? Please reply to let us know either way. If yes, what questions or aspects would you like us to cover? We have so many thoughts from our visit, please help us focus on what you’re interested in!
Results of our previous poll:
We asked “When do you feel fall actually begins in Tampa?”, and the results were the first morning below 70ºF, which was today— depending on which South Tampa weather station you check!
Neighborhood Roast of the Week
Westshore: Where everything is conveniently nearby, yet takes 20 minutes to reach.
➡️ A.I. came up with the joke, and a human refined the wording. How’d it do?
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Your Local Writer & Founder: Danielle is a lover of food, craft cocktails, wine, travel, nature, and history. After living in Ohio, Dallas, New Zealand, and 37 countries as a digital nomad, Danielle decided South Tampa was the best place to settle in 2022. She blends a world’s worth of experiences with local expertise as a Meetup event organizer and marketing director to ensure The Scroll is always worth your read!