The Florida State Fair is the only fair that’s considered “out of season” because, it takes place in February, while most other fairs take place between July and September. Also, it takes place in Tampa, FL. They even have a designated fairgrounds.So, we arrived the night before in Tampa (my flight arrived on time, Ed’s arrived almost 4 hours later).

We get there near the opening time (11a) on a Monday (a bit of a slower day). We make sure to get there early so we can sign Ed up for the corn dog eating contest (it’s sponsored by Super Dog). This will be his first ever eating contest (we’ll see how it goes). If you don’t know what Super Dogs are…, well let me tell you, they are no ordinary corn dog. They are 18” corn dogs (basically 1.5 feet long).

After getting him all signed up (easy to do because it was right at the entrance), we headed to our first attraction: The Cycle Circus. It was fun to watch, but The Death Wall was next door and starting in 10 minutes, so we headed there. There are only 3 motordromes left in the US and this is the only one currently constructed and running.

We were going to try to catch Aaron Radatz’s magic show, but couldn’t get a seat or even close enough so we moved on. Along the way, we ran into Alfred E Gator.

We went on the hunt for the pierogi sliders and ran into Smitty’s Hand-Dipped Buttermilk Corn Dogs (I was starving – no dinner the night before and no breakfast) and this seemed legit, so I got a corn dog (Ed would soon be consuming a lot so it was just me). Across from the corn dog stand was the Disc Connector K-9 show. Then we walked around the Midway a bit (it was pretty dead still (this area doesn’t usually pick up until later in the day).

We checked out a couple exhibits in buildings before figuring out where the pierogis were. While heading to the pierogi sliders, we encountered The Foam Zone.

And then SUCCESS pierogi sliders from Macken Sliders (2 sliders for $15). The burger patty could’ve been a bit more seasoned…and it was kind of messy eats.

Then after catching some music and more exhibits, we headed for the corn dog contest. It was a max of 8 contestants…and so far they had 6 (Ed was #5). Let’s just say Ed didn’t die, but he also didn’t win. The winner was able to eat 2 18” corn dogs in under 5 minutes.

We walked around to let him digest and checked out a few more exhibits while we made our way over to the Flying Royals show. After that, we checked Cracker Country and listened to some bluegrass music, but also it’s a settlement from the 1900s.

We catch some more music and checked out the Water Spectacular. We killed time looking for something to snack on and listening to more music before checking out Jurassic Kingdom. We got some Midway night content and finished off with a dill pickle grilled cheese and the Sunny Nights Show.

We spent 9+ hours at the FL State Fair.

The next day, we head back to Chicago, but we had some time to kill before our flights (2:30 and 4:30).

We decided to go and try to see the manatees (near the electrical power plant). We arrived too early and ended up killing time at the Apollo Beach Preserve first before going back to the Manatee Viewing Center (which didn’t open until 10a).

With still some time to kill (we had time for lunch). We tried to find some local seafood and ended up at Blue Sea Seafood Market and Restaurant. I got fried mullet and fried shrimp served with a side of steamed veggies (broccoli and carrots) and fries. It was a big serving (both Ed and I didn’t finish). But we also saved room for ice cream. Down the street was Bo’s Ice Cream (open since 1955 – old school ice cream shop). We got a huge strawberry shortcake sundae ($9 including tip) – there was only 1 size.

Then it was back to the airport to kill time and just hang out (which is what I’m doing now as Ed heads to his gate and I head to mine.