Fans of exotic animals and good food—and no, I don’t mean cooking the one to make the other—will be glad to realize that we are rolling up on that time of the year when Lowry Park Zoo holds its annual Zoofari fundraiser. This means a couple of things: 1) your entry cost will help the zoo pay for taking care of its many animals and 2) you can eat tons of good food. Convenient, eh?

(By the way, of course I realize I am writing about “going out.” Maybe I should just change the name of this blog to, “Everything that interests me today.”)

I like Zoofari, which happens Saturday (Nov. 7), for the same reason I like every all-inclusive event that features great food and drink—once you pay your entry fee (in this case, it starts at $80)—you are done and can sample at will. And there will be food worth sampling. Restaurants include GrillSmith,  Ceviche, First Watch, Longhorn Steakhouse, Sonny’s Real Pit BBQ and G. Elliot’s Brunchery and Catering. Some new eateries making their first appearance at Zoofari include Giordano’s,  Perkins Restaurant & Bakery and Datz Deli (I’m a big Datz Deli fan—in fact, here’s their website.)

Sister Hazel will play the mainstage, while Tampa’s own The Vodkanauts wil also play.

This is one of those local events that everyone should go to at least once, in my humble opinion. Follow this link for more information.