The Coolest State Fairs Around The US

The Wisconsin State Fair is steeped in more than 170 years of tradition. Held in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, the fair offers all of the usual attractions–live music, amusement park rides, and exhibits displaying the cream of the crop in agriculture, horticulture, arts and crafts, culinary arts, and more.

What’s unique about the Badger State’s fair is its multiple marketplaces, filled with hundreds of vendors showcasing their Wisconsin-made wares. America’s Dairyland also knows its way around the concession stand, famous for its deep-fried cheese curds and Original Cream Puff, a fair staple since 1924.

Each August in Des Moines, millions of people flock to one of the oldest and largest agricultural and industrial expositions in the country–the Iowa State Fair. More than a campaign stop for presidential hopefuls, the fair showcases the very best of the Hawkeye State, holding contests and competitions in any category you can imagine, from horseshoe pitching and checkers to crops and baked goods to fine art and photography.

Attractions include a demolition derby, big-name musical acts, amusement park rides, the more than 50-year-old Giant Slide, and the classic Ye Old Mill boat ride. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, try more than 70 different foods-on-a-stick and pick up the infamous Barksdale’s State Fair cookies.

Bring an appetite to the CA State Fair & Food Festival in Sacramento. While the fair hosts the traditional attractions and amusements you’ve come to expect, it also spotlights the state’s agricultural and food products, with cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs, challenges for professional and amateur cooks, and samplings of the Golden State’s finest honey, artisan chocolate, and more.

With more than 75 varieties of olives grown in California, there are special events and competitions to evaluate the Extra Virgin Olive Oil produced there. Vendors make special tasty treats just for the Festival, including deep-fried apple pie, bacon and pecan cinnamon rolls, sweet BBQ pulled pork, and totchos.

The largest fair in the Pacific Northwest, the Washington State Fair in Puyallup is not to be missed. For nearly the entire month of September, visitors enjoy exhibitions and entertainment–midway rides and games, art, photography, and floral displays, musical and comedic performances, draft horse driving demonstrations–just to name a few. Watch as people carve giant pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, and see the adorable miniature animals in the Biggest Little Livestock Show. Attend the Western Rodeo Parade & Cattle Drive, and then take in the Puyallup Rodeo.

An end-of-summer tradition held midway between the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Minnesota State Fair boasts more than 300 food concessions, with staples like Hamline Church Dining Hall that’s been serving the fair since 1897 and the All You Can Drink Milk Stand stocked with milk from local dairy farms. The CHS Miracle of Birth Center offers the opportunity to see baby farm animals and learn about veterinary science–just one of many educational experiences available.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together has tons of memorable entertainment–the Butterfly House, the Haunted House, Monty’s Traveling Reptile Show, the light-and-music-filled Krazy Maze, and the Giant Sing Along, where people can sing karaoke together in a field of microphones.

Home to the largest carnival ride midway in America, the Florida State Fair in Tampa is a thrill-seeker’s dream. Most state fairs are held in the end of summer or early fall, but Florida does it differently and hosts in February. When you’ve had your fill of raucous rides, take in the fair food with a rage of deep-fried options, plus specials like the Hot Cheeto Burger, Loaded Pickles, Tampa Cuban Funnel Cake Sandwich, Pork Belly Pineapple Bowl, Chicken Parm on a Stick, and Dill Pickle Lemonade. Don’t forget the entertainment–there are circus acts, illusionists, a demolition derby, racing pigs, a Cattle Ranching Museum, and a living history museum called Cracker Country.

Promising a great time every time, the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse honors the patchwork of cultures that make the state special. Learn about different heritages in the Pan-African Village, Latino Village, and Indian Village, attend a naturalization ceremony to welcome America’s newest citizens, and watch parades honoring members of the armed forces, law enforcement, and fire and rescue first responders.

Visit the Taste NY exhibition to sample local food and beverages from across the state, listen to live music, take in traditional performances by line dancers and cloggers, enjoy midway rides, animal showcases, and more. The Empire State’s fair is also the first in the nation to host an official Pride Day, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.

Return to a simpler time at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. Explore the Village of Yesteryear, a gathering of more than 75 arts and craftspeople, where you can see demonstrations of traditional flower pressing, woodcarving, basket weaving, pottery making, and blacksmithing.

Eat homemade ice cream, drink fresh-pressed apple cider, stop by the Old Grist Mill, and visit Heritage Circle to see an historic tobacco barn, and watch as farmers use traditional methods to cure tobacco. The whole family will enjoy the horse shows, including draft horse pulls and miniature horse pulls, and kids will love the Field of Dreams, the fair’s miniature farm where they can learn about agriculture.

Arizona’s largest annual event is not to be missed–you can do anything at the fair, from getting a reading from a psychic to picking up lottery tickets. The Arizona State Fair in Phoenix is home to crowd favorite foods, like deep fried s’mores, Ramen noodles with unique fixings, and funnel cake served with different cereal toppings or cotton candy.

Check out the local artists painting large-scale pieces on site every day, find frights at the haunted mansion, cuddle up to cute critters at the petting zoo, take a spin on the hair-raising rides, and watch the feats of talent featured at the rodeo and monster truck competitions. On certain days throughout the fair’s run from the end of September to the end of October, you can bring in canned foods to donate to the local food bank and receive free admission.

If you visit Pueblo to attend the Colorado State Fair, don’t miss Fiesta Day. The most popular day of the fair, Fiesta Day honors Latin culture with traditional Mexican food, Folklorico dancers, and Mariachi music. From late August to early September, the Centennial State also hosts rodeos, farm animals, live music, concessions, and lots of rides and attractions

There’s so much to see and do at the Oklahoma State Fair, held in Oklahoma City. Enjoy friendly competition in a variety of categories–from livestock and agriculture contests to equine events to arm wrestling–not to mention the Great American Speedway Crazy Animal Races, where animals of different species race each other. Visit the Bandshell, where Oklahoma residents showcase their talents in all genres of music, dance, drama, and magic. The Sooner State also features an auto show, petting farm, historic carousel, and the Gentle Giants of Express–Clydesdales from Express Ranches that weigh more than a ton each!

The Last Frontier comes to compete! The Alaska State Fair in Palmer has countless contests to determine the best beards, fiddle players, musical and variety acts, powerlifters, wrestlers, and more–not to mention the giant cabbage weigh-off contest, which has been a tradition since 1941. The entertainment doesn’t stop there, with a petting zoo, motor sports, a rodeo, juggling acts, comedy, and live music–in addition to the magnificent midway.

At the Utah State Fair, taste the amazing ice cream from local dairy farmers–you could even compete in one of the ice cream eating contests! There’s also an annual Beef Feast, where you can chow down on delicious beef tenderloin steak sandwiches. Visit the Barnyard Friends area for kids to meet and learn about baby farm animals and then the whole family will enjoy going to the multiple barns on site to see livestock. Attractions include competitions, demonstrations, live performances, carnival rides, rodeos, and plenty of shopping for locally made products.

Be sure to come hungry to the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville, where you’ll find a cornucopia of concessions as well as live cooking demonstrations and competitions, including the Great Kentucky Proud Cookout. Enjoy live music, horse shows, and plenty of family friendly attractions. The fair is home to more than an acre of agriculture exhibits, with opportunities for engaging education and entertainment. Visit Pride of the Counties to learn about each individual county in the Bluegrass State, including displays of historical artifacts, local agricultural and industrial products, and more.

For an experience that’s truly unique, you’ve got to visit The Big E! The world’s only multi-state fair, the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA showcases the agricultural offerings and industrial items of all six New England states–Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. You can even visit the Avenue of States for replicas of each state’s original statehouse sitting on land that’s actually owned by that state. Take in the daily parade, Circus Spectacular, and horse show, then shop for everything from tractors and hot tubs to clothing and home goods–and don’t forget to help yourself to cuisine from all over the world, plus signature desserts like the Big E Cream Puff or Eclair.