Things to Do in Gulfport

Chillounge Night moves the atmosphere of a nightclub outdoors, freeing warm pulses of bass to tremble under the stars and roll beneath the chatter of guests perched on plush sofas. Glasses from a cash bar clink together, adding treble notes to the organic symphony as the sun sinks below the horizon and the atmosphere takes on the feeling of Carnival. Samba dancers parade past tables laden with snacks from local restaurants, and fashion shows parade intriguing threads. As fireworks crackle against the darkening sky at some events, live music begins to fuel dancing or make metronomes feel more comfortable.

Vibrant swaths of fabric in nearly every hue of the spectrum line the walls at Keep Me In Stitches, where knowledgeable staffers dispense creative advice and design ideas as they roam the prismatic environs. They carefully curate a vast collection of textiles, which flaunts silks, novelty prints, and batiks from brands such as South Sea Imports, Benartex, and Michael Miller.

Aside from fabrics, the shop uses a fleet of sewing machines and digital design tools to facilitate embroidery endeavors. The staffers can also enlighten nascent seamsters during frequent classes and workshops, as well as repair sewing machines and bionic grandmothers of all makes and models.

Tampa Pub Crawl falls under the umbrella of Orlando Pub Crawl, a socially oriented outfit started by Cameron Parker in 2005 to organize the bar-going experience into a convivial group event. Tampa and Orlando Pub Crawl organize trips for up to 1,000 revelers at a time and style their events after themes and occasions including the Kentucky Derby, '80s Nights, and Cinco de Mayo. Partiers hop from bar to bar, enjoying complimentary drinks, admission, and other specials as they mingle and socialize amid festivities, games, and libations. The pub-crawl team can also tailor a private crawl for groups of 100 or more, allowing companies, organizations, and poker-playing dogs to journey to bars in organized packs.

When Brian McInerney reflects on the humble beginnings of Wheel Fun Rentals, he points to his childhood passion for bikes. "As far back as I can remember, I had a real love affair with bicycles," he recalls. During a trip to Italy in 1987, Brian's affinity for cycling blossomed into a full-fledged obsession when he spotted locals' transporter of choice, the surrey. Inspired, he began importing the Italian four-wheelers to a rental business in the U.S. that eventually expanded into Wheel Fun Rentals, now a nationwide web of shops that also loans out bikes, electric cars and mopeds, and man-powered watercraft. Atop bicycles and surreys built for solo riders or entire families, patrons embark on self-guided tours of major U.S. cities. Led by maps and lists of nearby sites of historical or cultural significance, riders zoom down bike paths and safe, lightly trafficked streets. Adventuresome athletes can also compete in activities such as surrey scavenger hunts and blindfold obstacle courses navigated via shouted instructions from a seeing teammate or exceptionally long rounds of trial and error.

From the moment seasoned nature tour guide Kurt Zuelsdorf first dipped his paddle into Clam Bayou, he knew the mangrove estuary would be the right place to set his kayak tours. But there was a catch—a garbage dump’s worth of rusting shopping carts and waterlogged plastic bags was strewn about the waterway. Undeterred, Kurt hit upon a clever cleanup strategy: people could launch his fleet of kayaks for free, so long as they toted a bag of garbage out of the bayou with them. 

Numerous grants, media attention, and awards later, Kurt’s waterway cleanup program has reached its final stages. Now, kayakers and paddlers can freely navigate the mangrove channels, nabbing sights of manatees, herons, and tugboat captains hopelessly lost in the mangroves. An avid nature enthusiast who has kayaked waterways from Wisconsin to Florida, Kurt prizes Clam Bayou, citing the diversity of wildlife along the one-mile stretch. “It’s not like the zoo,” he says. “Every time you hit the water, it’s a completely different experience.”