Congratulations, DEBBIE! I will be sending you an email to confirm your details and let you know how to claim your FREE Family Four Pack of Tickets to the Fenway South Fair at JetBlue Park. For those of you who didn't win this time, no worries! There will be more giveaways in our future. PLUS, you can always get the 2 for 1 Coupon for cheap admission! If you were rained out this past weekend, you should've received "rain check" tickets on your exit from the fair. You just take those tickets to the box offices and redeem your updated admission tickets for the day. They have announced that they will honor all tickets that have been purchased thus far, for use on their FINAL WEEKEND, this weekend. Don't miss out, you've got today (Thursday) through Sunday May 8th to enjoy all of the Spring Fair Fun! This weekend looks like it'll bring lots of rain-free skies, hooray!!
I wanted to share a bit about our experience this past (rainy) weekend. We only got about an hour and a half before getting rained out, but we sure enjoyed it! It was nice and overcast, so the sun wasn't making me or the kids hangry (hot / angry). There was a nice cool breeze, and there wasn't too much of a crowd due to the impending rain in the forecast. We only packed a small drawstring backpack with the kids' rain jackets, water bottles, and my mom-kit (hand sani, tissues, and a small first aid kit with like 20 band-aids and alcohol pads). I know, dorky, but hey, they come in handy!
Myself, hubby, and our 4- and 7-year-olds did pretty much only rides/attractions, as we knew the rain would kick us out soon. We first walked up to the box office to pick up our tickets, then headed to the gate (where they do bag checks). As soon as we got in, we went to our immediate right (Cow-town USA, petting zoo, and pony rides). They had cups of feed for $2/small and $5/large. We fed a camel, a cow, and the goats. The pony ride line was a bit long, so we opted to jump on the rides next.
The carousel is the first ride upon entry, so naturally, we hopped on! We walked past all of the food trucks and started our journey on the right path. The whole back side is pretty much a large circle, the left side is mainly kiddie rides, and the right/back sides being for bigger kids. Our son was tall enough (42") to ride the bumper cars this time, so we gave it a go! He really enjoyed it, although he did get the wind knocked out of him for a second. The ride operator stopped the ride for 20 seconds to check and ensure he was ok, which he was! (He's a ninja!) I recommend keeping one arm in front of their chest if they aren't quite "ride alone" size.
Next up was a 3-story obstacle course "Raiders" with a rope bridge and long slide. They ran through the course about 3 times before moving to the next attraction. The Super Cyclone was next (for daddy and daughter), which whipped them around on the coaster, really fast! They enjoyed it though!
The kids then went through the "Zombie Hotel" fun house, which was short and sweet... apparently there were loud noises inside the fun house that they didn't like, but they covered their ears while walking through and were AOK.
Next, they hopped on the Bumble Bee Bop (which goes up and down, around in a circle). Easy peazy kiddie rides, right? Well, I thought so too, until hubby thought it was a good idea to "all get on" the SIZZLER. Now, according to the ride height requirements, my son (42" and barely 4 years old) was able to get on. No, we hadn't watched the ride go before getting in line, BIG MISTAKE. When I tell you I got a crick in my neck from spinning clockwise so fast, I mean I thought I wouldn't be able to hold my head up afterwards. This thing was HIGH intensity. Hubby rode with our daughter, and I rode with our son. There is a seatbelt, but you can still slide as it spins. So, naturally, I just pulled him close to me once the ride began. I had to have my right arm between his forehead and the safety bar, and I was attempting to hold his head against my chest with my right arm. I mean, the sheer kinetic force was so strong that I could barely hold my head upright. Meanwhile, my NINJA of a 4-year-old was saying, "let go of my head, mom, you're supposed to PUT YOUR HANDS UP." I almost died (not really, but close enough). Even hubby (a thrill-seeker ride enthusiast) thought this one was way too much. The ride finally ended after (what felt like) 10 minutes of increasing speeds in a circular motion, and my ponytail had come almost all the way loose, the right side of my neck hurt, but our kids were already sprinted to the next ride!!
We skipped past the other "big kid" rides nearby, and by now we were at the back of the "circle" of the fair. While hubby and I took a moment to catch our breath and thank God we were still alive, we sent the kiddos (apparently unaffected) into the "Wacky Shack" fun house a couple of times.
Once we had regained our composure, we moved on to the "left side" of the fair, where most of the kiddie rides were. Hubby and I took turns so we could both ride the Super Slide with our daughter, while our son rode the Farm Tractors, followed by the kids riding the Groovy Bus. By now, it was sprinkling a little bit, and the storm clouds were coming in hot. We're not afraid of a little rain, so we allowed them to hop on the Swamp Gator and a Caterpiller ride... both kiddie coasters, which had their smiles lighting up their faces. They felt like such big kids, and when our daughter felt it was a little too speedy, she would put her arm around her little brother... so cute!
Up next was the Magic Maze fun house / house of mirrors, which we all enjoyed. By now the rain was coming down a little more than a sprinkle, so we told the kids to pick one last ride. They chose the Puppy Roll, which was, of course, on the other side of the circle, back by our nemesis, the Sizzler... At least this one was an enclosed ride and it kept the rain off of us for the duration of it. After it ended, it was almost a downpour, so we threw on the kids rain jackets, and headed towards the exit.
Of course, kids being kids, we passed that 3-story obstacle course from the beginning, and they begged for one last go. We said yes, because it wasn't lightning and the rides weren't shutting down quite yet, although all the people were starting to leave or take cover under the food truck awnings. They enjoyed their last hoorah and we promised we'd come back for the final weekend to enjoy it some more!
Overall, it was a great experience! Fun for the kids to ride some rides, have some fun, and let some energy out. We definitely want to go back this weekend before the fair leaves, so that we can enjoy some of the shows and the fair food! We were too much in a hurry to take in whatever we could before the rain came, so we didn't even get a funnel cake... sad face. We definitely want to see the magic show, the "Bumblebee robot transformer thing," and the Caribbean Pirates Act!
I really hope you guys can make it out for their final weekend. We used unlimited ride wristbands ($30 value), courtesy of JetBlue Park, but I counted it out for our trip, just for you! This entire hour and a half rush-to-ride mission that I just described, would've taken about 115 tickets in all, if we were to purchase them individually. About 51 tickets for just one kid and all those rides (A 55-pack of tickets = $50). I hope it gives you some insight as to whether you want to purchase the unlimited wristbands, or pay-per-tickets! Let me know if you have any questions about the fair, and I'll try to answer them for you, before you go!!
Here's some updated notes/tips from my original article with the Giveaway Announcement:
They have so much family-friendly entertainment to offer, including: thrill shows, a car-robot show, a magic show, racing pigs, hypnosis show, Cowtown USA, petting coral, pony rides (extra fee), and don't forget about the rides! There are rides for all ages. I've broken it down by height requirements, below!
32" or taller (kiddie rides): Umbrella 4x4 Quads, Swamp Gator roller coaster, Granny Bugs, Farm Tractors
32" w/adult or 42" alone: Carousel
36" or taller (kiddie rides): Mini Dumbos, Happy Swing, Bumble Bee
36" w/adult or 42" alone: Wacky Shack, Giant Wheel, Magic Maze, Puppy Roll
42" or taller: Super Slide
42" w/adult or 48" alone: Bumper Cars
42" w/adult or 52" alone: Sizzler, Typhoon (thrill)
48" or taller (thrill rides): Vertigo, Starship 4000
48" w/adult or 52" alone (thrill rides): Super Cyclone Coaster
55" or taller (thrill rides): Streetfighter 360
60" or taller (thrill rides): Rock Star
Here are some tips for planning your trip to the fair:
- Bring some cash! Event parking is $5 cash. Also, you never know when your child will use their puppy-dog-eye power and convince you to buy a turkey leg, cotton candy, knick knacks, or spend $40 trying to win that huge Enderman Stuffed Animal at a game.
- If you need to purchase admission tickets at the gate, the two left-side box offices take credit cards, the rest are for cash! Unlimited wrist bands and ride tickets are purchased once you get INSIDE the fair.
- Arrive early to avoid long lines and far-away parking spots.
JetBlue Park
11500 Daniels Pkwy
Fort Myers, FL
*Take I-75 to the Daniels Parkway exit (#131) and then travel east for 2 miles. The stadium will be on your left side and is entered from Daniels Parkway. Don't forget to have your $5 cash for parking handy!
Fair Hours: (May 5 - May 8)
Thursday: 5pm - 10pm
Friday: 5pm - 11pm
Saturday: 3pm - 11pm
Sunday: 3pm - 10pm
$5/person with 2 for 1 coupon before 7pm
$10/person normal price
FREE/Children ages 2 and under
*Last ticket sold one hour before closing.
Thursday Night Special: Only $20 online or at the fair | BOGO's and other promos cannot be combined
Admission to the Fair AND Unlimited Rides: ONLY $25 ONLINE | Save $15 ($40 Value) | Available Online through 5pm Friday
Family 4-Packs: Includes 4 admissions and 4 unlimited ride wristbands | ONLY $100 ONLINE | Save $60 ($160 Value) | Available During the Weekend
Unlimited Ride Wristbands: Available for $30 at the fair. Discounted combo tickets (admission & unlimited rides) and family 4 packs are offered online
Individual Ride Tickets: May be purchased at the fair. Rides take multiple tickets.
- 4 tickets for $5
- 25 tickets for $25 (save $6.50)
- 55 tickets for $50 (save $18.75)
