Press Release: Falcon's Fury Finally Opens at Busch Gardens

First Drop Tower of its Kind in the World

Solidifies Park as Florida’s Thrill Ride Leader

Tampa, Fla. (Sept. 2, 2014) – After weeks of thrilling lucky guests during a “soft open,” North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower, Falcon’s Fury™, officially opens today, Sept. 2, at Busch Gardens® Tampa.

“We know guests from around the world have been waiting to experience this one-of-a-kind thrill ride, and we are excited to officially invite those guests to ride Falcon’s Fury,” said Park President Jim Dean.

Falcon’s Fury stands at 335 feet and takes riders soaring 60mph straight down. At the ride’s highest point Busch Gardens has added an element of surprise; like its bird of prey namesake, riders pivot 90 degrees in midair to a face-down dive position. An instant later, riders plunge with speed and power that they’ve never experienced before.

For more updates about Falcon’s Fury™ and Pantopia™, visit to FalconsFury.com. Be the first to know about new events and special deals by following the park’s blog at BuschGardensTampaBlog.com. You can also like the Busch Gardens Facebook page, and follow @buschgardens on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Guests are encouraged to join the fun and share their post-ride reaction photos and tag them with #falconface.

Press Release: HOWL-O-SCREAM UNLEASHES TERROR WITH NEWEST HAUNTED HOUSE “DEAD FALL”

HOWL-O-SCREAM UNLEASHES TERROR

WITH NEWEST HAUNTED HOUSE “DEAD FALL”

Facebook Fans Choose Featured Evil Elements

TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 5, 2014) – Howl-O-Scream® 2014 returns to Busch Gardens® Tampa with tormenting surprises and unexpected terrors around every corner, including the event’s newest haunted house – Dead Fall.

Inside Dead Fall, the ghosts of long lost memories reach into the present and will NOT be forgotten! These spirits from the past lurk in the shadows of this Victorian garden and greenhouse, longing to drag unsuspecting guests into their world. Visitors will have to try to escape before becoming a permanent resident of Dead Fall. 

In 2013, Busch Gardens included their Facebook fans in planning Howl-O-Scream’s new haunted house, Death Water Bayou. Fans chose three key elements of the house, and then saw their vote come to life when they visited the event.

Back by popular demand, fans once again have the opportunity to vote on three key elements of Dead Fall, including the name of the estate, a murder tool one of the residents fell victim to, and the name of one of Dead Fall’s residents.

Voting starts today, Aug. 5 on the Howl-O-Scream Facebook page and takes place in a series of three Facebook polls over the course of three weeks. “Like” the Howl-O-Scream Facebook page and start voting now. And stay tuned to the Howl-O-ScreamInstagram page for more contests and updated event information.

Freaky Preview is back to open Howl-O-Scream 2014 on Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27.  The event then runs Thursday throughSaturday nights, Oct. 2-Nov. 1. Howl-O-Scream will also be open on Sunday, Oct. 19.  Operating hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. 

Get your tickets early and save on a single terrifying night at Howl-O-Scream 2014. For a limited time, any single-day admission to Howl-O-Scream 2014 is $47. There’s safety in numbers, so you and three friends can also save on a pack of four or more tickets to Howl-O-Scream 2014 on Thursdays, starting at $35 per person. Busch Gardens Tampa pass members can take advantage of their limited time exclusive discount on any single-night admission to Howl-O-Scream 2014 for only $42. 

Stay tuned to HowlOScream.com for the latest terrifying details. Howl-O-Scream 2014 is a separate ticketed night event. No costumes are allowed. For guest information, visit HowlOScream.com or call 1-888-800-5447.

Press Release: HOWL-O-SCREAM 2014 TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

Tampa Bay’s Premier Halloween Event Returns to Busch Gardens for 18 Nights

TAMPA, Fla. (July 22, 2014) –This fall, for 18 select nights, Howl-O-Scream® 2014 returns to Busch Gardens® Tampa with tormenting surprises and unexpected terrors around every corner. Busch Gardens’ 300 acres will be overgrown with dark, sinister, adult-targeted fun.

Hundreds of roaming creatures will swarm the streets, making escape nearly impossible. A chilling live show will get your pulse pounding, and Florida’s top thrill rides in the dark, including North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower Falcon’s Fury™ will keep the screams coming all night long.

Freaky Preview is back and will open Howl-O-Scream 2014 on Friday, Sept. 26 and Saturday, Sept. 27.  The event then runs Thursday throughSaturday nights, Oct. 2-Nov. 1. Howl-O-Scream will also be open on Sunday, Oct. 19.  Operating hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. 

Get your tickets early and save on a single terrifying night at Howl-O-Scream 2014. For a limited time, any single-day admission to Howl-O-Scream2014 is $47. There’s safety in numbers, so you and three friends can also save on a pack of four or more tickets to Howl-O-Scream 2014 on Thursdays, starting at $35 per person. Busch Gardens Tampa pass members can take advantage of their limited time exclusive discount on any single-day admission to Howl-O-Scream 2014 for only $42. 

Stay tuned to HowlOScream.com for the latest terrifying details. Howl-O-Scream 2014 is a separate ticketed night event. No costumes are allowed. For guest information, visit HowlOScream.com or call 1-888-800-5447.

Howl-O-Scream is intended for a mature audience. This year's event contains intense adult content such as violence, gore and blood.

Metrocon!

This year is the first time that Rachel and myself were able to have the pleasure of going to the Tampa Bay Metrocon, Florida’s biggest anime convention.  We want to first of all thank the great press relations group over at Metrocon for getting us in last minute, and treating us like we had been there forever.

Unfortunately, we were only able to treat ourselves to the Saturday of the event, due to it being Rachel’s birthday.  That being said, we were able to attend a few panels while we were there, and got to hang out with a couple of fans (of ours even, that’s crazy) as well as seeing a lot of amazing things.

The entire vibe of the con was fantastic, this was obviously a fan convention.  While yes, it is a smaller convention, but had enough energy to fill twice the area that it was in (the Tampa Bay Convention Center).  The excitement was electric in there, especially when you got around the panels and interview lines.

We got to attend the Yugioh panel, the AMV panel and competition, and the beginning of the Anime Idol, but wanted to do so much more! (The few panels we were able to peek in for we were unable to stay for their entireties)

We also got to hang out around Artist’s Alley and the Vendor room, in both of those areas we got to see amazing costumes (Check out the pictures on our Media page), people, artists, and shopkeepers.  We got to hang out with an AMAZING artist named Jennifer, who we unfortunately could not get any of her art or pictures, but she was a fantastic artist who specialized in super hero teddy bears.  

This is an abbreviated review, but we were unable to attend nearly as long as we wanted to, and will definitely be back next year to rock the entire event!

Again, thank you to Shannon and the group over at Metrocon for having us. We would love to be back again next year!

For pictures of the event, check out our media coverage page!

Visit Metrocon's page at: http://www.metroconventions.com/

Press release: BUSCH GARDENS’ NEWEST SHOW OPENING NIGHT CRITTERS TAKES THE STAGE

TAMPA, Fla. (July 9, 2014) – Busch Gardens® Tampa’s newest live stage show Opening Night Critters takes the stage this summer in Pantopia Theater. Featuring rescued domestic and exotic animals, including dogs, cats, birds, a horse and a kangaroo, among others, this theatrical tale follows a couple of stage hands as they haphazardly find themselves in the spotlight as the human stars in an all-animal production. 

The stage hands quickly discover that working with these animals isn’t as easy as they had originally thought. Try as they might, they can’t get their costars to cooperate and when nearly all hope is lost, their kindness and compassion is rewarded when everything falls into place for a fun-filled, furry and feathered finale.

See a preview of Opening Night Critters, now playing in Pantopia Theater, on the Busch Gardens YouTube channel.

In addition to Opening Night Critters, guests can guests can take advantage of extended park hours until 9 p.m., special entertainment, high-energy DJs and the thrill of riding world-class coasters in the dark during Summer Nights®. Now through Aug. 17, Busch Gardens amps up the excitement with fan favorites like the energizing acrobatics show Kinetix and fireworks every night.

New in 2014, Gwazi Park heats up with Saturday-night concerts during Summer Nights. In addition to pop, R&B, alternative and Latino music artists, guests can indulge in summer-favorite grilled food items and a selection of craft beers.

The Summer Nights excitement, including concerts, is included with daily admission or any annual pass. The full concert area is open to guests and located just behind the Gwazi rollercoaster. Concerts will take place at 8:30 p.m., immediately followed by a grand fireworks finale. Note: concerts will take the place of Kinetix on Saturday nights only.

Celebrate at Busch Gardens all week long with the all-new “Select Your Day, Select Your Savings” ticket offer. This new pricing lets guests choose between a weekday visit or an “any day” visit, both offering great savings, including saving up to $30 on a single-day ticket. Guests have the flexibility to use their tickets up to one year from purchase, but what they might enjoy most is the convenience – buy online, print tickets at home and go straight through the gate.

Annual passes, which include unlimited admission throughout the year, free parking and no blackout dates, continue to be the best value for Florida residents and start at just $13 per month with EZpay.

Event dates, times and details are subject to change. For more information, visit buschgardenstampa.com, or call 1-888-800-5447.  Be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following the park’s blog at BuschGardensTampaBlog.com, or “like” the Busch Gardens Facebook page, and follow @buschgardens on Twitter and Instagram.

Upcoming Event: METROCON

This weekend, July 11-13, 2014, Florida's Largest Anime Convention, Metrocon is HERE! Taking place at the Tampa Convention Center, Metrocon is an anime lover's dream!

Geek I/O will be covering the event, at least on Saturday.  If you want to meet up with us, please send us an email to [email protected]

Images and recordings will come after the event!

See you there!

Busch Gardens Tampa and Sea World have a cool deal for you.

Just when you thought that the $50 deal going on was a big deal, Busch Gardens and Sea World decide to give you a cool deal on these extremely hot Florida days, how does $30 Monday-Friday sound? Yeah, we thought so.  

Here's the press release:

CELEBRATE SUMMER WITH $30 SAVINGS WITH WEEKDAY TICKET AT BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA OR SEAWORLD ORLANDO

TAMPA, Fla. (May 19, 2014) – What's the best thing about kids being out of school for the summer? Celebrating at Busch Gardens® Tampa and SeaWorld® Orlando all week long! Both parks are launching an all-new “Select Your Day, Select Your Savings” ticket offer. This new pricing lets guests choose between a weekday visit or an “any day” visit, both offering great savings. Guests have the flexibility of being able to use their tickets up to one year from purchase, but what they might enjoy the most is the convenience – buy online, print tickets at home and go straight through the turnstiles.

Whether you want to visit the thrills of Cheetah Hunt® at Busch Gardens or the chills of Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin at SeaWorld, weekdays are the best time to explore both parks.  

Busch Gardens is the ultimate family adventure, offering nearly 300 acres of fascinating attractions, like Florida’s first triple-launch coaster Cheetah Hunt® and an all-new reimagined land Pantopia™. Opening soon, the centerpiece of Pantopia™ is Falcon’s Fury™, North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower. The one-of-a-kind thrill ride stands at 335 feet and takes riders soaring face down at 60 mph.

And only an hour away at SeaWorld Orlando, guests can climb aboard and ride the mighty Manta®, experience the power and grace of killer whales in the awe-inspiring Shamu® show One Ocean®, share an epic voyage with sea turtles on the 3D 360 TurtleTrek® and feel what it’s like at the bottom of the world and get up close with more than 250 penguins at Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin™.

The Busch Gardens Weekday Ticket is a savings of up to $30 and can be purchased online for U.S. residents at buschgardenstampa.com or SeaWorldOrlando.com or by calling (888) 800-5447. This ticket is valid for one day’s admission to either Busch Gardens Tampa or SeaWorld Orlando, and must be used within one year of purchase.

Annual passes, which include unlimited admission throughout the year, free parking and no blackout dates, continue to be the best value for Florida residents and start at just $13 per month with EZpay. For those interested in visiting multiple parks, the two-park and three-park combination tickets feature length-of-stay benefits and allow unlimited entry to the parks for up to 14 days during their vacation. For complete details about ticket offers, visit buschgardenstampa.com.

Busch Gardens Tampa, Cheetah Hunt and more:

Busch Gardens® Tampa is the ultimate family adventure, offering 300 acres of fascinating attractions based on exotic explorations around the world. Everyone will enjoy the unparalleled mix of animal encounters, captivating shows and thrilling rides. Dive like a bird of prey aboard the thrilling coaster SheiKra.  Soar like an eagle, roar like a tiger, and discover shared family fun playing with your littlest ones at Sesame Street’s Safari of Fun. Take a seat at Busch Gardens’ biggest ice show ever, Iceploration, featuring world-class skaters, larger-than-life puppets, amazing costumes, original music and even animal stars. And experience a new breed of speed, with Florida’s first triple launch coaster, Cheetah Hunt. And new in 2014, Busch Gardens will transport guests to an all-new land, Pantopia™, which boasts elaborately-jeweled theming and features thrilling rides and attractions, sensational new food and beverage options, exciting entertainment, shopping, a renovated indoor theater and more. The centerpiece of Pantopia™ is Falcon’s Fury™, North America’s tallest freestanding drop tower. The one-of-a-kind ride stands at 335 feet and takes riders soaring straight down. Like its bird of prey namesake, at the ride’s highest point, riders will pivot 90 degrees in midair to a face-down dive position. An instant later they’ll plunge 60 mph straight down.

SeaWorld 50th Celebration, Sea of Surprises and more:

SeaWorld® Orlando’s 18-month long 50th Celebration features a Sea of Surprises™, including new interactive experiences, even more up-close animal encounters, giant sea life sculptures at the all-new SEA Garden and the SeaWorld “Surprise Squad” roaming the park on a daily basis randomly giving away prizes and special gifts. Oceans of spontaneous entertainment will flow throughout the pathways. “Bubble Blowout” is a fantastical vehicle creating bubbles of all sizes and shapes. Engaging performances with sea-inspired costumes and props will pop up at surprising moments to surprise guests throughout the day, like “Splash Dance.”

At SeaWorld Orlando’s new Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin, families are transported into an icy world like they’ve never seen before where they can explore the majestic grandeur of the South Pole and see it through the penguins’ eyes on a first-of-its-kind family ride. Then, guests step off and explore a massive penguin colony of nearly 250 feathered friends – gentoo, rockhopper, Adélie and king penguins -- in an expanse that envelops them in cool extremes, both above and below the penguins’ icy world.  It’s a must-see, one-of-a-kind experience only at SeaWorld Orlando.

To learn more about the new “Select Your Day, Select Your Savings” ticket offer, and to purchase, visitbuschgardenstampa.com or SeaWorldOrlando.com.

Event review: RePlay: Symphony of Heroes

As heard on the Geek I/O show episode 54, executive producer Jason Michael Paul, of JMP Productions, announced that the North American premiere of the video game symphony  RePlay: Symphony of Heroes, was coming on April 19, 2014 to Saint Petersburg, Florida’s very own Mahaffey Theater.  Myself and Rachel had the pleasure of being invited to come down and watch this absolutely spectacular performance.  

Before the performance, we were treated to a backstage tour and to listen to a part of the symphony’s final rehearsal.  We were also treated to another meeting, face to face, with Jason before the event.  

CJ with Jason Michael Paul

Rachel with Jason Michael Paul

After talking with Jason a bit about what he was doing here in town, and he let us know that he enjoyed the Yankees v. Rays baseball game the night before, as well as some of the local cuisine.  He let me know that he was not a fan of stuff that was a chain and that he preferred to support the local eateries instead.

We then got to just lounge in the beautiful St. Pete springtime, overlooking Tampa Bay at the Mahaffey Center, waiting for the event to start, and it was a very simple process getting the tickets and moving into the event, thanks to the amazing staff at the Mahaffey.  

Now, the event.

Panorama of the theatre

We get into the theatre, assigned seats, once again the Mahaffey can really handle itself with a crowd.  The theatre is beautiful, and there is a buzz in the air, there are geeks like us everywhere, happy, talking, there are even a few random people in costume!

The lights dim and the guest conductor comes up, a brief narration come across with the soft underscore of music from the orchestra, and then the music from Elder Scrolls: Oblivion strikes up!, The crowd goes completely silent, only gasps heard, and the announcer, Nigel Carrington (Dear Esther, The Dark Knight) comes up, explaining the story.  You are the hero, and you will discover yourself through the stories of other heroes, Master Chief, Link, Chelle, Chrono, and many, many more.  Before each of the chapter’s music, Nigel comes up once again (to the backdrop of Dear Esther music) to explain what your hero’s next step in the journey is.

Most of the chapter’s music is accompanied by scenes from the games they are from, with the exception of a few, which brings me to my real only dig on the event, the two games we personally were looking forward to seeing, Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy VIII were completely lacking cinematics.  I am sure that was because of a licensing issue, and nothing more (this was one question that both Rachel and myself were not able to ask).

The music is beautiful.  The cinematics are breathtaking.  The event flows effortlessly and is by far one of the most beautiful and breathtaking events that I personally have had the pleasure of attending in a very long time.

Now some credits, thank you all again for this event and opportunity. 

Here are some links for review:

Replay’s Site

JMP Productions

Full media for the event

Upcoming Event: rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes

By: CJ Boat

On the latest Geek I/O Show, we interviews the Executive Producer of an upcoming concert making it’s North American premiere here in the Tampa Bay area! rePlay: Symphony of Heroes will take music from video games and pop culture illuminating the great heroes from over the last 40 years.  We'll be covering the event at the Mahaffey Theatre, and you in the area can join us!  Check out the interview from the latest podcast, it’s an amazing experience, and we’re looking forward to the concert!

Let us know if you're going to be at the event!

The concert's site is: http://replay-symphony.com/

A direct link to the interview only: 

Here’s the press release:

“rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes”

ARRIVES AT MAHAFFEY THEATER IN ST. PETERSBURG ON APRIL 19

Breathtaking Feast for the Senses with New Arrangements of Award-Winning Music From Your Favorite Games!

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – February 26, 2014 – “rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes”—the spiritual successor to one of the most acclaimed concerts to ever hit the stage, “Play! A Video Game Symphony”—is an exciting new concert series that celebrates the artistic side of video games and features music depicting memorable moments from some of the most popular and beloved video games of all time, including Journey, The Legend of Zelda, The Elder Scrolls, Halo, Final Fantasy, God of War, Metal Gear Solid, and more. The captivating show will make its North American debut at St. Petersburg’s Mahaffey Theater on April 19 and give concert goers an experience that promises to leave them screaming for more.

Games, games, games! The event will highlight scores representing some of the best music that games have to offer, from PC to Console, Indie to AAA, and Classic to Modern. There is an all new arrangement of music from “BioShock” created specifically for “rePLAY” in collaboration with the music's original composer, Garry Schyman, known for his award-winning work in American film, television, and video game music. The Chinese Room's hit indie game title “Dear Esther” also plays a large part in the show, featuring music from renowned composer Jessica Curry, narration by actor Nigel Carrington, and HD video from the game. Additionally, guests will relish in a new arrangement of “The Turret Opera” from “Portal 2,” which was created with the help of Valve's resident composer, Mike Morasky.

Developed by the creative team behind “Dear Friends,” “More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy,” and “Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses,” the “rePLAY: Symphony of Heroes” live concert experience places the beautiful music of games in a whole new context, taking the audience on an extraordinary hero's journey. The music of “rePLAY” serves as a focal point to displaying the incredible worlds that are created for these games, and highlights the art, animation, visual fidelity, and technical feats that make the medium so compelling across the globe. Additionally, new HD visuals have been created for each piece in the show. A powerful concert for the entire family, gamer and non-gamer alike, “rePLAY” is an unforgettable experience.

“We are thrilled to debut this new concert series at the amazing Mahaffey Theater this spring,” notes Jason Michael Paul, CEO of Jason Michael Paul Productions, which is producing the concert tour. “This is a truly unforgettable event with entertainment that appeals to a wide audience, from gamers and music fans who want to enjoy music from the best-selling video games of all time to others who are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he added.

2014 Bay Area Renaissance Festival

By: CJ Boat

NOTE: as of this writing, the event is still on, weekends until April 6, 2014.

The Geeks landed for the second time this year over at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa at the MOSI fairgrounds.  This is an unique event in the Tampa Bay area, where nothing else really exists like it in the area.  We’re going to go over food, vendors, events, and performances, and you can make up your minds to visit or not (you should go, several times). We have been twice, and I am going to cover the last time we went, celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day weekend.

When you think of food at the Renn Fest, you think of a couple of things instantly, turkey legs and mead.

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There was much of these things and more here.  We had a few things to eat here, a broccoli and cheese soup in a bread bowl, turkey leg, pork kabob, some apple cider, and mead! MEAD! The bread bowl was good, but nothing really amazing, it filled the spot, it being a  80°F sunny Tampa day, and us being hungry.  We ate that, then turned toward the main portion of the Festival festivities, what is lovingly called Piper’s Valley. 

    In Piper’s Valley, we have all of the theme weekend’s celebrations: in this case St. Patrick’s Day merrymaking.  This leaves everything in a lovely shade of green, most of the tents are green, and of course all of the beer is green as well. There is a lot of beer!  Not being a beer drinker myself, we opted for more of the finer things in life: cider.  It is an amazing thing being in summer-like conditions sharing an ice-cold cider (Woodchuck in this case) and hanging out with friends. (Image here)

    After this, we left the madness that is Piper’s Valley on an epic quest (we split the party during this part, and the outliers never returned - never split the party) to get actual protein in our systems.  Some of us opted for the almighty Excalibur of turkey legs, and some of us opted for a pork kabob(I opted for the pork, which wound up in my cider, and made it AMAZING, much to my surprise, but it may have been the mead talking) both of which were delicious, and there are plenty of other items of food here (including a wide selection of vegetable and vegetarian choices - don’t do the portobello mushroom burger, it’s not good) and lots of drink to be had.

Of course other than Faire food, you are thinking of things to buy, and there are dozens of vendors with varying merchandise, from handmade soaps, to homemade walking canes, wands, swords, leather garb, pirate swag, and so much more.  In particular we found an awesome vendor who made remarkable blade replicas made of leather, and another really awesome leather workshop, where they would run lectures through the day, and if you paid the right amount, the artisan would do custom work for you through the day. The main thing to remember is make sure you have enough money to get that mead, because you can easily break ye ole bank on the merchant rows.

A specialization of this particular Renn Fest is the amount of events going on.  There are hours and hours of events outside of the performers.  There is high tea at 4 PM, human chess matches, jousting, the King’s Court, massive brawls, and more! We sat and watched a few jousting matches, the human chess tournament, and the grand melee.  There may be other events that I am missing, but that is what we were able to cover, and they are all really fun events, and your time will be wisely spent going to these amazing things.

    Our personal favorite thing to do is going to the performances.  The Washing Well Wenches, Johnny Phoenix, a random time-travelling rabbit, mud shows, the wheel of doom, and lots more.  We saw a couple of Johnny Phoenix’s shows his adult show and a normal show (watch the adult show - it’s infinitely better), the Washing Well Wenches doing their raunchy comedy act, and a very cute rabbit being coerced into doing things with carrots and that kind of thing.  After the Johnny Phoenix adult show, we sat and talked with him for over a half hour, and booked him for an upcoming podcast! This was by far the most interesting event, because we were discussing very personal things with a man … well… there’s a photo-dump below, and he’s the tall bald man.

As always, if you are in the Tampa Bay area, and have some fun things for us to cover, send us an email over at [email protected].

BARF Site

Entertainment

Merchants

Here are some pictures of the event. Click to progress through.

Florida Strawberry Festival review

The 2014 Florida Strawberry Festival is behind us once again. My family went again this year; a tradition of sorts for us. As always, there was so much to do, and sometimes you can get lost. I want to take a look back at my time at the fair.

When thinking of the Strawberry Festival you should think about the food. With, of course, a special focus on some of the sweetest, juiciest strawberries Florida has to offer. Most of the time, they are bought directly from the local Plant City farmers, and they are usually the most  deliciously ripe strawberry, simply bursting with a sweet nectar that's full of the promise of a leisurely Florida Spring.  There is the famous “make your own” strawberry shortcake booths, with lines going around the building, where you can pick your own strawberries, biscuit or shortcake, and have them make it behind a Subway-esque people line.  You pay a premium, but are simply the most amazing things, and well worth the money.  Other than that, there are many other delicious strawberry delicacies like fresh made ice cream, pies, cakes, and the like.  Then of course you’ll get fair food: the deep fried bacon, doughnuts, pickles, and the like.  No one talks about that though; go for the strawberries, and get the heartburn from eating deep fried stuff.

The next draw for the festival is the RIDES! They have not one but two midways, each with unique things.  You have the varied rides from thrill coasters, to ferris wheels, and that type of thing.  Nothing much to really bring up in here, except that we brought our kids on their first Ferris Wheel ride, and they loved it. It was a magical thing to have that first at one of our favorite places to go.  We did not do any other rides, and did not spend too much time here, because it fills in very quickly, and can get very tight, even in both midways.

The next thing I am going to cover is the shopping.  There is a metric ton of vendors, mostly local  but with some national booths as well.  There is no set group of vendors here, you have everything from homemade soap, to “redneck chic” farm fashion, to jewelry, to even a massage therapist who will do anything within reason, but has to be above the clothes (shining point of the day.). We did some shopping, picked up some custom signs for our kids, and a few pieces of delicious smelling soaps.

The final thing I want to look at is the activities.  This is a farm focused festival, so you have plenty of farm-type things to do.  Several petting zoos, barns, farm animal competitions, largest vegetables, and that sort of thing.  Our kids LOVE the petting zoo and the pony rides, which we did twice the day that we went.  

Of course there are HUNDREDS of things to do at the Florida Strawberry Festival, and we were unable to cover everything, but we go every year, and look forward to going back.

Every year it gets better and better, and we love every minute of our time there.