Daily, 7am to sunset (closed the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day)
Florida Botanical Gardens · Largo
Pinellas County's botanical garden in Largo covers 150 acres of formal gardens, scenic landscapes and native habitats. Admission is free and it's open daily from 7am to sunset. Leashed pets are welcome. Entrances on Ulmerton Road and Walsingham Road.
Mon–Fri 10am–5pm (Thu until 8pm), Sat 1–4pm; closed Sundays and USF holidays
USF Contemporary Art Museum · Tampa
PICTURE(SQUE): Ellen Harvey Works, 1999–2025 fills USF's Contemporary Art Museum with four bodies of work, including The Disappointed Tourist (300-plus paintings of places that no longer exist) and a 100-foot painting of Florida. The exhibition and its events are free and open to all.
Feeding Tampa Bay navigators help you apply for SNAP (food stamps) and other benefits, free and confidential, walk-in or by appointment, at the Causeway Center in Tampa. They also connect people to food assistance, family services and financial assistance, and can help by phone in any language.
Preserve daily 7am–sunset; center Thu–Sat 9am–4pm, Sun 11am–4pm
Weedon Island Preserve · St. Petersburg
A 3,195-acre coastal preserve on Tampa Bay with boardwalks and trails, well known for birding and fishing, and a Cultural & Natural History Center with hands-on exhibits about the area's ecosystems and the Indigenous peoples who lived here for thousands of years. The preserve is open daily from 7am to sunset; the center is open Thursday to Saturday 9am–4pm and Sunday 11am–4pm. Guided hikes and birding tours run too.
Preserve daily 7am–sunset; center Thu–Sat 9am–4pm, Sun 11am–4pm
Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center · Tampa
Pinellas County's largest natural area, about 8,700 acres of forested wetlands and pine flatwoods near Tarpon Springs, with boardwalks, hiking and horse trails and an Environmental Education Center with exhibits. Free admission (donations welcome). The preserve is open daily 7am to sunset; the center is open Thursday to Sunday.
A free one-hour outdoor circuit workout led by a fitness professional, every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30am at the FitLot in Booker Creek Park. Good for people starting or restarting a fitness routine; all ages and abilities.
USF Graphicstudio shows Jim Dine: Swaying in the Florida Night, a survey of the prints and sculpture editions the artist made at the studio from 1973 to 1989. Free and open to all, weekdays 10am to 5pm.
The MFA's global collection spans 5,000 years, from ancient Greek and Roman art to Monet, O'Keeffe and Kehinde Wiley, plus one of the Southeast's biggest photography collections. Admission is free with a SNAP EBT card (Museums for All) and always free for kids 6 and under. Docent tours run Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.
Verified Oct 27 · mfastpete.org
Catch: Only for: SNAP EBT cardholders (show card) and children 6 and under
Fridays, 7–11pm (dates listed Oct 30 – Dec 18; none Nov 27)
Horizon West Bay · Largo
Kick off the weekend with free live music on the new stage at Horizon West Bay in downtown Largo, Fridays from 7 to 11pm, with a rotating food truck. Bring blankets or chairs; leashed pets welcome. Free parking in the on-site garage, entering from 1st Avenue NW.
Learn the basics of starting your own hive, including equipment, hive setup, bee care and best practices, in a free adult class at the Lutz Branch Library. Perfect for anyone thinking about becoming a beekeeper.
A free all-levels outdoor yoga class run by the city's Get Fit St. Pete program on the first Saturday of each month, 9 to 10am. Meet on the northeast side of Crescent Lake Park on Fifth St. N. You sign in with a free Get Fit membership, online ahead of time or at the park.
Verified Oct 27 · stpeteparksrec.org
Catch: Free Get Fit St. Pete membership sign-up required
Rock the Park is a free monthly concert series showcasing local bands of all genres at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park on the Riverwalk, produced by the Tampa Downtown Partnership and Brokenmold Entertainment for more than 15 years. The organizer's page gives both 6pm and 6:30pm as the start, so arrive by 6.
USF's Contemporary Art Museum screens Man on Wire, the documentary about Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers, outdoors on the museum lawn at 7pm. Bring a blanket or lawn chair; the museum provides pre-movie refreshments.
Pinellas County Consumer Protection hosts a free shred event for Fraud Awareness Week at East Lake High School, 9 to 11am or until the truck is full. Bring up to 3 boxes or bags per vehicle. The Sheriff's Office also collects unused or unwanted medication.
Verified Oct 27 · pinellas.gov
Catch: Only for: Pinellas County residents · Limit 3 boxes or bags per vehicle; ends early if the truck fills
An evening of free live music from The Smartest Monkeys at the Largo Golf Course breezeway, with Two Grandma's Soul Food selling dinner. The series returns Dec. 18 and monthly into spring.
Another free Fraud Awareness Week shred event from Pinellas County Consumer Protection, this time at the Gulfport Senior Center, 9 to 11am or until the truck is full. Up to 3 boxes or bags per vehicle; Gulfport Police collect unused medication.
Verified Oct 27 · pinellas.gov
Catch: Only for: Pinellas County residents · Limit 3 boxes or bags per vehicle; ends early if the truck fills
The Florida Botanical Gardens turns into a walk-through winter wonderland with over a million lights, laser projections and live entertainment every night. No tickets needed: walk up any night from 5:30 to 9:30pm. A $10 donation per person over 12 is suggested at the gate; it's a suggestion, not an entry fee. Parking is free at two lots, and leashed pets are welcome.
North Straub, South Straub and Pioneer parks and the St. Pete Pier · St. Petersburg
Thousands of holiday lights and decorations fill North Straub Park, South Straub Park, Pioneer Park and the St. Pete Pier from Thanksgiving weekend through New Year's Day. Stroll the waterfront any evening.
President Barack Obama Main Library, Create to Innovate Lab · St. Petersburg
An adult workshop in the Main Library's Create to Innovate Lab: learn to carve small stamps from erasers with linoleum cutters, then use them to print custom wrapping paper. Registration opens Nov. 17 at 6pm.
The last 2026 date of Rock the Park, the free first-Thursday concert series at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park on the Tampa Riverwalk. Local bands of all genres. The organizer's page gives both 6pm and 6:30pm as the start, so arrive by 6.
President Barack Obama Main Library, Create to Innovate Lab · St. Petersburg
Make your own holiday greeting cards with a variety of mediums and materials in the Main Library's Create to Innovate Lab. Registration opens Nov. 24 at 6pm.
Maker spaces across three floors of Clearwater's Main Library: a laser engraving station, sewing and Cricut stations, digitization equipment, art instruction and woodworking classes, plus drop-in sessions and personal training. The studios are free and open to the public, and you don't need a library card. Some stations are reserved online; ask about material costs for 3D printing.
A free weekly yoga class hosted by the Clearwater Y In Motion on The Green, the big lawn at downtown Clearwater's Coachman Park, every Monday from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Parking is throughout downtown.
Clearwater Countryside Library and East Community Library
Pick up free vegetable, fruit, flower and herb seeds with your library card at the Clearwater Countryside Library and the Clearwater East Community Library. Take up to three packs at a time and nine a month, and keep them: nothing has to be returned.
Verified Oct 27 · myclearwaterlibrary.com
Catch: Clearwater library card required · Up to 3 packs at a time, 9 per month
ServicesFree (worth about $150)For people who qualify
Intake attorneys from Gulfcoast Legal Services, a nonprofit that provides free legal help, meet people for consultations at The Sunshine Center on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 1 to 4pm. Listed by Pinellas County's Justice Coordination office. Bring proof of income; call (727) 821-0726 ext. 132 to ask what help is available for your situation.
Verified Oct 27 · pinellas.gov
Catch: Only for: income under 250% of the poverty level, with proof (crime victims and people 60+ may qualify regardless) · Only for: residents of Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties
ServicesFree (worth about $50)For people who qualify
Gulfcoast Legal Services and St. Pete Free Clinic run a free monthly session to help people apply for their birth certificate: they prescreen eligibility, help fill out the application and answer questions on the spot. Last Tuesday of every month, 9am to 1pm. Useful if you need ID for a job, housing or benefits.
Verified Oct 27 · pinellas.gov
Catch: Applicants are prescreened for eligibility (Gulfcoast Legal generally requires income under 250% of the poverty level) · The certificate fee isn't covered on the page; ask
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