Last Chance To See DinoQuest At Lowry Park Zoo

Visitors to Lowry Park Zoo, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., are used to seeing a variety of exotic animals. But in the zoo's latest exhibit, the animals aren't alive. They don't even exist anymore, and haven't walked the Earth for hundreds of millions of years. And they'll all be gone after this weekend.
DinoQuest is an outdoor exhibit featuring nearly 20 life-size dinosaur replicas of different shapes and sizes. These aren't just statues, either. Each has multi-sensory robotics that allow life-like movement and noises. Some of these displays truly tower over guests in the area's lake forest setting, like the 18-foot-tall Brachiosaurus, Suchomimus and the well-known Tyrannosaurus.

The way they look and move makes DinoQuest an unusual exhibit. They're not just statues with some fake-looking backdrop. A lot of care and attention went into making this an engaging and entertaining experience. Of course, like most of Lowy Park Zoo's special exhibits, there are special learning opportunities, rides and other fun related to DinoQuest. Visitors will learn which animals are related to dinosaurs, explore an activity area, dig for fossils, control a robot and ride a special Velocity-Raptor inflatable slide. It's a nice complement to the regular activities found everyday at the zoo.

Sadly, DinoQuest ends this Sunday. The exhibit is open during regular zoo hours, and costs $4 per person in addition to regular zoo admission. For those who want to experience the sights and sounds at night, the zoo will be open for the last Dino Nites on Saturday night from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. Dino Nites costs $9.95 per person and includes the DinoQuest exhibit, as well as other select areas and rides. A special Dino Discovery Club, which includes an unlimited DinoQuest pass for both day and night hours is also available for $16. For more information, call 813-935-8552 or

visit www.lowryparkzoo.com.

No Bull: See PBR for $10

Have you ever seen bull riding? I don’t mean a mechanical bull at your favorite watering hole. I’m talking about eight seconds of furious action between the best humans and bulls that the Professional Bull Riders organization has to offer. If you haven’t had a chance to see it live, PBR’s premiere tour is in town this weekend and you can see it for as little as $10.

The Built Ford Tough Series is a group of 28 events held across the country and features the top bull riders of the season. On Saturday and Sunday the series comes to the St. Pete Times Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, for two days of competition. After the riders take the eight-second challenge on Saturday, the judges will determine the top 10 performers who will saddle up again that night. After another full round Sunday featuring all riders, the top cumulative scorers will compete in a final showdown to decide the event’s winner. If you’ve seen it on television (and millions do every year) then you know that the results can be exciting, unpredictable and even dangerous.

Each stop in the series, which reaches 23 states, is important to the riders, who are gunning for a spot in the finals held in Las Vegas later this year. You can catch the action live this weekend, and you don’t have to break your piggybank to see the bulls. Tickets go for as little as $10 each, with higher-priced packages available as well.

The Built Ford Tough Series is an evening event on Saturday (7:50 p.m. start) and a day event on Sunday (1:00 p.m. start). For more information, visit www.pbrnow.com.

Celebrate ‘American Heroes’ at the Florida Strawberry Festival

The Florida Strawberry Festival means plenty of strawberries, of course. But there’s a lot more than fruit to draw you to the annual event, now in its 76th year. And on Wednesday, there’s an even better reason for active military and first-responders to attend: Free admission.

The festival, held at 303 N. Lemon St. in Plant City, is a collection of agricultural and livestock exhibits, food, rides, food, games, food, and entertainment. Did I mention the food? You can’t walk more than a few feet without being enticed by a variety of special treats you won’t find at home. There’s plenty of strawberry shortcake, of course, and you’d be missing out if you didn’t try some. But they also have fried delicacies that you’ve probably never tried before: Fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, fried Snickers, fried Milky Way candy bars, and fried butter. Yes, fried butter. They have plenty of others, too, so if you like your food deep fried or on a stick (or both) you’ll be more than satisfied.

The festival has a great deal of entertainment as well, from music acts like Tanya Tucker and The Doobie Brothers (free general admission seats while they last, and reserved seats available to purchase) to daily activities like Rosaire’s Racing Pigs, a popular attraction where the seats are full for every pig race. There’s also a full midway with rides and games, as well as a special children’s section with rides more appropriate for younger visitors. Throw in all the different businesses booths, vendor tables, photography and art shows and you’ve got a full day of activities to keep everyone entertained.

And on Wednesday, our “American Heroes” get in free. All active and retired military, law enforcement and first-responders will enjoy free admission with appropriate ID. Regular admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 6-12. Children 5-and-under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information, call 813-752-9194 or visit www.flstrawberryfestival.com.