After never going here in 20 years of living in the area, I have now been twice in three months. The first time was for Brick Fest. Super fun event, but it was so packed that we could barley move. It was a good thing I left the stroller at home. There would be no way I could push that around with the chaos of the place. There was one family with a stroller and I saw a different member with the stroller against a wall throughout the day. The A/C was either broken or there were too many of us that day. It was 110° outside that day and we were sweating so bad inside that you would think we were at Disney walking around. The second time was for Spookala. So fun. Loved the space to walk around and then going to a different space for the autograph tables. The one bad thing that day was the bathrooms on the expo side before walking to the autograph tables. Out of all the stalls, 2-3 were clogged and the one Family Bathroom had a broken lock. Not good. Parking wasn't awful. More drivers not knowing how to use turn lanes. One thing to work on is the parking ticket booth. Wether paying with cash or card, it took time for the attendant to punch in buttons and wait for a ticket/receipt. Especially when the connection there for their computer is not the best read more

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The fairgrounds are a great venue for the Florida State Fair and other large scale events, such as equestrian shows, trade shows, expos, concerts, and festivals. Its location is convenient for almost everyone, regardless of which direction you're coming from. Vendors at the past state fair were well spread out and provided a variety of unique food options. Expo hall is fun to explore if you're new to the Fair. read more

I've come here for a couple of different events and it's usually relatively busy. I was just here recently for Spookala and there was also a children's cheerleading competition happening at the same time so it was pretty busy. Parking was about $20 and the parking lot was quite full. The inside where the convention was was a decent size. Bathrooms were fine and overall I had no complaints, read more

Life at the faaaaiiiirrrrr!!!! The Florida State Fair is on again for 2025! We are not ones to do the rides as we want to see all the art submissions for all over Florida and watch the best of the best farmers compete with their livestock. We love to connect with local farmers and get tips for our garden or even beekeeping! Cracker Country is wonderful and educational for everyone if all the buildings are open where my 8 year old made his own hand dipped candle, rope, and dyed a pouch like they used to in the old days. He also got to use an over 200 year old printing press to stamp a postcard that was then stamped again for mailing at the post office there. So much to see! They also always have a circus and creative food options. Like dill pickle grilled cheese and mac and cheese hot dogs. Even soul food eggrolls! The dill pickle lemonade is my favorite. Come say hi to Smokey the Bear or see how steam works in their many exhibits. We never ever miss the fair! read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Pickle lemonade - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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I been here a number of times for a variety of events, of course the Florida State Fair trumps them all, I mean it's difficult to beat amusement rides, fair food, barn yard animals and lots of arts and crafts to see but that's just one annual event not the venue - the fairground is located just off I-4 it's the perfect setting, it's spacious and the public can see it all as they drive by. As convenient as it seems entering the fairgrounds is like filling a small pond with Niagara Falls, funneling onto Route 301 from I-4 is painful regardless of what direction you are traveling, it seems like an endless line of cars and orange cones, flashing lights and yellow vested attendants waving and pointing, it's a lot like the blind leading the blind unfortunately and when you get to your parking space it's likely to be on the grass whether the sun is shining or it's a torrential rain event. Once you make the walk and sometimes that can be quite the walk the ticket booths are pretty efficient and security in my experience is a non-event. The interior of the main pavilion is spacious and the exhibition halls are clean although they could use a lighting upgrade in my opinion. No matter what's being presented here be prepared to walk a lot so wear some comfortable shoes and bring plenty of cash the food here is pretty good but not cheap I always eat a giant corn dog covered in yellow mustard but if that's not your thing there are plenty of other options. The facilities are well maintained and it's certain that I'll return here often as things that interest me are scheduled... read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Came here for the Janet jackson and ladies of R&B concerts. The venue is lovely! It's open air so if you are concerned about rein, proceed at your own risk. It's a cute place. There's not a bad seat in the place. If you're hungry and don't eat meat, eat before you come. There are minimal non -meat selections, I saw fries. I thought parking was going to be a headache but it was actually really easy and pretty quick getting in and out of there. I would definitely go back read more

Best part of the fair this year was Keel and Curly Winery being there. Visited them under the large dome tent near the large slide and tried their new Candy Apple Hard Cider. It was soo refreshing and yummy. Can't wait for it to be available for purchase. It's about $11 per glass. Arrived around 4pm and no traffic. Only a small line for parking. Parking is always free and if you are handicapped place your tag up while in line and the staff will allow you to park up front. We purchased tickets online prior to going and was able to go in the express entrance which was great because the other line was very long. We walked around and enjoyed browsing the small shops and animals. The walkway that houses the main food area was overly crowded so we didn't even bother going that route. We did find some corn dogs to enjoy which is always a must when going to the fair. Nothing really stood out this year other than the cider. Armbands available to purchase if you are into rides however the lines were very long. Recommend purchasing all of your fair tickets and armbands online prior to going. read more

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I enjoyed visiting the Florida State Fair . They did a great job combining rides, , live shows, agriculture exhibits, games and food. I thought that the ticket purchase and food was priced about what you would expect from this type of atmosphere but the games were unreasonable. Every booth with a toss, throw, shoot, grab or fish around for ..cost five or ten dollars a piece. Both of my grandsons went home with a few dollar store type stuffed animals/toys ...and two gold fish. It cost ten dollars to win the goldfish and $60 at PetsMart to house them. By the way ... PetsMart sells the goldfish for twenty two cents a piece. Overall it was worth every penny because we had a great day. read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Elephant Ear - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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We spent the day at the fairgrounds attending the State Fair. We are lucky enough to be able to go on a weekday when things are more quiet. Parking is very easy and no lines at the ticket booth. Certain days are priced for 55+ so for $10 each, we had a day of fun. The fairgrounds are huge and everything is nicely laid out. I have come to the fairgrounds for other events, but it really is perfect for the State Fair. The buildings are nice and have plenty of restrooms. They have hand sanitizing stations everywhere and a number to text if they are empty. There are benches and tables all over, so plenty of places to stop for a rest. For the State Fair there were boatloads of food trucks, rides and games. The music acts, the circus, pig racing, etc. all made for a great day. read more

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I went to the fair this past Sunday and it was crowded per usual. I didn't mind because my mind was set on one thing....FOOD. I wen with hubby and daughter. We got her a wrist band and she enjoyed everyminute of it. I'm pretty sure she went in tge fun house like 6 times. She was all smiles. I didn't over indulge too much. I normally stick to the classic fair food. I'm not a "deep fried butter" kind of girl. I had roasted corn, Pronto pup (corndog), a cuban sandwich. I also bought the Amish Donuts and candy apple to take home. The prices for the food are pretty steep and they seem to get higher each year. Overall i enjoyed my time. I can't wait for the strawberry festival so I can do it again. read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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I've been here for a couple of different events. Each time it's moderately busy depending on the event. Parking can be free or $20 bucks depending on event. The fair brings a lot of people, be prepared to walk from parking space. RV show was less crowded but busy too. I was at an event for running and there was a competition going on in the other building. Of course I didn't realize it and I just started following the people. Lol read more

Love the annual trip to the state fair. We go on 2 dollar Tuesday and eat all we can. No rides lol. The one thing I wish they'd do is have more variety vendors. There's like 4 or 5 nacho, corn dog, and tea stands but could be more unique finds. Overall we had a wonderful time and rated the good 4 out of 5. read more

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Do not attend this convention , the managers who are so called in charge won't respond to your emails, tags on social media, nothing. I sent several contact requests , emails , and tags over a three week span and not one response. I then spent over an hour with some guy named Mike who said that all he was told by the managers was to contact Tixr which I did and Tixr advised it was up to the convention. I lost so much money due to the non communication from this AWFUL event. I know people will still go to this event but for me I was a loyal 3 year attendee driving over 10 hours and you lost my business. I have contacted my credit card company and filed a dispute from this awful company as well as being this to the Florida better business bureau. If you attend just be prepared to get scammed and lose money due to the lack of communication from the staff read more

Had a blast at the fair but parking was absolutely terrible with no sense of direction at all. Will come back for events but hopefully there is better guidance in future events read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Ferris wheel - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Dessert wars was amazing! Had the best VIP experience! Cant wait to go back next year!

I went here for the India Day Festival, I have never been here before. The parking is very well organized and the staff was polite. Inside they had many booths set up with vendors selling indian clothes and jewerly. I had two of my nieces performing in the contest, there was plenty of bleacher seats along with two screens on either side of the stage. Outside they had food vendors setup, the reason we didnt bother getting anything was because it was hard to tell where the line started for any food vendor. I would love to come back here for another event in the future. read more

Never again in my life will I come here. We came in the summer to see BSB. It went ok, none of the employees knew anything about parking but whatever. Here today for the state fair and it is a hot mess. No one is directing traffic, no signs, no one assisting with parking. The streets are a nightmare. Cops riding past and laughing at the traffic and not helping We sat in traffic for over an hr Never again will we come here for anything read more

Haven't had this much fun in a long time. The smells and ride had strong sense of nostalgia over me. The first food I rand for were the funnel cakes, which now has a new flavor. SMORES'!!! I took a picture but it was the last bite. Please forgive me Yelp. read more

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One of the better State fairs we have had the privilege of visiting! Last year there wasn't much to see or do with the kids. But this year seemed way better! I love that you can pet many animals, different types of foods affordable and such a clean fair! read more

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Of course. A must go no matter where you live in the state. Street corn in a cup, Amish donuts, and funnel cake. Throw out the diet and come have fun! read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - It's that time of year. Diet will power will be tested. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

My husband and I decided to go to the Tampa Bay RV Show here. Being pretty new to the area I had only been to the fairgrounds once before for a Home Show. I had no idea how huge this place was! When we arrived it was $8 to park and another $4 per person to get into the RV area. There were many different things going on so we were instructed to follow the signs that directed us to the area where the RV's were. It was set up very nicely and there were many different manufacturers there. Each manufacturer having their representatives to explain why their RV was the better choice. It was extremely similar to a auto show. They had incentives for you to make a deal at the show. If you are interested in purchasing a RV it's a good place to see a lot and do some comparisons. In my opinion they didn't have enough food and drink options available. On this particular weekend it was so extremely hot I thought I would drop dead! There was nowhere to escape the sun unless you went into a RV. There was no shade anywhere! Had i known ahead of time I probably wouldn't have gone. The walk back to the car wasn't far at all. They had people parking right outside the RV area. read more

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I have been to this place for many different events that take place. A hidden gem. 310 acres of interesting, exciting, and affordable concerts and shows. They have 300 events a year, including the fair. Family and friendly atmosphere. Reasonably priced for a family as well. People from all over the state come here for everything. They have a huge area of parking but its always paid. The inside auditorium is awesome for having some great events or shows. I was there for our Indian Cultural event which was an awesome one where there were more than 2000 people showed up for the event. Had a great time. read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Ran the Insane Inflatable 5k herd. Third time at this location. For 2019 they changed the date to April. Was previously November. They relocated the obstacles to the I 75 side and it is a big improvement, mire shade and allows proper distance for 5k. Could provide one more water station. Parking is cash only for this event. Parking was easy, plentiful and close. read more

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This place is huge. I like that there are actual standalone buildings and real restroom facilities, not just Portapotties. Parking is ample, but it can be a mess. It took forever to park, but that was a staff issue, not a physical plant issue. read more

Fair food frenzy drive thru event with distance in place. A couple fair vendors partner up to bring this event. The grounds getting thru cones to starting point since the sign had blown over.. Once you reach the starting point there's a huge menu to order from, pay either by debit, credit, or cash they stick the receipt to the outside windshield your instructed to go to (2) two lanes you drive until someone stops you. That person goes & gets all the items purchased & brings it back to your vehicle. There is a area to park & eat or you can take it with you. Remember some items are not hot. The best thing I purchased was funnel bacon on a stick. The least favorite purchased was corn dog & French fries- they were on the cold side. read more

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This review is for the gun fair held at the grounds. They charge the full $8 for parking even if you are just coming back to pick up a gun that you purchased the previous day. They also TRY to make you pay the $11 admission fee again. My husband made a purchase on a Saturday around 3pm, but they were having a delay with the background checks because they were processing so many at once. Closing time (4pm) came around and the clearance still hadn't come through so they told us to come back the next day to pick it up. We asked about some kind of validation so we didn't have to pay admission and parking again, but they said that although we MIGHT get reimbursed for pick up day admission, that there were no exceptions for parking. The next day we thought we'd ask the parking attendant if they would let us do a quick pick up, and she and another attendant jumped down our throats and said absolutely not. They asked us to pay or leave the premises. I wasn't even allowed to wait outside the parking area for my husband (out of the way); they said I had to completely leave the grounds. As far as paying admission again, after receiving much attitude, my husband was allowed to enter and was refunded the $11 when he exited after a whopping 5 minutes. I'm sorry, but that's no way to do business. Making someone pay $19 ($11 admission and $8 parking) on purchase day, and another $19 to come back and do a pickup is just greedy. read more

Woah! We had so much fun at the Florida State Fair at the Fairgrounds. There was so much to do and so much to eat! Starting from inside the atrium, there were so many cool things to look at, try on, and sample. So the fair opens at 11am but the rides don't start until 1pm; which gives you enough time to shop and eat! Make sure to buy your tickets ahead of time because it cuts the wait to get in A LOT! The $20 band was definitely worth the price. So much to do and so little time! If you have the means to go on a weekday, do it! Because if it's that packed on a weekday, I can't even imagine a weekend. Wooohooo my feet are sore! Can't wait for next year! read more

In addition to everything else here, they also have a campground. If you are a camper it is a great place to come camp and see a show at the amphitheater. Like most fairgrounds camping it is essentially a big field with hookups. You can't stay here during the fair, it is used by vendors. The rest of the year it open for use by the public. read more

I've been to this location for several events. This review is for the Holi Festival that was held here today. It was held in a smaller section of the fairgrounds but they had enough space for the festival. Tons of fun getting to experience something that is hugely celebrated in India. The location provided enough space for a tent, areas for families to set their picnic blankets, a bounce house, and what I called the pit where they had the DJ playing music and everyone gathered to have fun with the color powders and water! read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Celebrating Holi in Tampa - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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I've been to two high school graduations here, two horse shows, and of course many annual state fairs & concerts over the years. The grounds are large, and parking is plentiful from several different entrances. It's mostly unpaved, which makes wearing dressier shoes awkward for special events like graduations. Bathrooms in the Expo Hall & Special Event Center are clean & usually well-stocked, but there's often an attendant handing you a paper towel & expecting a tip (definitely during the State Fair). Both of these main buildings are older, poorly lit, & noticeably dated. In spite of my tinnitus, I don't think the sound is very good, either. But the facilities are large & climate-controlled, usually offering reasonable event admission fees, if any (graduations are notably free with only a parking fee). Cracker Country also on property is fascinating & well-maintained. While it's a State Fair staple, I think it's open year-round. It's very historical & informative. read more

Mooo cows and pitbulls and a guy who said he'd be my valentine. "Cracker Country" filled with men who can build a house with hand tools and no nails, and process sugar cane, and women who can cook, play the fiddle, and sell kettle corn. Oh, and all that Carney junk like spinning rides, games, and fried butter. What's not to love? Tip: $10 buys admission with no reentry save for a 20 minute to the car and back jaunt. read more

Why 3 stars? Because it's Jekyll and Hyde. --- --- --- On one hand, I'm quite fond of the fair. I really like coming here, and even though I've only lived here 6 years, it's sentimental to me. On the other hand, the parking situation is nothing short of a travesty here. I recently visited the Funshine Music Festival, and was basically sitting still in my car for 20 minutes after backing out of my spot. Why was the traffic so jammed up? You'd think there would be a team of parking attendants on-hand to prevent this, right? Nope, just a single hillbilly yokel with a wand in his hand, attempting to (poorly) direct three different flows of cars. How does this happen? Similar situations have occurred when leaving a concert at the Amphitheater. I don't know how it's never addressed, but it definitely lowers the quality of the experience. read more

All the hype all the disappointment the snow was nothing but a big hunk ice with hundreds of people on it with no way to move around throwing ice at each other they couldn't do anything the other snow was just the Styrofoam stuff you put on your scenery at home in the cloth on the ground no decorations really to speak of no amazing lights and a line a mile long to see Santa Claus why did they ask us to put in a time when everybody came in at the same time and I didn't even check our tickets I could've walked in here for free and I had to pay eight dollars to park my car very very sad. Surrounding the snow was melted puddles of mud..... I wish a refund was possible. read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

The Florida State Fair is held here once a year and during that time you can grab some delicious fair food, ride some rides that don't feel safe but will be lots of fun, and participate in other fair festivities that Tampa Bay seriously lacks in during most of the year. When I lived in South San Francisco, there were always fairs in town, but not the case here. We have the Florida State Fair and the Strawberry Festival and that is pretty much it. I love fairs though, they are so different from what you can regularly do in town. The state fair does attract some rough crowds, but if you come with a big group of friends you'll get past that and have a great time. The fairgrounds also hosts many graduations, including my own high school graduation, and is a decent place to have a graduation. read more

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Florida State Fair Review: Awful time getting in, but it was pretty cool once inside. Parking is free, which is awesome, but you can end up parking pretty far from the entrance. DO NOT BRING ANY FOOD OR DRINK. They are really draconian about that. I had a water bottle that I bring with me everywhere and they made me go back to my car to put it away (note: we had parked really far from the entrance). I originally thought that they do not allow drinks, because they don't want any alcohol inside. However, I offered to empty my water bottle, because I didn't want to walk the huge distance back and the lady told me that I wasn't even allowed an empty water bottle. This was a huge pain. It is obvious they want to milk every dollar out of you for food and beverages. After making the trek back and forth from my car to dispose my water bottle, one of the two tickets would not scan. We bought them online and printed them, but one of them wouldn't scan. We stood there as the woman tried to enter the code and continued to mess up three times. On the forth try, another woman worker at the entrance came up and told her that she should just let us go, since this wasn't our fault. Thank god for that other woman, or else I'm sure we would have been standing there a lot longer. All that being said, I entered the state fair being extremely irate. This fair is huge. There are a ton of food vendors, but many of them are repeated throughout the fair, so there is less variety than it appears. By the end, I had a philly cheesesteak, steak on a stick, chicken on a stick, and kettle corn. Obviously, you go here for the food. I also got to see a circus performance. I think that made the trip worth it. The performance is free and it was a pretty professional show. However, people line up almost an hour before to get a good seat. We got there about twenty minutes before the performance and got in no problem and still got a pretty good seat. There were tons of other entertainment going on, but none of it seemed worth watching. read more

I have been to the fairgrounds a approximately five times, twice for the food truck rally and twice for the pet expo. I went one time with Jennifer H. and Z-Bot, for a kid's clothing and toy consignment expo. I would recommend going for food and pets, because they are both awesome. I have always enjoyed seeing the little doggies, especially when they are dressed up in outfits (oh.mah.gerd). This year was better because you could take your pet out to the food truck rally. As far as the actual fairgrounds, I have not had difficulty with parking. I think it depends on the event you go to, because I heard traffic and parking can be a nightmare. I am sure if I went to the state fair, it would be awful. There are three entrances: Orient Road, MLK, and 301, so make sure to find out what entrance your venue is located. I have had the fun time of going to multiple entrances, because a lot was full, or I had no idea where I was going. There are large buildings that hold some of the venues that remind me of warehouses inside, but it is what you would expect from a fairground building. The food truck rally is always held outside, which is much nicer of course. I like that there is a large pond in the fairgrounds, because that creates a prettier and calm atmosphere. There is a large pavilion right by the water where you can sit down and eat/drink, and there was live music. To sum up, it is what you would expect from a fairground, and I recommend giving it a go. read more

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Dude, seriously... you'd think that the State Fair would hire people who know what they're doing. Obviously it's lowest bidder time. I just had the pleasure of attending the Funshine Music Festival on opening day. Getting parked, no big deal. Getting in the gate? HOLY MOTHER OF MOSES! And worse? Getting OUT of the place. I nearly got hit twice because of the doofus "directing" traffic, didn't have a clue what he was doing. He'd guided me, and then guided another car almost directly INTO me. It's not just for this event stuff like this happens, it's every time I come to the Fairgrounds. Even the vendors who were running the booths out on the midway couldn't decide what the price of water was. In one booth on center line it was $4.00 and the next one beside it it was $2.00, both run by the same company. *face Palm* read more

I've been judging wines at the fair for 24 years, and I always enjoy those few days of crowds, entertainment and incredibly unhealthful foods. The wine competition is one of the larger in the country, and attracts entries from almost every state. I also enjoy Cracker Country, which is a step back in time, and a great contrast to the garish neon lights of the midway. I also get a kick out of the tacky displays put up by Florida counties I've never heard of. And perhaps my favorite is visiting the chicken, rabbits and cows that are completely puzzled by all the fuss. read more

Florida State Fairgrounds - Rides at night - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I've been here before but it was a very long time ago and it was for an event at the Expo Hall only. This time I'm at the actual Fairgrounds for the World's Largest Food Truck Rally! An epicurean's delight. The lines to pay the $6 parking fee were out to 301 but they were running everything smoothly. The parking attendant directed me where to park and I had no problem w/that at all. The fairgrounds itself is quite large. Too large it seemed for this event. Half way around the grounds and we were sun burnt and exhausted with only a small sampling of trucks in the back to choose from. Everyone was quite nice and the grounds itself were clean as well as the restrooms. (imagine that?) It was a comfort to see the Fairgrounds had a few shaded areas that were covered with picnic tables to eat on. I'll be back and maybe check out the actual fair! read more

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No fair beats the NYS Fair with it's big ol' wine court, state fair chicken (Baker's Chicken Coop y'all!), and dairy barn with the giant butter sculpture and desserts so good you'd kick your mother for one. Still, the FL State Fair is pretty fun. I was shocked that we were not charged for parking which was convenient, quick, and right off the highway. There was a lot to see and we took every chance to see all the animals. I saw breeds of cows I had never seen before (Guernseys, Jerseys, and Holsteins are prevalent in New York state which is #3 in the country for dairy production), adorable rabbits (we got to pet them too!), pigs, horses, and even dogs (we also got to pet them). Especially cool was the "DiscOnnected K9s" which was a really cool show of rescued border collies do some amazing frisbee tricks. There was a nice variety of foods with all the typical fair "fare" as well as your obligatory swamp food (gator). We got lobster rolls and crab quesadillas that were awesome. The red velvet funnel cake is not all that special though. There were plenty of places to sit and rest, grab a beer or wine, and also a lake in the middle that the kids could take a paddle boat for a spin. All in all, quite fun for $12.00 at the gate. The people watching is priceless and for the best views, stay after dark when the real characters come out from under their rocks. read more