Good times ahead: Farm fun for kids, bar hops for grown-ups this holiday weekend in Lake
Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
The big day is almost here, but events are happening all the way up to Christmas Eve eve.
From bar crawls and fun on the farm to partying in The Villages, there's fun for all ages this weekend.
FRIDAY
Bar crawls in Tavares, Mount Dora
Downtown Tavares will be overtaken by revelers in ugly holiday sweaters, onesies and Santa suits during a bar crawl up and down Ruby Street from 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday. Armbands are $5 and include drink specials and prize drawings.
Meet up for Drink Up Grinches Downtown Tavares Christmas Crawl at Nautilus Coffee Company, 130 W. Ruby St., Tavares, then set off to the Argonaut Bar & Lounge; Hemingway's Cigar, Beer and Wine Bar; The Dog House; Puddle Jumpers; Tiki West and Lake Dora Courtyard. Drink specials will be featured at each location along with giveaways and live music. Details: Info@NautilusCoffee.com.
SATURDAY
Down the road in Mount Dora, you can indulge your holiday spirit with spirits, bar-hopping around with fellow partiers in Mount Dora's Tipsy Elf Bar Crawl. Holiday-themed cocktails, dancing and festive holiday tunes can be enjoyed at multiple downtown venues such as Copacabana, Maggie’s Attic, Pisces Rising, The Frog and Monkey, Wolf Branch Brewing Co., Magical Meat Boutique, Tremain Tavern, Lakeside Inn Waterside Bar, Shadrach's Pizza, the Handlebar, Serendipity, and Bubbles & Juice.
Meet-up will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Maggie's Attic, 237 W. Fourth Ave., Suite 4, Mount Dora. Organizers say proceeds will go to Lake Cares Food Pantry, and admission for drinkers ranges from $4 to $10 with souvenir cups available while in supply. Purchase tickets in advance on Eventbrite.
More: Most recent median home sales in Lake County down at $353,000
Light Up the Night holiday bike ride
Join Trek Bicycle Clermont for Light Up the Night, a family-friendly 5-mile trail ride to celebrate the holidays at 5:30 p.m on Saturday. Riders will dress up in holiday clothes, and the most festive wins a prize. After the ride, a gathering with cyclists at Suncreek Brewery, 790 W. Minneola Ave., will offer an opportunity for mingling, food and $1 off brews. Riders should wear helmet and bike lights. Details: facebook.com/TrekClermont.
FRIDAY & SATURDAY
Grinchmas Lunch on the Farm and more in Groveland
Bring the kids to what Lake Catherine Farms describes as an "interactive buffet lunch and meet and greet with the Grinch." Reservations are required for Grinchmas Lunch on the Farm, and it costs $19 for ages 3-9 and $24 for 10 and over. Tax and gratuity are included.
Lunch will include roast beef, chicken tenders, honey-glazed ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, the "Crumpit Christmas Cobbler and more. Grinch mocktails, Grinch cocktails, beer, wine and seltzer will also be available for purchase. Takes place at noon on Saturday at Lake Catherine Farms.
For holiday fun that's family-friendly in the evening hours, Lake Catherine Farms will host Santa’s Christmas Maze and Scavenger Hunt in Friday and Saturday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Take the kids to meet the jolly old guy in a red suit. Admission is $8 if purchased in advance. Walk-up price is $10 per person.
Grown-ups without kids can enjoy some holiday fun at night for Catherine’s Nightmare Before Christmas Forest, which will be open on Friday and Saturday night from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission to the Forest is $18 per person if purchased in advance. Walk-up price is $20 per person.
It all takes place at 5849 Lake Catherine Road, Groveland. Details: 352-551-4110,Info@lakecatherineblueberries.com
SATURDAY
Kenna Dee at the Bru Tap House
Sweet-voiced Kenna Dee will be wielding her guitar and formidable range at the Bru Tap House again this Saturday night. With formidable vocal range and a disarming stage presence, Kenna Saunders emerges from the background with a howling alto like Bonnie Raitt, a bluesy mezzo soprano like Janis Joplin and even, at times, a delicate lilting soprano on par with Olivia Newton-John or Karen Carpenter.
Saunders has the vocal chops and stage presence that silences the bar crowd and stop folks mid-chug. She's bluesy and melodic and covers a wide repertoire of styles at the Bru Tap House, 143 E. Main St., Tavares, from 7 to 10 p.m. Check out her sound at kennadee.com.
Scooter's Christmas Pajama Bash in The Villages
DJ Scooter coordinated an epic Halloween party a couple of months ago, so his Christmas party shouldn't disappoint, either. Folks will be dancing. Food vendors will be vending.
Before going, troll the clearance bins or the nether reaches of your chest of drawers for the tackiest Christmas pajamas and wear them to Scooter's Pajama Bash. Proceeds will go to the Humane Society of Lake County. The festivities run from 4 to 9 p.m. at Brownwood Paddock Square, 2705 Brownwood Blvd., The Villages. Details at thevillages.com/entertainment.
Check more ongoing/last-minute holiday events in our holiday season event guide at dailycommercial.com. Send information on events a few weeks in advance to news@dailycommercial.com.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: 8 fun things to do this holiday weekend in Lake County
