The forecast is the same three days running: hot till lunch, storms after 2.

So this is a morning weekend, and every plan below is built to have you back in the truck before the sky opens.

Set the coffee maker tonight.

Free water, free parking, and a river breeze, all before the 2 p.m. storms.

Leave the driveway by 8:15.

Start (5 min): Jersey Girl Bagels, 8730 US-301, Unit 105, in Creekside Commons.

Kettle-boiled bagels, the real deal.

Bacon, egg and cheese is $8.99, a bagel with cream cheese is $4.25, and you can order ahead online so the kids are eating by the time you hit the Moccasin Wallow light.

The Taylor ham, egg and cheese is the order if you grew up north of the Mason-Dixon and know why.

Pickup counter, closes at 2, phone (941) 212-4832.

The Activity (30 min): Bradenton Riverwalk, Barcarrota Blvd along the Manatee River in downtown Bradenton.

Take 301 south through Ellenton and over the Green Bridge, or I-75 to SR-64 west if 301 is backed up at the Ellenton outlets.

The splash pad runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, and the playground is right next to it, so one parent can sit on a bench and see both.

Two miles of paved path along the water, a skate park, beach volleyball, and a fishing pier if you brought a rod.

Restrooms along the Riverwalk are open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Parking: the City Centre garage on 3rd Ave W between 10th and 12th Streets is free right now, 500 spaces, three blocks from the water.

There is street parking along the Riverwalk too, but by 10:30 on a Saturday you will be circling.

Honesty box: the pad itself is in full sun, so hats and a towel for the bench.

Dogs are fine on the path, not in the water, and there are no grills.

Aim to be there at 9 when the water turns on and be walking to lunch by 11:15.

Lunch (walk): PIER 22, 1200 1st Ave W, at the west end of the Riverwalk.

Opens 11:30 on Saturday, and the first seating on the patio is the one you want.

Fifty years on the river, real menu, kids' menu, and prices to match a sit-down waterfront lunch, so this is the splurge stop of the day.

If the kids are still dripping, they will seat you outside and nobody blinks.

(941) 748-8087.

Treat (on the way home): Culver's of Parrish, 10824 US-301 N, right at Harrison Ranch.

Frozen custard, open 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Check the Flavor of the Day board before you commit, and if it is anything with Andes mints, the vanilla is the wrong call.

You are home, showered, and on the couch when the first thunder rolls.

Friday's quiet this week.

11645 Camp Creek Trail, North River Ranch, in town.

Free, and free parking, but it is ticketed on Eventbrite, so grab the $0 ticket before you go.

Fitness demos, wellness vendors, all ages, and it wraps at noon, two hours ahead of the rain.

Good pairing with a Foxtail coffee if you are already on Moccasin Wallow.

Florida Railroad Museum, 12210 83rd St E, Parrish.

Ninety minutes round trip to Willow and back on the old equipment, and the 11 a.m. is the one to book this weekend because the 2 p.m. Saturday run is a coin flip with the storms.

Only the 11 a.m. showed online for Sunday when we checked, so call (941) 776-0906 before you count on an afternoon ride.

Ticket office is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 to 4.

Pumpkin Patch Express tickets are already on sale for October, and that one sells out.

Palmetto Branch Library, 923 6th St W, Palmetto, about 20 minutes.

Trade, battle, and learn the card game in the auditorium, ages 4 and up, families welcome, free.

Registration is required and 20 seats were left Thursday morning.

This is your indoor answer for the exact hours the radar turns green.

Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Dr, Lakewood Ranch, about 30 minutes.

Over 100 vendors, year-round, free to walk.

Go at 10, not noon, because Sunday's storm odds are the worst of the three days and the lakefront has nowhere to hide.

Mixon Farms Market comes back next Sunday, September 27, if you would rather stay closer to home.

i9 Sports at Tom Bennett Park, 280 Kay Rd, Bradenton, about 15 minutes down 301.

Season runs seven Saturdays, September 26 through November 7.

Grades K–2 went to a waitlist this week.

PreK3–PreK4 and grades 3–5 were still open Thursday morning.

Price is $248 all in, jersey included, and the early-bird number you may have seen this summer is gone.

No tryouts, no draft, everybody plays every game, which is the point if your kid just got waitlisted somewhere else.

Girls volleyball instructional, grades 3–12, same dates, same price, also open.

If you miss fall, the winter session starts January 9 and is $198 if you pay by November 1.

Office 941-312-2400, weather hotline 941-260-4444 ext. 4.

Buffalo Creek Little League, 7550 69th St E, Palmetto, covers Parrish even though the address says Palmetto.

Fall ball sold out and the waitlist is the only door left, so the i9 item above is the answer for this season.

Their website has not been updated since 2021, so call (830) 556-1805 for anything time-sensitive.

Parrish Community High School, 7505 Ft. Hamer Rd, in town.

Friday matches at 6 and 7 p.m., then Saturday at noon against Harmony.

It is indoors, it is air-conditioned, and it lands right when the weekend's weather goes sideways.

The tournament was not posted on GoFan as of Thursday, so check there before you leave or ask at the door.

Bulls football is away at Sarasota Friday at 7:30, so no home lights this week.

Woody's River Roo, 5717 18th St E, Ellenton, about 12 minutes, just off I-75 on the Manatee River.

Open every day at 11, and the lunch hours are the family hours.

Grouper bites, coconut shrimp, shrimp baskets, burgers, and a kids' menu, all eaten outside under a tiki roof with boats pulling up to the dock.

Live music runs noon to 4 both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, loud enough to enjoy, not loud enough to fight over the menu.

Our take: go at 11:30 Sunday, sit on the river side, order the grouper bites for the table, and be gone by 2 when the crowd shifts from strollers to koozies.

Two things to know: they add 3 percent on credit cards, debit is fine, and the parking lot fills fast when a band is on.

(941) 722-2391.

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Wet kids, dry towels, and a 2 p.m. nap while it pours: that is a Saturday done right.

Until next week — stay gritty, stay healthy, and keep Parrish strong. — Greg.