Plant City is best known for hosting the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. Named as one of North America’s 100 Best Events, the festival draws thousands of visitors each year to listen to live music, peruse crafts made by local artisans and sample countless recipes made from the fresh locally grown berries. The Festival celebrates the area’s rich history, its present-day charm and its future plans. Visitors and locals alike learn about the area’s agricultural history, how strawberries are cultivated in the town’s fertile earth and about Plant City’s earliest settlers, even before it was incorporated in 1885. Local school children and older students compete in marching bands, art exhibits and livestock competitions. Largely driven by volunteers, the most coveted jobs at the fair are probably the taste testers who judge the strawberry shortcake, pies and preserves entered by area residents with culinary skills and time-tested family recipes. Many additional year round-attractions entertain Plant City residents and visitors. Visiting Dinosaur World, the area outdoor museum dedicated to prehistoric animals, is a popular family pastime. Both educational and amusing, Dinosaur World is enjoyed by people of all ages. Each November, Plant City hosts another community event called Pig Jam, a famous BBQ contest that brings tourists from nearby towns to taste the delicious barbecue recipes and enjoy concerts and art exhibits. Area parks offer sporting facilities, outdoor performance pavilions, swimming and picnic areas. Nearby Tampa Bay boasts miles of shoreline for sunbathing, boating and countless other water activities. A variety of shopping malls and quaint downtown boutiques, fine dining and a weekly farmer’s market are among other local conveniences and pleasures that add to the quality of life in Plant City which residents consider ideal.