Build your Florida bucket list with Tampa Bay author's new book
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Author Kristen Hare with her new book, "100 Things to do in Florida Before You Die," at the Alafia River Beer Shed. Photo: Kathryn Varn/Axios
Tampa Bay author Kristen Hare starts off her latest book with a promise: "For everyone who knows there's so much more to Florida."
Why it matters: People love to pick on the Sunshine State as a monolithic cultural vacuum, but "100 Things to do in Florida Before You Die" takes readers through the weird, whimsy and unexpected delights our state holds.
Case in point: The Alafia River Beer Shed, the waterfront dive where I recently met Hare for lunch and the 13th location featured in the book.
- The hole-in-the-wall on the river opened in the 1940s as a bait shack, Hare writes. With no liquor license, anglers got free beer with their bait purchase. It became an official bar in the 1960s.
- I've lived here more than 10 years and had never heard of what I now understand to be a Southeast Hillsborough institution.
Yes, but: Thanks to Hare's expertise, I got to experience the stunning river views, a delicious $16 grouper sandwich (a steal!), and local lore from regulars like Don, who showed off his fish art and recited us verses spoken-word style.
I'll certainly be going back — and that feeling is one of the ways Hare decides which experiences to put in her guidebooks, including "100 Things to do in Tampa Bay Before I Die," on its third edition.
- She also does a ton of research, talks to a ton of people, and relies on her experiences living in, vacationing around and writing about Florida for over a decade.
What she's saying: "The sweet spot for me is, it's epic, you'd go back and you probably have never been there before," Hare said, noting that she doesn't buy into the online trend of portraying well-known places as secret or hidden.
- "There's nothing more delightful to me than taking somebody someplace that's been hiding under their nose," she said. "It wasn't a secret. They just didn't see it … I want to help you see it."
Zoom in: Along with the Beer Shed, here are some other Tampa Bay experiences that made the book:
- Visit the Sunday market at Wat Mongkolratanaram, the Thai Buddhist temple on the Palm River.
- Order the honey Cuban at West Tampa Sandwich Shop.
- Grab a meal among taxidermy critters at the Linger Lodge in Bradenton.
What's next: Hare has two book talks coming up Oct. 25 at Oxford Exchange in Tampa (buy tickets) and Oct. 29 at Tombolo Books in St. Pete (reserve your spot).