Florida State Fair opens Thursday in Tampa
It's fair season in west central Florida, with the Manatee County Fair, the Florida State Fair and the Florida Strawberry Festival all coming in quick succession.
Next up is the Florida State Fair, which opens today at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.
The fair has expanded massively over the years, and appeals to everyone from urbanites to farm folks, Agriculture is still at the heart of the fair, and every day brings livestock shows and other agricultural exhibits. But the fair also has a great midway, including lots of rides that are permanently installed and that are often open during concerts at the adjacent MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. And, of course, lots of tasty but generally none-too-healthy food.
This year's fair also features an impressive music lineup. In addition to daily shows around the fairgrounds, this year's entertainment comes from Christian pop band Tenth Avenue North (7 p.m. Feb. 8), classic pop band Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (7 p.m. Feb. 12), Blues Hall of Fame inductee Robert Cray (7 p.m. Feb. 13) and hick-hop artist Colt Ford (6 p.m. Feb. 15).
For a lot of fair-goers, the music highlight will be this year's edition of the Country Gold Tour (2 p.m. Feb. 9 and 10). Featured on this year's tour are Leroy Van Dyke, Bill Anderson, Jimmy Fortune, John Conlee, Rex Allen Jr., T.G. Sheppard and T. Graham Brown.
Details: Feb. 4-15, Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301, Tampa. Hours: Tickets: Monday-Friday, adults $11, children 6-11 $6, seniors $9; Saturday-Sunday adults $13, children 6-12 $7, seniors $9. Midway rides and some other activities extra. Information: 800-345-3247, floridastatefair.com.
-- Marty Clear
This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Florida State Fair opens Thursday in Tampa ."