Looking for fun events? Top 5 things to do around Tallahassee
You may have heard the Word. It's the 10th year for the Word of South festival of literature and music, which blasts off with the Flaming Lips at Cascades Park on Friday.
The festival continues all weekend with 50 events and more than 100 authors and musicians arriving from all parts of the South. Performers include Rising Appalachia, Blind Boys of Alabama, cookbook author Kelsey Barnard and a taste of P-Funk history with author Daniel Bedrosian and George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars.
Need fresh air and bright sails? Head down to the Shell Point Regatta for the weekend races at Shell Point. Are flowers your thing? Take in a sweet tradition at the Thomasville Rose Show & Festival, which has been going strong for 103 years!
It's time to flip the calendar on Wednesday, May 1, when the Indigo Girls bring "Closer to Fine" and more to Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.
Here's a roundup of entertaining events around Tallahassee, culled from emails, the Council on Culture & Arts online listings and elsewhere.
Reading: Listen in to live podcast with authors at 2024 Word of South
All that jazz: Feel the rhythm as Latin and Cuban jazz take an energetic spin at Word of South
1. Sail down for Stephen C. Smith Memorial Regatta
The Regatta starts its second half-century April 26-28 with the 51st event at Shell Point Beach. For the past 50 years, the Stephen C. Smith Memorial Regatta has been held in southern Wakulla County for the benefit of the American Cancer Society in memory of Stephen Smith, a local sailor who died from a rare form of leukemia at the age of 29.
Racing starts at 11 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Come sail, watch, eat lunch at the Regatta grill and participate in the Sunday afternoon live auction beginning at 2 p.m. The Regatta draws more than 200 registered participants with hundreds more spectators from all over the southeast. The event includes races for PHRF yachts, catamarans such as Hobie Cats, smaller day sailors including Sunfish, and windsurfers which are the most numerous and arguably the most colorful participants in the Regatta. For complete schedule, visit smithregatta.com.
Bar hopping : Feeling landlocked? Head for five breezy beach bars near Tallahassee
2. Fun is bloomin' at Thomasville Rose Show & Festival
Held in historic Downtown Thomasville, the Rose Show & Festival has been a Southwest Georgia tradition since 1922. This year's festival runs Friday and Saturday, April 26-27, with various events running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days.
103rd Annual Rose Show runs from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday at Remington Avenue at Broad Street, Under the Tent, Downtown Thomasville. The big Rose Parade makes a splash at 7 p.m. Friday, followed by a street dance. Check out the roses and orchids, the festival market and other exhibits. Over the years, flower shows, entertainment, an artisan market, an antique car show, a parade, and much more have been added to create the community celebration. Visit thomasvillega.com.
3. Rock it with the Indigo Girls
Released in 1989, Indigo Girls’ eponymous major label debut sold over 2 million copies under the power of singles “Closer to Fine” and “Kid Fears” and turned Indigo Girls into one of the most successful folk duos in history. They land at Florida State's Opening Nights for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Tickets are $65-$50. Visit openingnights.fsu.edu.
Over a 35-year career that began in clubs around their native Atlanta, the multi-Grammy-winning duo of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray has recorded 16 studio albums, sold over 15 million records, and built a dedicated, enduring following across the globe. Committed activists, they work on issues like immigration reform LGBTQ advocacy, education, death penalty reform, and Native American rights.
4. Taste of Tallahassee: Good food for a good cause
Children’s Home Society of Florida is reviving an old Tallahassee favorite — the Chefs’ Sampler — with a new name. The first Chefs’ Taste of Home will tour downtown Tallahassee from 1-5 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Epicurean aficionados can participate in the finest, local cuisine, artfully paired libations, and a downtown walkabout around the area’s most historic homes.
Guests will set off on a guided tour of five beautiful downtown homes where they will enjoy an artfully curated signature dish from an esteemed chef with wine pairings at each stop. Featured chefs include: Chef Leon of Leon’s at Lake Ella, Chef Blake Shine of Hayward House, Chef Juan of Real Paella, Mom and Dad’s Restaurant and Seven Hills Hospitality Group. Tickets are $225. To purchase tickets visit chsfl.org or call 850-445-7874.
5. Tallahassee Civic Chorale Spring Concert
Tallahassee Civic Chorale celebrates the bicentennial with “Joy!” at its spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m., Turner Auditorium, Tallahassee Community College. The Chorale in partnership with the Capital Bells presents music that salutes Tallahassee’s natural beauty, history, arts, and academic excellence. Tickets — $13 for adults, $10, for seniors and students, and free to TCC students and faculty/staff — may be purchased in advance at civicchorale.org or at the door.
The Chorale offers an opportunity to serve the community through its various civic activities. To join for the summer 2024 concert, The Colors We Sing, June 28, go to civicchorale.org.
Bonus event: Sankofa presents Legends of Funk, Jazz & Soul
Tallahassee St. Maarten Foundation presents the 5th Sankofa Concert: Legends of Funk, Jazz and Soul at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Tallahassee Nights Life Center, 1533 S. Monroe St., featuring musical artists Lili Forbes, Kendra Foster, and Cody ChesnuTT. The Tallahassee St. Maarten Foundation will be celebrating 25 years of its Sister City relationship with Tallahassee. This is also Tallahassee's Bicentennial Year, a fitting time to kick off its 25-year celebration by honoring the local and international legends of Funk, Jazz and Soul. Tickets are $20, available at the door.
Bonus event: Tallahassee Community Chorus signs out with Nelson Mass
The Tallahassee Community Chorus will present an afternoon of song as they close their season with “Nelson Mass” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28, in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Tickets are $25 adults; $20 seniors; (62+); $10 students. The chorus closes its 36th concert season with F. Joseph Haydn’s “greatest single composition,” Missa in Angustiis, or “Mass for Troubled Times.” The piece is most popularly known as the “Lord Nelson Mass,” for Lord Horatio Nelson, after the British defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Nile.
OTHER EVENTS
Blue Tavern: Everett Young kicks off happy hour from 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Blue Tavern, 1206 N. Monroe St., followed by Grateful Dead Night from 8-11 p.m. Experience 3 hours of music with 2 bands with Lee C. Payton and Hot Tamale playing your favorite Grateful Dead songs plus a few surprises. $10 cover. The 4th Saturday Old Time Jam gets fiddlin' from 4-6 p.m., that's followed with a double header featuring Saylor Dollar at 7 p.m. and Once Great Estate at 9 p.m. The full Saylor Dollar band is making its debut at Blue Tavern. Once Great Estate will be sharing songs and stories from their new album. $10 cover. Tuesday, 5-7 p.m.: Shape Note Singing, followed at 8 p.m. by Tuesday Bluesday with Belmont & Jones. $5 cover. Wednesday, 5-7 p.m.: Kenny Hill Band, followed at 8 p.m. by Open Mic Night. Thursday, 5-7 p.m.: Brambles Bluegrass Jam, followed at 8 p.m. by Music of the Spheres, with Brazilian samba, funk & more with Grupo Jaragua.
Great Oaks Pub at Southwood: A House Rockin’ Party featuring the high energy sound of Brett Wellman and the Stone Cold Blues Band performs from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, Great Oaks Pub , 3750 Grove Park Drive. The group includes the driving beat of Brett’s guitar along with Harp, Saxophone, Bass and Drums. Call 850-942-4653 for reservations.
House of Music: Tallahassee City Limits: Songwriter Sessions with Maurice Mangum at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at House of Music, 2011 S. Monroe St. $15 cover.
Irish Repertory Theater: The Tallahassee premiere of award-winning Irish playwright Elaine Murphy's comedy "Shush." IRT's production stars Erika Stone, Tiffany Underwood, and Marlene DuBois. "Shush" is being presented at 8 p.m. May 2-4 and May 10 and 12 at Goodwood Museum, 1600 Miccosukee Road. Visit tallahasseeirishrep.com.
Tallahassee Garden Club: The Tallahassee Garden Club presents the annual Spring Plant Extravaganza and Flower Show, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 27, on the grounds of the Historic Rutgers House at 507 North Calhoun Street! There will be loads of fun for kids of all ages.
Tallahassee Winds: Tallahassee Winds will perform their final concert of the 2023/2024 season at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 30. Graduate conductor Andrew Hardy-Moore will join Drs. Patrick Dunnigan and David Plack on the podium. The free concert will be held at Opperman Music Hall on FSU campus. For this "musician's choice" concert, band members had the opportunity to nominate some of their favorite pieces from the wind band repertoire to the conductors, who developed the program from these nominations.
Have an event coming up? Email details to [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Top 5 fun things to do around Tallahassee this weekend
