Florida State Fair 2020

My 17 year old, 13 year old and I headed out to get our day started nice and early at the Florida State Fair on this crisp, cool Friday morning! This is probably our 7th year in a row going on Hillsborough County student day. As of late, my oldest hasn’t been able join us. Back in the day, we were zoned only for Strawberry Festival Day, then the boys went a middle school zones for Fair Day. Now Hillsborough County gives the kids off for both days. The schools hand out free tickets to each student, the Thursday before the fair day.

We’ve had the same plan for years… we head out about 9 a.m, when the fair opens. We are guaranteed a great parking spot by Gate 3 (the entrance off of MLK). My boys and I walk around for about 2 hours, while the crowd is still small and mostly families, definitely less rowdy. We browse through the animal exhibits, the agriculture expo hall and the marketplace.

This year was the first year that they had the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum expo, which was is free with gate admission. The exhibit has many similar displays as the St. Augustine museum, including the large Robert Wadlow mannequin, pinball machines and interactive displays.

Our first food stop is always Peachey’s Baking Company, or as we affectionately refer to it as, the Amish Donut truck! They have, hands down, the best – hot – fresh donuts and pretzels in the entire state! They never disappoint! As we stroll the midway, munching on our donuts, we browse around to see what other treats tickle our taste buds.

The boys and I always walk around, after we get our donuts and pretzels, to see what other new food stands and trucks so unique snacks and treats.

You can appease the most seasoned carny pallet at the Florida State Fair! They have bison burgers, gator bites, hand dipped corn dogs, deep fried hot chocolate, candy apples, sirloin steak tips, crepes and funnel cake just to name a few notable foodie feasts I noticed as we walked around.

You can duck into one the merchant market place (inside the large expo hall) to escape to beating sun and find more unique treats. Alessi bakery had several bakery cases inside, full of a variety of strawberry desserts and Cuban sandwiches. I passed 2 jerky and meat stick vendors. And I found an ice cream stand that was serving up hard ice cream in several flavors.

Pro-tip – Portillo’s food truck is definitely your best bet for a bargain meal, $7 for a Chicago dog and hot french fries. They sell bottled Coca-Cola products and water for only a dollar!