So, let me start off by saying that this was my first time ever going to a state fair. I'd only been to little county fairs and the like in the past. We usually ended up paying $10 or $15 per person, then you had to pay more to ride the rides and eat the food, and there wasn't a whole lot else going on.
Well, let me tell you - the Florida State Fair definitely exceeded my expectations! I paid $26 for three of us to get in (my 6 yr old daughter, my dad, and myself), and there were so many FREE activities throughout the fair! I did end up spending quite a bit on food and a few special things along the way, but I didn't mind, since we all got in for less than I was planning for. Also, we arrived just after the gates opened at 10am, and we didn't leave until after 8pm. It was a full, exciting day!
When you arrive, after paying for your tickets, you walk through a metal detector and get your bags checked. I don't know about you, but I appreciate these security measures. Once you get in, you walk through a large building full of different vendors, none of which I was particularly interested in, other than a really nice pastry stand. FAIR TIP: This building had the cleanest bathrooms in the place! Each time we used them, there was someone in there cleaning and stocking the toilet paper and paper towels. I'm not a fan of public restrooms, but this was one I didn't feel grossed out by. After using a really rundown restroom later in the day, we ended up coming back to this one when we needed to.
Pig Races - Free
Once you squeeze through the crowds and vendor tables and pushy salespeople, you make it back outside. We had the BEST weather the day that we went! It was sunny but cool, and we only needed a light jacket in the morning and later in the evening. Anyhow, we arrived just in time for the first pig races of the day! It was very silly, and not super exciting, but the gal in charge kept the crowd going and it was pretty entertaining. The kids in attendance really seemed to enjoy it! My daughter was hootin' and hollerin' along with the crowd, cheering on her favorite pig the entire time.
Exotic Animal Petting Zoo - Free (unless you want to pay to feed the animals)
Next up, we stopped by the exotic animal petting zoo - I spent a few bucks here so we could feed the animals. There were a few goats and cows, like any other petting zoo, but the really cool part was when we got to feed the giraffes!! We just held out a chunk of carrot, and the giraffes bent down and stuck out their long tongues to lick the carrot right out of our hands! Whaaaat?! Never in my life did I ever imagine I would get the chance to feed a giraffe. So awesome! (If you can't tell, I might have been even more excited about this than my kiddo was haha!) We also saw a zebra, kangaroo, and wallabies, though the signs warn you not to put your hands in the cages with these guys.
Pony Rides - $5
Right outside of the petting zoo, they had the pony rides set up. $5 per ride. We were literally the only people there, so my daughter got to choose whichever pony she wanted to ride, and the guy walked around plenty of times, so we definitely got our money's worth out of this one! My kid has been obsessed with horses since she was a toddler, so we do the pony rides any chance we get.
Circus - Free
Moving on! Right around the corner, the circus was about to start! Wait, what? A free circus inside of the fair?! This was almost too much for me to handle! We headed on in and easily found seats (there was hardly anyone sitting in the audience). It was a slow start with a few young clowns (not super creepy ones, thank goodness!), and my daughter was not very entertained. She was a little bit confused. All she really wanted to see was the tightrope act, and the entire show, she kept asking about it. We all thought the aerial silk performer was pretty amazing, and we enjoyed seeing the camels, horses, and llamas walk around. There was a balancing act in which a man stacked up a bunch of chairs and did a handstand on top - it was pretty amazing, but my kiddo's response to it was simply saying, "That is totally NOT safe." Ha! It was a very slow portion of the show, as he had to carefully stack the chairs and hand them down individually as he was coming back down. The best part of the circus was definitely the tightrope act that my daughter had been waiting for! I won't spoil it, but I will say that I think it was worth sitting through the boring parts of the show to be able to see it. If you're trying to fill time without spending more money, I would recommend the circus. However, if you're a thrill seeker, you'd probably be better off heading to the midway.
Fair Food - Varying Prices
Throughout the circus, my kid kept saying she was hungry and asking when we were going to eat. And I'm pretty much always hungry. So we decided it was time for a quick lunch! As I'm trying not to eat meat these days, it was a little tricky finding a veggie-based lunch at the fair. I ended up ordering a basket of fried veggies, and as I was waiting for them, I noticed the Taco Bus a few spots down! Dang! Wish I had seen that first - their butternut squash tacos are delish and so much better than typical fried fair food. Oh, well! The fried veggies were actually pretty tasty. Gramps and daughter had corndogs. They both said they were okay, but my dad said for what he paid for them, he would have been better off paying an extra dollar or two for a better meal. There were plenty of options throughout the fairgrounds - pasta, seafood, lobster rolls, gyros, philly cheesesteaks, burgers, hot dogs, fries, island noodles, turkey legs, donut burgers, and more! Not to mention all of the sweet treats, too...
Cracker Country - Free
After lunch, we explored Cracker Country! For those of you who may not know, Cracker Country is a rural Florida living history museum on the fairgrounds (www.crackercountry.org). I had been wanting to visit this place and had considered taking my kindergartener on Homeschool Day last year, but I wasn't sure if she was old enough to appreciate it. Well, we all enjoyed this experience! There was a scavenger hunt (she got an educational DVD as a prize at the end!), she got to churn butter, use the old gardening tools, check out the historical buildings, talk to the interpreters dressed in period outfits, taste fresh sugar cane syrup, and more! It was a great learning experience for her, and it was interesting for my dad and me, as well. This is a homeschooling must see! (And it was totally free at the fair!)
Feed the Butterflies - Free
We were all pretty excited to go feed the butterflies! It's a small tented area inside an agricultural building, with a sweet girl manning the attraction. She explains the rules and how to gently pick up the butterflies with your nectar-filled sponge brush. Our first trip through the tent did not go so well. My daughter, who loves butterflies, FREAKED OUT. She didn't want any of these butterflies coming near her... but they were, of course, everywhere. On the plants, on the walls of the tent, on the ceiling of the tent, on people's heads! My dad and I checked them out a bit, but we kept it short and walked out after a few quick minutes. Then my daughter cried. She really wanted to feed a butterfly! After calming her down and talking about how she can't go through again if she's going to freak out, she decided she was feeling brave enough to try again. The second time was a success! She even touched a butterfly's wing, which she thought was really cool and super brave of her to do.
Livestock, chickens, bunnies, etc. - Free (a few dollars if you want to feed them)
This was a typical fair set up, with lots of farm animals in cages. It was crowded, but we got to see little baby goats, and we fed some animals. We loved seeing the angora rabbits!
Dog Breeds
Oh my goodness! I wish we had noticed this sooner, but it's hidden away in the back, and we didn't see any events listed in the fair program. My daughter would have loved to have seen the parade of breeds! We got there after most of the events were already done for the day, and most people/dogs had already packed up and gone for the day. However, we did get to meet a few dogs, and one of the owners asked my daughter if she would like to ride in the cart when they did the cart-pulling demonstration. She loves dogs even more than she loves horses, so that was really cool for her! She even got a state fair participation ribbon for being a volunteer, as well as a smaller ribbon just for checking out the dogs. Try to visit this area earlier in the day, when they have more going on.
Clydesdales- Free
This is another thing we somehow missed. There were a few times throughout the day when you could see the Budweiser Clydesdales out and about, but we didn't make it to those. We did get to see the horses in the stables, though! Those creatures are HUGE!!! It was really neat to see them (no petting), and the dalmation was running around, too, so my daughter got to pet him, which made her day. While walking around the stables, we met some friendly workers who brought out a horse (non-clydesdale) for us to pet.
Rodeo- Free
Our last big event of the day was checking out the rodeo! Neither my daughter or I had ever been to one before, so this was a fun new experience! We loved seeing the horses and cheering on the cowboys, and I appreciated that they started the event with prayer and singing the National Anthem. We didn't stay for the whole thing, since it was so late and had been such a long day, but it was fun enough that we are looking into visiting other rodeos in the area.
I'm sure I've forgotten to mention some things, and there was plenty that we didn't get to - we didn't even ride a single thing in the midway! There were a few shows we'd wanted to see but didn't get a chance, such as the bear show and a high-dive show, as well as a pirate comedy show - all free. We might have to check them out next year! Overall, it was a wonderful experience and well worth the money!
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