Brooker Creek Mornings, Raprager Farms Nights: How Odessa's Holiday Season Splits the Day
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
The last free program of the year at Brooker Creek Preserve wraps up at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 22. Five days later, on Friday, November 27, Raprager Farms opens its Holiday Extravaganza on Boy Scout Road and keeps the lights on until 11 p.m.
Those two dates sit within a week of each other, and together they shape Odessa's stretch from Halloween to Christmas. The preserve's free weekend talks fill November, all of them in daylight. Once the farm's lights come on, December runs late into the evening. Thanksgiving week falls in the gap between them, and the first weekend in December brings a second gift market on Gunn Highway on top of the farm's.
The season's first two dates fall this weekend, a day apart.
On Friday, October 30, Hillsborough County hosts a free Trunk or Treat at Keystone Park & Recreation Center from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Volunteers decorate their car trunks and hand out candy. The county's event page says no registration is required and admission is free. Bring a costume and a candy bucket.
The next morning, Saturday, October 31, Brooker Creek Preserve runs "The Nature of Owls" from 10:30 a.m. to noon at its Environmental Education Center. It's the first of five free programs on the preserve's late-fall schedule. Nobody has to pick between the two events, because one is on Friday night and the other is on Saturday morning.
The preserve's whole late-fall program series fits into four weekends. Every program is free and open to all ages, and every one has a registration button on Pinellas County's program page.
| Date | Day | Time | Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 31 | Saturday | 10:30 a.m.–noon | The Nature of Owls |
| Nov. 7 | Saturday | 10:30 a.m.–noon | Feathers: Birds' Most Distinguishing Feature |
| Nov. 14 | Saturday | 10:30 a.m.–noon | Seeds for the Future: Plant Conservation and the Race to Preserve Pinellas' Native Flora |
| Nov. 15 | Sunday | 2–4 p.m. | Vignettes of Nature: Music in the Woods |
| Nov. 22 | Sunday | 1–2 p.m. | Botanical "Tea Time" with Sara |
The schedule changes partway through. The first three programs are Saturday mornings. The last two move to Sunday afternoons, which matches the education center's hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. "Music in the Woods" on November 15 runs right up to that 4 p.m. closing.
Leave extra time to get there. The education center is at 3940 Keystone Road, which has a Tarpon Springs mailing address. The county says the drive from the Keystone Road entrance to the parking lot takes about 10 minutes, and the walk from the lot to the center buildings takes another two to five. Most programs are held in the auditorium, and signs point the way. If you leave home at 10:20 for a 10:30 start, you'll be late.
After "Tea Time" ends on November 22, the preserve has no more programs on that list. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, and the next day is when the evening half of the season starts.
Raprager Farms' event calendar lists Raprager Farm's Holiday Extravaganza from November 27 through December 20, 2026, at the farm at 16907 Boy Scout Road. The listing promises holiday lights, Santa visits, caroling hayrides, seasonal treats, gift shopping, family photos and festive music.
The preserve's last program comes the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and the farm opens on Black Friday. That Friday, Brooker Creek Preserve itself is closed, since its own website lists a closure on the day after Thanksgiving.
The farm's posted hours show where the season is aimed. On the calendar, the Holiday Extravaganza runs:
The calendar also tells participating vendors to be set up by opening time and to stay open until 9 p.m., and it encourages them to stay later because "retail shopping amongst the lights will be part of the biggest draw." In other words, the farm expects its busiest stretch to come after sunset.
Raprager's own restaurant runs on a different clock. Whizk & Brew, the farm's restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, is open Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays it closes an hour before the grounds do, and on Sundays it closes an hour earlier than the farm. If you want dinner before or after the lights, check the restaurant page and plan around those times. Breakfast is served Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 11:30 a.m., so a weekend morning visit is also an option.
One caveat on planning. The farm's separate Christmas on the Farm page still says exact dates, hours, pricing and ticket availability "will be posted when confirmed," even though the calendar already shows the November 27 to December 20 run and the hours above. Ticket prices for the holiday season haven't been announced yet, so check that page before you head out.
The Christmas page also lists the Kris Kringle Market, a vendor market held during the holiday celebration, on four weekends: November 27–29, December 4–6, December 11–13 and December 18–20. Gift shoppers get one market weekend per week for the whole run, though the farm notes that vendor dates may change. Shoppers can also browse Farmville, the farm's village of artisan goods, local makers and specialty treats.
On three of the four Kris Kringle weekends, Odessa's holiday shopping happens at a single farm on Boy Scout Road. December 5 and 6 add a second location.
That Saturday and Sunday, the GFWC Lutz-Land O'Lakes Woman's Club holds its Lutz Arts and Crafts Show at Keystone Prep High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa. The same days fall in the Kris Kringle Market's December 4–6 weekend at Raprager. That means two handmade-gift markets are running in Odessa at the same time, one on Gunn Highway and one on Boy Scout Road.
Here's how that weekend lines up:
For anyone shopping for gifts, it's the most concentrated weekend of the season. You can spend the day at the craft show and the evening at the farm.
After the preserve's talks end, Brooker Creek itself stays open. The preserve is open from 7 a.m. to sunset, and the daily closing time is posted at the entrance. Its listed closures are the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The trails page describes almost five miles of hiking on two trails. The upland stretches pass through oak hammocks and pine flatwoods, where you might see deer, turkeys or gopher tortoises, and long boardwalks cross the forested wetlands. Equestrians get more than nine miles of horse trails.
The preserve's rules match the day-and-night split. All trails are day-use only, and overnight parking isn't allowed. The preserve also notes that parts of the trails can be seasonally wet even where the boardwalks keep you dry, and it recommends bringing water, sunscreen, a hat and insect repellent.
That makes most December Saturdays easy to plan. Walk the Brooker Creek trails in the morning, go home, and head to Raprager once the lights come on.
One more spot may join the season. The Tampa Bay Times reported on September 1 that Toro, a casual sushi-and-ramen restaurant from the team behind Koya, Kinjo and Noble Rice, is coming to the Shoppes at Starkey Crossing at 2290 Gunn Highway. The owners said then that it could open as soon as October. A later report from Pasco Community on September 9 put the target between late October and early November. Check the restaurant's own channels for an opening date before you go.
For more on how the Starkey corridor's own event calendars work, see our guide to Odessa's three Starkeys. Our Odessa neighborhood page covers the rest of the area.
Whether your weekends run on preserve mornings, farm nights or both, Khristian Marcotrigiano works these same Odessa roads, from Keystone to Gunn Highway, all year. If you're wondering what your home near Brooker Creek or Boy Scout Road is worth this holiday season, get your instant home valuation and we'll follow up with local context.
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