Sunday was the final day of the 81st North Florida Fair, and a time was had to be sure.
The fair took place only minutes away from the FAMU campus. This year the fair lasted from Nov. 2-12, 10 days of fun, but the time didn’t feel like nearly enough. Whether your favorite part of the fair is the rides, the food or the games, it did not matter because this year they definitely had something for everyone.
This year along with the general admissions entry tickets there were also VIP passes available. According to the North Florida Fair website, the general admission tickets were $10 for adults and $7 for children, or there was the option of getting a $45 VIP pass that covered admission and unlimited mechanical rides for one day at the fair. While the website had a set price, there were often days where you could catch a deal , such as $2 Tuesday, or $7 Saturday. The set operating hours for the fair were 5 to 10:30 p.m. on weekdays, Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 9 p.m. Definitely, enough time to have heaps full of family fair fun.
Inside the fair was where the fun was had. Upon entry the aroma of fair festive foods whipped across your face and all of a sudden you had a taste for everything. Before the food could take away your attention, as soon as you walked through the gates there was a beautiful bright carousel usually loaded with children that spun round and round for hours.
After passing by the carousel full of children it became apparent to tell where the captivating aromas were coming from. The air was infused with so many flavors because you could see booths with as many foods as you could desire. They had Mexican dishes, soul food, fried food, and basically anything else you could think of.
Of course, the popular fried Oreos, elephant ears, funnel cakes, and turkey legs were on display in somebody’s hand walking past. At the fair, it’s hard to know when you’re full because you just wanna taste everything.
After looking at all the options to eat, to the right was where they kept the animals. The North Florida Fair had mini barns with plenty of cute fluffy animals to feed and admire. There were at least three separate barns. One held cows, the other held chickens, and the last one had a little bit of everything. Inside the barns were cows, chickens, goats, alpacas, pigs and even wildly enough, kangaroos. Animals you don’t see every day so while it was fun to stay, there was a stench that told you when it was time to leave.
Leaving the animals meant that you could ride the rides. Rides like the Musik-Express, the swings, Thunder Bolt, the caterpillar ride, and the truly iconic Ferris wheel. Either it was the Tallahassee sky or the immaculate vibes because this big bright colorful Ferris wheel that was held at the back of the fairgrounds shined so bright that it just lured you in to come take a ride.
The North Florida Fair was definitely one for the books, hard to forget memories that will last a lifetime. It was the epitome of friendly family fun.