The Vinoy's Waterfront Patio Is Back, and the Front Drive Now Hosts a Monthly Market
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The rocking chairs on The Vinoy's veranda were custom designed by Rockwell Group, carrying on a front-porch tradition that goes back to the hotel's opening. Until this month, the Veranda patio overlooking the Vinoy Marina had stayed closed since the resort started renovating. Now it's open to anyone who walks up, and it's part of a broader change at 501 5th Avenue NE. The building is opening its outer edge to the neighborhood.
The Vinoy's long renovation has mostly served overnight guests. This fall the street-facing pieces are coming back, including the patio, a monthly market on the front drive and a free weekend tour. None of them requires a room key.
The renovation began in 2021 with the Palm Court Ballroom and The Vinoy Grand Ballroom. In 2023, St. Pete Catalyst reported that the first completed phase covered the veranda, the grand lobby, guest rooms, dining and a new spa and wellness area. Hart Howerton Architects and Rockwell Group were the design partners, and Marriott International is the operator. The Tampa Bay Times called it a $100 million renovation and identified SCG Hospitality, owned by Bryan and Shanna Glazer, as the property's owner.
The veranda got its new rockers and a custom-designed bar during that work. The outdoor Veranda bar has been serving for a while. As I Love the Burg reported on October 13, though, the patio that overlooks the marina is open to guests for the first time since the renovations began. That outlet also reports that Veranda is open to both resort guests and the public, with no reservations required.
No reservation and no room key means a neighbor can walk over for a drink at the marina on short notice.
The published hours differ depending on where you look. I Love the Burg lists Veranda as open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight. The Vinoy's own Fall on the Veranda Patio page is more specific: the patio runs Fridays and Saturdays in October, then daily from November 1, 11 a.m. to midnight.
The resort's schedule is the one to plan around. For the rest of this month and beyond, that means:
The patio serves the full Veranda menu plus seasonal fall specials and signature drinks. I Love the Burg describes the food as small plates, including charcuterie, dips and other sharables, so it's a stop for afternoon drinks or a light evening rather than a full dinner.
On Halloween night, Old Northeast's blocks fill with trick-or-treaters. On the resort's schedule, the patio is open that night too.
The second change is on the pavement in front of the building. The Vinoy launched The Vinoy Sunday Market on October 18. It's a free, curated market set up along the resort's front drive on the waterfront, running 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I Love the Burg reports that it ties into the resort's 100th anniversary celebrations and will run monthly through March.
The resort's event listing describes local makers, artisans and purveyors, chosen to highlight Vinoy partnerships and handcrafted goods. A pop-up from Lottie, the resort's French patisserie, runs alongside them. I Love the Burg says the Lottie pop-up offers coffee, drinks and pastries. It also describes the market as smaller than most and quotes the resort's pitch that it is "designed for lingering, not rushing."
All remaining dates are Sundays, and each runs 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
| Date | Day | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| November 15, 2026 | Sunday | 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| December 20, 2026 | Sunday | 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| January 17, 2027 | Sunday | 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| February 21, 2027 | Sunday | 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| March 21, 2027 | Sunday | 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
The market closes at 2:30 p.m., and the resort's weekend history tour starts at 2 p.m. On market Sundays you can do both without leaving the property.
The Vinoy lists a complimentary, 45-minute, docent-led History Tour on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 2:45 p.m. It's booked through the resort's activities site. The listing doesn't say whether the tour is limited to hotel guests, so ask when you reserve.
Even if you've lived in the neighborhood for years, the outline of the building's history explains why the resort is at the center of so many local stories. According to The Vinoy's official history:
So the building has been a working hotel for a little over three decades this time around. The century of centennial celebrations rests on an earlier run that ended in the 1970s.
The resort's current dining directory lists Elliott Aster, Veranda, Lottie, Paul's Landing, Parasol, in-room dining and the Vinoy Club Grill. Elliott Aster is the upscale restaurant and sits in the property's original dining hall.
Not everything is open to the street. Before planning a December evening around the resort, it helps to know the limits:
The patio and the Sunday Market are the two pieces explicitly open to anyone.
The resort's holiday page fills in the weeks after the November market. Most of it happens outdoors on the same waterfront side of the building.
Thanksgiving, November 26. The Vinoy Turkey Trot is an all-ages walk that starts and ends at Bayview Terrace, follows a route to Flora & Fauna Park and back, and has water, Gatorade and protein bars along the way. Later that day, Elliott Aster serves Thanksgiving from 3 to 8 p.m. with its signature menu, seasonal specials and fall cocktails. Reservations open 30 days ahead, so the booking window for Thanksgiving opened in late October.
Pies from Lottie. The patisserie is taking holiday pie orders: a Pumpkin Pie layered with mascarpone whipped vanilla ganache, a Pecan Tart topped with milk chocolate whipped ganache, and a Dutch Apple Pie with spiced Granny Smith apples, oat streusel and dulce whipped cream.
December Movie Nights. The resort is running holiday movies outdoors through December, with popcorn and s'mores. On December 18, a stargazing session from 6 to 7 p.m. comes before the 7 p.m. movie. The separate Stargazing with a Professional Astronomer event takes place on Bayview Terrace, with s'mores, coffee and hot chocolate.
December 20. The Sunday Market returns to the front drive. The resort also lists a Menorah Lighting Ceremony among its seasonal events.
On a single December weekend, a neighbor could book a stargazing night on Bayview Terrace, walk to the front drive on Sunday morning for the market, and end up on the patio by afternoon.
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