Whole Foods Market Is Opening Its First St. Pete Location

If you live in St. Petersburg and are a fan of the popular Whole Foods Market, you're in luck. This February, Whole Foods Market in St. Pete is set to open its doors for the first time.

Whole Foods Market is known for their wide selection of natural and organic food options. They took the typical grocery store and transformed it into a destination for a new kind of shopping experience.

It all started back in 1980 when Whole Foods opened its first location in Austin, Texas. Trying to fill the gap between the dull and dirty healthy food stores and the larger mainstream shopping stores like Kroger, Whole Foods provided a more mainstream feel, but with natural and organic options.

Whole Foods bans all artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives and don't include any foods with “unacceptable ingredients” like hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, artificial colors, and more.  With these higher standards, also comes higher prices. Since Amazon bought out Whole Foods back in 2017, they have had little help in decreasing the prices. Food sold inside Whole Foods Market is said to be about 10% to 20% higher than other stores. Is the difference in ingredients worth the price hike? That’s for you to decide.

If you’re a Whole Foods shopper in the Tampa Bay area, shopping is about to get easier. The new Whole Foods Market in St. Pete is opening on February 28, 2024, at 203 38th Avenue North.

Right now, there are only a few Whole Foods within an hour drive from Tampa, and includes locations in Clearwater, Tampa, and Sarasota, this new St. Pete location fills the gap for Pinellas County shoppers. The new store draws inspiration from St. Petersburg, the Sunshine City, to give customers a new and unique experience.  

There will be over 800 locally sourced products from the Southeast region thanks to Dustin Kenney, a local forager for Whole Foods Market. On opening day, Whole Foods is set to be open from 9 AM - 10 PM.

It's that time of year! Tampa Bay farms are opening up their fields for U-Pick events. There's nothing better than picking your produce and supporting local farms. This is always a fun event for the whole family and a great weekend afternoon activity. There are a lot of U-Pick farms in the Tampa Bay area, so we condensed our list to the best 3 farms less than an hour drive from the Tampa area.

Remember before you go to check the farm's social pages! Events can change based on weather, seasons, or availability. This is the perfect time of year to grab fresh strawberries, oranges, citrus, and tomatoes (December- March). Blueberries and peaches hit their peak during March-May, and you can find gorgeous sunflower fields during the Spring and Fall.

Some farms will have bags and boxes for you to store your produce. But sometimes that does come as an extra charge! Be sure to bring your own container when picking fruit and veggies. It's also a good idea to pack some water, sunscreen, and wet wipes (you WILL get dirty). If you're going to pick flowers, remember to bring a pair of scissors or cutters. It's also a good idea to bring cash, some farms take credit cards but it's better to be safe than go running around a rural area for an ATM. Even though these U-pick farms are mostly pet-friendly, it's a good idea to leave your dog at home (because even if they are a good boy/girl, we still don't want them peeing on crops). Tampa Bay Parenting has a full list of U-Pick farms in Tampa Bay, but some of them may be about a 1.5-hour drive.

Keel Farms is probably the nearest U-Pick farm in Tampa Bay. Keel Farms is located at 5202 Thonotosassa Road Plant City, FL 33565 (about a 35 minute drive from TPA). The only bummer is the only offer strawberries from their U-Pick fields on Saturday's only starting at 10a. The good news is there's a lot more to see and do at Keel Farms. They offer fresh food, winery tasting, say hi to their pigs and goats, and more! We think it's something that every Tampa Bay local should try at least once. They're hosting a Blueberry Festival every Saturday and Sunday through April! More info here

Hunsader Farms is located at 5500 C.R. 675 Bradenton, Fl 34211. Not only do they open up their fields for you to pick your produce, they also offer many other veggies and goodies that they pick for you! Right now, their U-Pick field is open for rhubarb, strawberries, and tomatoes. They also offer broccoli, cabbage, homemade jams, jellies, delicious homemade honey, and many other goodies. NOTE: they do close their U-Pick field at around 3-4 and will not let anyone in the field 15 minutes before closing.

Strawberry Passion Farm is now offering U-Pick tomatoes $3 per pound THIS weekend (Jan 26-18). They post their U-Pick hours weekly on their Facebook page, so make sure you give them a follow for current updates. It looks like they will offer U-Pick strawberries in March. Strawberry Passion Farm is located at 11780 Tom Folsom Rd, Thonotosassa, FL, United States, and is only about a 30 minute drive from Tampa.