Central Florida day trip: Strawberries, drinkable dessert and dinosaurs in Plant City

PLANT CITY — It’s strawberry time again.

Yes, the Florida Strawberry Festival soon returns to this berry-obsessed agricultural hub along the I-4 corridor between Lakeland and Tampa.

A tasty Sunshine State tradition that started in 1930, this year’s festival runs from Feb. 29-March 10, featuring a midway, a lineup of nationally known music acts, arts and crafts vendors and carnival rides as well as agricultural and livestock shows.

Of course, there’s also plenty of strawberry shortcake, fresh strawberries and other delectable concoctions for sale throughout the event.

It’s a worthy reason for the two-hour road trip from Daytona Beach west across I-4, but you don’t need to wait for the festival gates to open to satisfy your Plant City strawberry shortcake craving.

That seasonal delicacy is already a signature menu item at Parkesdale Farms Market, ground zero for strawberries, berry-based cookies, breads and jellies as well as farm-fresh produce, plants and souvenirs since 1969.

Over the years, the market has reaped a harvest of glowing reviews and accolades, including assorted titles of "best drinkable dessert" and such from an array of national publications. A host of presidential candidates, in both major parties, also have stopped to offer endorsements.

At Parkesdale, ideally situated across from the Strawberry Festival grounds on West Baker Street in Plant City, the tasty dessert, with its combination of spongy cake, fruit and whipped cream, is only served annually from January through mid-April.

Happily, Parkesdale’s other marquee menu item, the equally delicious strawberry milkshake, is available all year long. On a recent afternoon, I sampled both — in the name of journalistic research, of course.

By lunchtime, the line of shortcake fans extended outside the market's main entrance into the parking lot, but it moved quickly as customers ordered from items on a colorful menu board.

I carried my order (milkshake and shortcake, $10.50) to one of the brightly colored red and green picnic tables in Parkesdale’s “Garden of Eatin’,” a cozy greenhouse overflowing with orchids, dieffenbachia, gardenias, ivy, crotons, tomato plants, peppers and herbs.

There’s also a cheesy-looking red throne, where visitors can enjoy a photo-op as unofficial strawberry king or queen. Parkesdale is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. seven days a week from November through March, then 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday from April-October.

Visit parkesdale.com for details.

And, yes, the shortcake and milkshake were terrific. Worth the drive, even on I-4.

When is the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City?

If you’re looking ahead to the Strawberry Festival, here’s what you need to know:

The event runs from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 29-March 10 at the festival grounds, 303 Berryfest Place in Plant City.

Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for ages 6-12, free for ages 5 and under with a paid adult.

Throughout the event, there’s an array of free and ticketed concerts.

In the latter realm, headliners include the Oak Ridge Boys (Feb. 29); the Beach Boys (March 1); Black Eyed Peas (March 2); Parker McCollum (March 3); ZZ Top (March 4); Craig Morgan (March 6); Kirk Franklin (March 7); The Commodores (March 8); Flo Rida (March 9); and Cody Johnson (March 10).

Visit flstrawberryfestival.com for information.

In Plant City, dinosaurs rule, too

After traveling roughly 100 miles for drinkable dessert, it made sense to drive the extra 2-1/2 miles to visit Dinosaur World, another Plant City tourist destination.

It had been 14 years since I had last visited the attraction, familiar to I-4 drivers for its cast of monstrous roadside dinosaurs that you point at as you speed past Exit 17 in Plant City toward something more fun in Tampa or St. Petersburg.

On my last visit, I wasn’t too impressed with the 150 motionless dinosaur statues, including a T-Rex accessorized by some wiseguy with an empty Gatorade bottle in its mouth. On top of that, there was no snack bar, just Hungry Howie’s pizza delivery to the parking lot.

I’m not making that up.

Fortunately, a lot has changed for the better at the park following a $4 million expansion in 2012 that added a new air-conditioned 22,000-square-foot museum with animatronic dinosaurs, a 5,000-square-foot gift shop, playground area and courtyard with 25-foot-tall dinosaurs and a covered picnic area.

There’s still no food service, aside from vending machines with soda and cotton candy, but with DoorDash and Uber Eats there are more options now for ordering something out.

Dinosaur World has always been known for its affordability and it’s still a relative bargain, with daily admission of $23.95 for adults, $18.95 for ages 3-12. Kids are the primary audience here, but the enhanced park now offers more for adults, too.

Visit dinosaurworld.com for information.

Have an idea for a Central Florida day trip that the News-Journal should explore? Email jim.abbott@news-jrnl.com with tips and suggestions.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Strawberry Festival 2024 in Plant City, a Florida tradition since 1930