It’s a jam-packed week ahead of us and the October weather is divine. Let’s dive in.

In partnership with Ashley Marbet Nuccio
St. Pete and Tampa Historic & Architectural Real Estate Specialist

St. Pete takes Halloween seriously, and picking the right neighborhood for trick-or-treating is key. Here are some spots to put on your radar.

Historic Old Northeast is the showstopper, though it's also the busiest, so go early. Alternatively, if you’re ok with crowds, you can give out candy at your house and head here a bit later to take in the sights!

Crescent Lake has the Halloween Fall Festival and Monster Mutt March leading up to Halloween, and Crescent Heights is known for jack-o'-lanterns glowing in the trees.

Greater Woodlawn brings the Woodlawn Weirdos display with tunnels you can walk through on Halloween night, and Historic Kenwood is a nice low-key pick, with a candy map from Historic Kenwood Kids.

Leslee Lake is a great spot for families. Along 26th Avenue N., from the lake heading east, the streets are very kid friendly and almost the whole neighborhood goes all out. A Loch Ness monster circles the lake all evening, and the crowds stay light enough that little ones are unlikely to get lost.

On the west side, Jungle Prada and Lake Pasadena Estates are also great options with great decorations and events in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

And, of course, if you fall in love with any neighborhood and hope to be decorating your own home there next year, reach out to Ashley to make it happen.

Spencer Caton started Fright This Way the way a lot of Old Northeast Halloween traditions start: walking the neighborhood with his two boys and keeping a list of the houses they liked best.

The list became a map. Fright This Way is a free site, no account needed, that shows Halloween displays across St. Pete and Pinellas. Each house lists what's out front and a spookiness rating of Friendly, Eerie or Spooky, so you can pick a route that suits the little ones or the brave ones. There's also an events tab and a neighborhood "Scareboard" that shows where the most displays have been listed.

It launched about a week ago with 39 houses. Spencer says it's now past 180 displays across 36 neighborhoods, with 40 Halloween events listed.

If you've got a display worth seeing, or know one that's missing, hit "Add a fright" on the site with an address and a spookiness level. Photos are welcome. Spencer reviews each submission before it goes on the map.

Try it at frightthisway.com.

The Rays are going to the World Series!

Tampa Bay beat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the ALCS on Monday night to win the American League pennant. It's the third trip to the Fall Classic in franchise history, after losses to the Phillies in 2008 and the Dodgers in 2020. The Rays have never won a title.

They'll face the Milwaukee Brewers, who won an MLB-best 103 games and swept the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. Milwaukee has home-field advantage, so the series opens there Friday, Oct. 23, with Game 2 on Saturday.

The action moves to Tropicana Field for Game 3 on Monday, Oct. 26 and Game 4 on Tuesday, Oct. 27. If needed, Game 5 is Wednesday, Oct. 28, back in St. Pete. Every game starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets aren’t cheap, with Trop games starting around $1,000 on resale sites, and a lot more in Milwaukee. Luckily, I’ve got a feeling there’ll be quite a few local bars where you can cheer on the home team with your neighbors.

Speaking of St. Pete’s winning ways, on Saturday night at Al Lang, a 1-0 win over Detroit City FC clinched the 2026 USL Championship Players' Shield, the trophy for the league's best regular season. A late Sebastian Cruz goal earned the club its second Shield.

It's a turnaround. The Rowdies missed the playoffs entirely last year. Under head coach Dominic Casciato, a largely new roster opened with four straight wins, went unbeaten through its first 12 games, and held the top spot most of the way. The Shield also means home-field advantage through the playoffs.

You can see them this Saturday, Oct. 24, at 7:30 PM for Fan Appreciation Night, the regular-season finale against Sporting Club Jacksonville. The first 1,000 fans get a free scarf, and there are fireworks after the match with any ticket. The Eastern Conference Quarterfinals start at Al Lang on Friday, Oct. 30.

Get tickets here.

Halloween on Central is back Sunday, October 25, from noon to 5 PM. Central Avenue closes to cars from MLK Jr. St. (9th St.) all the way to 31st St., nearly two miles, and fills up with food trucks, performers, local makers and dozens of candy stops. It's free, and 100,000+ people show up every year.

A few spots to plan around: the Voodoo Vendor Village has 100+ makers between 1600 and 2100 Central. Families should head to the Boo-Levard of Play on the 2600 and 2700 blocks, and there's a sensory area for neurodivergent and stimuli-sensitive kids at 2701 Central. Kooky Spooky in the Edge District will have a mix of everything. Grown-ups will find a beer garden at 23rd St. S., plus a football party at Ferg's for anyone who doesn’t want to miss the NFL slate.

Plus, bring the dog. Dog Bar's small dog races return for a sixth year on the 2300 block, with a fenced race track on Central. Races start at 1 PM, registration is open to the public, and the pet costume parade follows at 4 PM. In addition to Chihuahua, Dachshund, and Open Breed, there will be Corgi races this year!

The Rays are offering free parking at Tropicana Field, and the SunRunner is free all day. It also lands on a World Series off day, just in case. Bikes and scooters are welcome at 5 MPH.

Map and schedule here.

Tampa has marked one year of their FLIP program, which will pay up to $3,000 to swap your grass lawn for Florida-friendly plants. St. Pete doesn’t have a lawn rebate, but we do have free help.

The city is hosting free online workshops: Intro to Micro Irrigation (Oct. 30, noon), Rainwater Guardian (Nov. 3, 6 PM) and Landscape Design Basics (Nov. 17, 6 PM). Register at stpete.org/WaterWorkshops. Rebates on toilets and sprinkler upgrades are at tampabaywaterwise.org.

If you saw my yard, you’d know I’m a big fan of removing grass and installing a jungle!

🗳️ Two council seats are on the upcoming ballot: District 2 (Courtney Bermudez, Gabriel Hament) and District 6 (Trevor Mallory, Linsey Grove). At a League of Women Voters forum, Grove favored leaving Duke Energy and Mallory opposed it, while all four candidates oppose Amendment 3.

🤝 The city is taking applications for up to 20 MLK mini-grants of up to $2,500 each for events held January 9-24, 2027, with a deadline on October 28. Nonprofits, faith groups, schools, small businesses and grassroots groups can apply at stpete.org/MLKgrant.

🅿️ Council made the parking fine increases official Thursday, so expired meters will rise to $32.50.

🗳️ Amendment 3 on the November ballot cuts property taxes but impacts the budget. Before you vote, read the city's impact breakdown at stpete.org and the Property Appraiser's explainer at pcpao.gov/amendment3. Then check your own savings against your last tax bill's non-school millage.

Want to spread the word about your business, a project you’re working on, an exciting event, or just want to say hi to 12,000+ neighbors? Partner with us.

DINNER CLUB: This Thursday is sold out, but we have a classic all-ages dinner on Nov 19 that still has some open spots! Reserve your seat.

SUNNY SAVINGS: The Galley - Mon-Thu Happy Hour 3-6 PM. $5 Wells & Domestic Bottles | $6 St. Pete Local Drafts & House Wines | All snacks are available for just $7 during Happy Hour!

CATCH OF THE DAY: Adopt Billy the bird or Cinnamon the snake. See them here.

SUNNY CREWNECK: Florida fall is here! Bundle up!

LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Cocktail

FLIGHT DEAL: Tampa → Auckland, NZ. $883 next week (47% less than usual!) Last minute getaway anyone?

‘BURG ABODES: Magnolia Heights Bungalow $579,000 | 3 Beds 2 Baths | 1,150 sq ft. Charming 1950s bungalow packed with character and modern style.

A sampling of ten-ish fun things to do this week.

SUBMIT AN EVENT

Lida's Jungle is throwing a Fall Evening Market tomorrow night, Thursday, Oct. 22, from 6-9 PM at 3101 Dr. MLK St. N.

Select plants are 50% off all evening, and there will be rare plant raffles. Franca's Pizza is on site, a ceramic artist is doing a live demo, and pumpkin carving is $5. The flyer also lists local makers and music.

It's free, family friendly, and pets are welcome.

Decoupage Shell Earring Workshop with Salty Chicks | Coastal House Vintage | Oct 21, 7 PM | $40 🎟️
Create custom decoupage seashell statement earrings

Beer Garden Movie Nights | Green Bench Brewing Company | Oct 21, 7:30 PM | Free
Outdoor screening of Scary Movie 2

Art After Dark: T-Shirt Screen Printing Pop-Up | Museum of Fine Arts | Oct 22, 5 PM | $25 🎟️
After-hours galleries and screen-printing instruction included

Puzzle Panic at St. Pete Shuffle | St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club | Oct 22, 6-8 PM | $16 🎟️
Team up for mystery puzzle racing

Gilmore Girls Night | Green Bench Brewing Company | Oct 22, 6 PM | Free
Cozy episodes, shopping, sips, Stars Hollow

Propagation Magnet Workshop with Proppy | Coastal House Vintage | Oct 22, 7 PM | $30 🎟️
Learn propagation techniques and craft magnets

John's Pass Seafood Festival | John's Pass Village & Boardwalk | Oct 23-25, hours vary | Free
Fresh seafood, drinks, music, beach festival

Masquerade at The Henley | The Henley | Oct 23, 8 PM | $10 🎟️
Sultry costumes, cocktails, DJ, champagne, dancing

Cars & Coffee | Tampa Bay Automobile Museum | Oct 24, 8 AM | Free
All makes and models welcome here

20th Annual Autumn Harvest Festival | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | Oct 24, 10 AM-3 PM | $5 🎟️
Hayrides, music, pumpkins, vendors, family fun.

BADDIEWEEN: Spooky Day Party | Dirty Laundry | Oct 24, 1-6 PM | $11.11 🎟️
Vendors, costumes, cocktails, contest, spooky celebrations

St. Pete Costume Dog Parade | St. Pete Pier | Oct 24, 4-8 PM | Free
Costumed pups parade beside festive pumpkin patch

Halloween on Central | Grand Central District Association | Oct 25, 12 PM | Free
Car-free festival with costumes, candy, music, vendors, family fun

Full list of events this weekend and in the coming months. Plus, local shows and concerts on the horizon.

Thanks so much for reading! As always, feel free to reply directly to this email to let me know how I did with today’s edition!

Stay Sunny,
Josh