Story and photo by Jonah Hinebaugh
Deep-fried foodies, capsaicin connoisseurs and high schoolers looking for date ideas have been blessed by small-time capitalists.
The not-so-neat slice of Americana comes in the form of the Florida State Fair, which opened Feb. 6. The fair, at 4800 U.S. Hwy. 301 N in Tampa, is here for a week and a half.
From cover bands and pig races to jalapeño-chocolate ice cream and s’mores doughnuts, it draws a total crowd of about 480,000 –– making it one of the top 50 largest in the country.
So if you’re looking for a cheat day that totals what you might eat in a week or want to partake in brain-rattling roller coasters, look no further than this local point of interest.
If you go
The fair has plenty of options to purchase tickets, including its website and participating Publix stores. General admission costs $11 on weekdays and $14 for weekends and grants you access to most shows, exhibits and musical acts. But with a valid university ID, students can get in free after 5 p.m. on Feb. 13.
To get on the rides or kiss your crush at the top of the Ferris wheel as the sun sets, tickets can be purchased at the fair, or an armband can be bought online –– this is not the same as your general admission.
Our fair overlords were gracious enough to offer free parking and even assistance if you get a flat tire or lock your keys in your car while riding that intense sugar high.
As most locals know, traffic is god-awful on I-275. So if you’re trying to go, be reasonable and don’t go when it’s 5 p.m.
Food and fun
Food may be fun, but The Crow’s Nest isn’t quite ready to categorize a peanut butter ramen burger –– an ungodly concoction comprised of a quarter-pound burger topped with chow mein cabbage slaw, peanut butter Asian vinaigrette and sandwiched between two buns made of ramen –– as a good time.
How about sticks shoved through steak, cheeseburgers and cheese-filled hot dogs? Closer.
One thing that can be said about the food is it’s thematic and drenched in calories. For example, deep fried strawberry shortcake sundaes from DeAnna’s Steak Sundaes, and The Orie, featuring sweet cream filling stuffed between two chocolate funnel cake batter cookies.
The s’mores doughnut from Peachey’s Baking Co. lets your teeth form cavities just by peering at it. It’s a dripping mess of marshmallow puff oozing between two doughnuts with fudge on top and will run you $8.
After that, you can head over to the “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” exhibit and ask if they believe you just ate that. Alternatively, you can watch people churn butter at a re-creation of 19th-century Florida living –– sans the unsavory parts.
No matter how you plan your trip to the fair, it’s sure to be a gut-busting, antacid-chewing, questionable-decision-making experience. What’s more fun than that?
Jonah Hinebaugh is an intern at WUSF Public Media, where this information was originally published. To read more about the food lineup, visit this story. For a 2020 fair guide, visit here.
