<p>We live in Minnesota, which has a great State Fair! It opens tomorrow, and goes through Labor Day. Fairgrounds are right in the middle of the Twin Cities, and it gets over 1.5 million visitors every year. Tomorrow is our first visit (of two planned this year). Things we like to do: eat shave ice while watching horse shows or cattle judging in the arena; evaluate the crop art; study the butterheads; eat a fudge puppy, honey ice cream, and fish tacos; check out the 4-H Arts In play and 4-H exhibits; vote on our favorite clause of the first amendment; wear free pig ears and pickle hats; try out the puzzles at the Mensa booth; see newborn animals in the Miracle of Life barn.</p>
<p>I’ve decided I want to go to every state’s fair over the next 20 years. So far have also checked out Michigan’s UP Fair (the Lower P’s fair no longer exists :() and Arizona (big rodeo you can watch for free (with fry bread and honey in hand…mmm! And 300 guinea pigs on display the year I went).</p>
<p>So tell me about your state fair, if you go. What do you like to do there?</p>
<p>Ya gotta come to TX and see Big Tex, take a ride on the Texas Star and eat a Fletcher’s corny dog. And it’s in October when we have the nicest weather.</p>
<p>I’ve been to three state fairs: Oregon, California, and Minnesota. The Oregon fair is about the same size as the San Diego County Fair (formerly called the Del Mar Fair) - which makes sense since the populations of San Diego and the entire state of Oregon are about the same.</p>
<p>I went to the CA state fair when I was attending UC Davis. It was okay, but no one from here in San Diego goes since it’s clear up in Sacramento. And 500 miles is farther than most people will drive for a sheep exhibit and this year’s deep fried high-fat/high-calorie food craze.</p>
<p>The MN state fair was by far the biggest and best I’ve ever seen. You could get lost in there for a week and never see the same corn dog stand twice. I think they take state fairs much more seriously in the the mid-west than we do here out west.</p>
<p>Agree with megpmom. I love the Texas State Fair. I think it is the people and the atmosphere more than anything. Also the huge sculpture carved out of butter is oddly entertaining! The Texas Star is a huge ferris wheel.</p>
<p>Texas State Fair has all the usual fried suspects on the menu - but lots of great Tex Mex and BBQ as well. The deep fried Frito pie was surprisingly good last year. Another perk of the TX fair is that the fair grounds house several museums which are free during the fair (TX Women’s Museum, African American Museum, Natural Science, Planetarium, Aquarium and Horticulture, which has a butterfly room) and the Music Hall which is featuring the touring company of West Side Story this year. Lots to do and see.</p>
<p>I adore the California State Fair! Since D was in middle school and decided she’d rather go with friends than her parents, DH and I have settled into a routine – what we call the Old Fart Version which involves a lot of strolling, eating, and sitting frequently so that our feet don’t wear out. Speaking of which, the foot massage machines are my favorite ride at the fair. Heaven! </p>
<p>We visit the livestock pavillion – so interesting to a city girl – and the horses and floriculture. We go to the art exhibit buildings, and we especially love the youth art; the kids of California are amazingly talented. We visit the special exhibit, which was Big Bugs this year including a 10-foot tall praying mantis :eek:. I love the food exhibit building, where I can see prize-winning cheese, honey and jellies; and The Farm where I can try just-picked plums and grapes. We always visit the 9-11 memorial. We catch a performance at the outdoor Center Stage (a sentimental favorite because D danced at the Fair when she was in high school), and do bumper cars (it’s said that I laugh maniacally the whole time). Funnel cakes, barbeque, fancy iced coffee, and a new one this year: deep-fried peaches – yummmm! We end the day with a monorail ride above the fairgrounds.</p>
<p>Loved the Wisconsin State Fair when I lived there. H & I used to take a day off work to go on a weekday to avoid crowds. We would get there when the gates opened to watch the 4H kids take care of their animals. Of course you ate your way through the place - starting with cream puffs, then throughout the day consuming grilled corn, grilled chicken, more cream puffs and beer. </p>
<p>We’ve also been to the NJ and Florida state fairs. No comparison to Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Hey, I’m from Iowa, so what can I say that hasn’t been said already? Except yes we do stand in line to see the butter cow. Check out all the fruit, vegetable and floral displays. Every year H swears he will enter his vegetables, but never gets around to it. Favorite things to eat at the fair – honey lemonade, a nutty bar from the dairy council, Iowa Pork Producers tent, and those hot cinnamon almonds (every year they have their stand next to the honey lemonade booth – heavenly combo!). We look a the rabbits, and the chickens, check out the cattle, the dairy cows, the sheep (always have a leg of lamb sandwich from the Lamb producers while viewing the sheep) and watch the horses. Go look at the quilts, the ugly cake contest, the wedding cake contest (some of which could win the ugly cake contest), the photography exhibit. Take a ride on the Old Mill. Every year we swear we will do the midway, but we never make it there.</p>
<p>Oh, and not to get political, the same day that 15,000 people "voted’ in the Iowa Straw poll, 112,000 people were over at the Iowa State fair trying to decide on which they liked better – a deep fried stick of butter or their heart. I hear that deep fried butter pretty much won in a walk.</p>
<p>Although a lot of my metro New York City area friends turn down their noses at it, the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse is a lot of fun if you’re into the livestock displays. Can’t get too exited about the food, however. It’s the typical stuff you see at every New York City street festival EVERY weekend during the summer; Italian sausages, gyro sandwiches, fried dough, overpriced lemonade likely made from powder, etc. Not much variety there.</p>
<p>The Ohio State Fair is usually in early August. I think it is a good combination of rides, agriculture, midwest food and entertainment. I’ve been hearing about a section - the Natural Resources Park - which is a good place to cool down and get away from the hustle a bit.</p>
<p>The Michigan UP fair is fairly small. A couple of interesting things: beautiful variety of pheasants in the poultry barn, and a sort of cheesy but interesting building dedicated to the timber industry (lots of interactive stuff in it, though decidedly low tech).</p>
<p>Hoping to get to the MN fair in time tonight to see a new show called “Doggies of the Wild West”. :)</p>
<p>It’s admirable to see young kids and adults pamper their livestock. The 4-H kids take great pride in their care of their animals. And like inparent said, some of the poultry specimens are absolutely gorgeous, particularly the exotic chickens with their wild or whacky crowns. I doubt many of them are abused or end up on the dining room table. I saw many fascinating and colorful chickens at the Great New York State Fair.</p>
<p>LOVED that Ohio State Fair. Unless I’m missing something CT doesn’t HAVE a “state fair” although there are some wonderful regional fairs (Goshen, Harwinton, even Riverton).</p>
<p>We’ve lived in several states. No one ever talked about the state fairs in Ohio and Texas, so we never went. It was a big deal in Minnesota, so we always went. We even took the kids there a few years ago, when we were back visiting. The highlights were the birthing barn, where all kinds of animals were born each day and the dairy barn, where you can get great soft serve ice cream or all-you-can-drink milk.</p>
<p>Not a state fair, but we have the Canadian National Exhibition, better known as The Ex, here in Toronto. It started last weekend and runs through Labor Day. There are all kinds of exhibits and shows - a dog agility show, cat show, a horse show, a casino, concerts, livestock, a midway with all kinds of rides, a sand sculpting competition, all kinds of arts displays, a garden show, a baseball tournament. There’s a huge building filled with shopping opportunities of all kinds. The food building is one of the most popular and offers such delicacies as deep-fried cola and the Krispy Kreme burger. If you don’t want to be that adventurous (or crazy!), there is a wine garden with a nice selection of wines and delicious cheeses. The Ex has the Canadian Air Show as it’s grand finale on the final weekend. </p>
<p>Wow, I wish I could get “abused” like state fair animals. They are the most pampered, well-fed, well-cared-for, well-groomed, and just plain good looking creatures I’ve ever seen. Their every need and whim is catered to.</p>