Cake with Wine, Pilates with Beer, and U.S. Open at The Wager

Friends and neighbors,

Naples is coming alive this week. Evening on Fifth fills downtown with live music tonight, while Hopsized has started pairing Thursday-night Pilates with a post-class beer. This weekend, Naples Beach Club is giving us an early look at the sports pub The Wager during both US Open finals, and Wine Around the Water returns Saturday with tastings around Venetian Village benefiting SNIP Collier.

Looking to next week, I found two worth getting on the calendar now: a rather unconventional cake-decorating night at Nat Nat and a 25-seat Thai dinner at Tong Yin.

Hope you find something to put on the calendar!

Warmly,

📅 Thursday, September 10 | 6:30–9 PM
📍 Fifth Avenue South | Downtown Naples

Evening on Fifth returns Thursday, with live musicians set up along the sidewalks of Fifth Avenue South from 6:30–9 PM. There’s no central stage or ticket required; the performances are spread along the avenue, so this is an easy evening plan to combine with dinner or drinks downtown. Details.

📅 Thursday, September 10 | Every Thursday
📍 Hopsized Brewing Company | 9201 Cockleshell Court, Unit 13, Bonita Springs

Hopsized and Fit & Flow Pilates have started a Thursday-night Pilates series, with a 45-minute mat class followed by a drink in the taproom. Mats and props are provided, the class is beginner-friendly, and your ticket includes one beer, sangria, hard seltzer or nonalcoholic drink afterward. This isn’t a one-off: Pilates After Hours is scheduled every Thursday, so if this week doesn’t work, there’s another chance next week. Tickets.

📅 Saturday–Sunday, September 12–13 | Women’s Final Saturday; Men’s Final Sunday
📍 Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort | 801 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., Naples

The Wager doesn’t officially open until October, but Naples Beach Club is giving locals an early look this weekend with pop-ups for both US Open tennis finals. There’s a specially curated à la carte menu, plus access to the new game area with arcade and table games during breaks in play. The four-lane bowling alley will also be available for an additional charge, subject to availability. Reservations are just $1 per person and can be made for groups of up to eight. Reservations. 

📅 Saturday, September 12 | 5–7 PM
📍 The Village Shops on Venetian Bay | 4200 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., Naples

Wine Around the Water returns to the Village Shops Saturday evening, with a $30 ticket covering a commemorative wine glass, tasting passport and wine samples at stops around the center, plus discounts at participating restaurants. One hundred percent of ticket proceeds benefit SNIP Collier and its work providing affordable spay and neuter services, vaccines and preventative care for local dogs and cats. Registration is on both sides of the Village, in front of Everything But Water and T-Michaels Steak & Lobster. Tickets and details.

📅 Tuesday, September 15 | 6–9 PM
📍 Nat Nat | 3080 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 1, Naples

Bicyclette Pastry Chef Corie is taking over Nat Nat for a three-hour cake-decorating class where everyone gets a two- or three-layer cake to construct and decorate themselves. Corie will teach the fundamentals of cake construction along the way, and snacks, wine and nonalcoholic drinks are included. You leave with the cake you made. Tickets.

📅 Thursday, September 17 | 5:30–8:30 PM
📍 Tong Yin on 9th | 75 9th St. S., Naples

Tong Yin is teaming up with GBY Skincare Health + Wellness for a dinner limited to just 25 guests, all seated together at one long table. The menu includes Miang Kham, Tom Kha soup, pomelo salad, live Som Tam preparation, glass-noodle Pad Thai with grilled prawn, tableside crab curry and coconut dessert, with some dishes demonstrated or finished in front of the group. The ticket also includes a welcome drink, live violin music, a goodie bag and your choice of a $50 Tong Yin or GBY gift card. Tickets.

Last week we asked: What are you most likely to make time for over a three-day weekend?

Here’s where you landed: 

Apparently, the ideal long weekend is split evenly between enjoying the outdoors or refusing to leave the house entirely. Beach, boating or something outdoors tied with staying home at 21% each, while going out for a special meal was barely behind at 20%. The loser? A quick getaway. There’s no need to sit in traffic when you live where everyone else is trying to go! 

This is one of those weeks that makes Naples easy to say yes to. You can wander Fifth Avenue with live music in the background, try Pilates with a beer afterward, sneak into The Wager before its official opening, or spend Saturday evening sipping your way around Venetian Village.

And if none of that fits, next week already has cake decorating and a very intimate Thai dinner waiting. However you spend it, I hope you find one good reason to get out of the house and enjoy the city a little differently.

Warmly,

Elizabeth Bellotti
Editor-In-Chief
Naples, Florida
The Naples Florida Review

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