Part of the fun of the Florida Strawberry Festival is splurging on carnival tickets and experiencing the rides. The Plant City Times & Observer staffers enjoy these rides as much as anyone. Amber Jurgensen, Justin Kline and Emily Topper each have their own preferences and know exactly where they’ll be going once the doors open.
Loop the Loop
Justin Kline | Sports Editor
Ever since I became tall enough to ride adult-sized roller coasters and rides with big air time (and I was a late bloomer), I couldn’t get enough of them. I’ve always loved the adrenaline rush.
The Florida Strawberry Festival isn’t exactly known for its ‘coasters, but it does have plenty of rides that will pick you up, drop you down and spin you every which way around.
Two festivals ago, Managing Editor Amber Jurgensen and I thought it would be a good idea to make readers really sick — I mean, show them how cool some of the rides were — by strapping a GoPro to my head, buying a fistful of ride tickets and sending me on everything that looked even a little bit gnarly. After I lost my fear of having her friend’s GoPro slip off of my head and fall to its death, I got to work.
There’s a nostalgic charm in many of those rides, as though they hadn’t been updated since you last rode them in 1999. But my favorite was the ring-shaped ride called Firebird (ed. note: I think) that acted like a classic swinging ship on steroids. Although the restraints didn’t give me the ability to try and float out of my seat, like I used to do on the swinging ship at Cypress Gardens, that wasn’t a deal-breaker.
The view of the Strawberry Festival from the top of that ride, hanging upside-down like a heavily secured Spider-Man, is really cool. If you can stomach the sensation of having your blood rush to your head as you dangle from hundreds of feet in the air, then that view’s also for you.
On the Upswing
Emily Topper | Staff Writer
As a newcomer to the Florida Strawberry Festival, who can’t wait to attend all 11 days of the city’s biggest event, I’m most excited to ride the festival’s swing ride.
Though I’m a Winter Park native, I spent many weekends of my childhood in Georgia visiting extended family. The visits were always marked with at least one trip to Wild Adventures, which was my favorite amusement park as a kid because it had the biggest and best roller coasters. Though my Florida Strawberry Festival ride of choice lacks the twists, turns and lurches that make rollercoasters appealing to young daredevils across the nation, I’ve always enjoyed taking a turn on the swing ride.
My family and I would make a pit stop at the swings before we left, and I enjoyed slowly rising to roughly 20 feet above ground, patiently swinging my feet while I waited for the ride to start. I was 8 or 9 years old on most of these trips, and being that high up made me feel invincible.
I remember pretending I was a superhero, flying fast while I waved to my family on the ground. From that high up, they looked like tiny ants.
I haven’t been to Wild Adventures in years, but I still have a love of all rides that are high and flying. I’m excited to ride the swings now, as an adult, and remember what I loved about them as a kid.
I’m also excited to be able to take in the festival from a bird’s eye view, trying to spot friends and locals I’ve met as I swing through the air. It’s a ride that’s perfect for kids and adults, and one that produced some of my favorite memories as a kid on trips with my family.
Want a Haunt?
Amber Jurgensen | Managing Editor
Last year, there were several rides at the Florida Strawberry Festival that were distinct from the rest. They are known as trailer haunts.
In the tradition of Tunnel of Love, riders sit in a small car on a track that goes inside of a semi truck trailer, which is decorated according to theme. Unlike the Tunnel of Love — quite the opposite, actually — trailer haunts aren’t all hearts and everything nice. Trailer haunts live up to their name: inside are ghouls and monsters shrouded in dim light.
When I decided to hand over my tickets last year, I had no idea what the ride was. All I knew was what the airbrushed exterior (monsters, zombies, mummies and creepy things) hinted at: it was going to be scary.
If you’re in for a good laugh, instead, these rides might be for you. I couldn’t help but giggle at the quirky nature of them.
We entered, going through clear plastic flaps that look like the kind at a butcher’s shop. Then it was pitch black — easily the scariest part. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face or anticipate the turns and jerks the cart was taking on the tracks. Occasionally lights would flash on some haphazardly-placed Halloween decorations that looked like they came from the bargain bin at Kmart.
The whole ride was about 45 seconds.
I would go on it again in a heartbeat. It was cheesy in the way old-school carnival rides are supposed to be. In the day and age of CGI, 3D movies and virtual reality Google Cardboard glasses, these rides were a refreshing taste of simple entertainment.