The 2018 Indiana State Fair is a must do/go/see/ok run
Before you read any further: Have you bookmarked our post How To Save Money At The Indiana State Fair yet? It's one of our top posts every year and contains all of the perfect tips for enjoying the 2018 Indiana State Fair on the cheap. Also CityMom Abby - like so many moms - wears a zillion hats but constantly manning a camera during her family's visit to the Fair isn't one of our requirements. So this post contains bonus pics from a number of our families - enjoy! “Our State Fair is a Great State Fair!” Sing along with me… oh wait, that’s all I know. But it’s here! It’s finally here: It’s August, it’s hot, and it’s Fair time!As a family we usually go to the Indiana State Fair a few times during the entire length {which this year is 17 days – August 3-19, 2018}. And why not? The Fair is so much fun for so many reasons: The people-watching is amazing. The food is unbelievable. There's entertainment every corner you turn. So far, our family has one trip down. I dragged us out this past Sunday on behalf of theCityMoms in the extreme heat and took in all the Fair had to offer. Here's a recap of our trip and some tips of places you should put on your own must do/go/see/ok run already list:
Go see the Circus.
Seeing as this year’s Fair theme is “Step Right Up,” we started at the Circus because everyone is talking about it. It’s totally worth it and it’s FREE with admission. The line opens an hour before the show, but it begins to form well before that. Case in point: We got to the fair at 11:50am and decided to line up right away when we saw how long the line was already for the 1pm show. It does take about that entire hour beforehand to fill up. If you have time, grab your snacks and food before you go in {may I suggest our family favorites of ribbon fries, corn dogs or a lemon shake up? Luckily those stands are right around the corner from the Circus tent.} You can also find popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy inside. The show runs about a full hour… You will love it!Hot tips: The Circus is NOT air conditioned and it does get quite toasty inside the Big Top. No seriously, those entertainers are troopers because it’s an oven. Make sure to load up on ice-cold water, if it’s as hot as it was for us – 90+ degrees. Before we left, I heard it would feel like 96, so I made sure to fill some water bottles on our way out of the house.If you are going to head to the circus, I recommend starting or ending with it. And you should go!
Go explore the Fairgrounds.
After the circus we were in need of a cool down. We stopped at E V E R Y water misting fan we saw. E V E R Y single one! There’s a handful on the way to The Glass Barn - which was our next stop - and this fan favorite is also air conditioned. It has interactive stations in there for the kids, and they were running a BeanGo scavenger hunt that allowed us to soak in the ice cold air conditioning for at least 30 minutes {Bonus: All participants receive a prize}. Also, take a family photo! We took one in a "cornfield" last year.Next, we headed towards Pioneer Town to grab some grub and pump some water. {Just kidding, you can’t drink the water, but you can enjoy a slower pace back here.} You’ll be mesmerized by the vintage farming machinery and you’ll see blacksmiths and potters too!And while we decided to walk by, make sure to check out MetroPCS Family Fun Park and the Little Hands on the Farm where the kids can play and pretend they are tending to their own tasks around the farm. We didn't get a chance to pop in during this visit, but it's on our list for our return one. In the meantime, here's plenty of photos from other CityMoms to share:
Kiddie Midway = perfection.
Then we were sliding into the midway! We started at the Mini Midway because I swear my husband was a carnie in a past life… He loves anything circus-fun-or-festival so the Fair is totally his jam. In turn, my girls also love the rides so we grabbed some tickets and started checking them out.*Tickets were sold individually ($1.25each), 22 for $25, or 55 for $60 so it can get pricey. And the rides require anywhere from 2-4 tickets each. The booth attendant told us they would have wristbands Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and the last Sunday of the Fair. But also remember tickets are good for the entire time.
Don't forget some of the old faves.
Make sure you check out the Hoosier Lottery Fun Zone too. It’s on the main drag under the rafters of the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand. There’s usually great music in this area and some fun spots for the kids while you are scratching for a spin. I took some wanted posters of the girls and we refilled a slushie while watching people spin to win. And while we waited there {in the shade natch}, we were pleasantly surprised by this amazing circus act walking the streets - it really added to the “Step Right Up” theme and feel of the day!Then walk across the street to the buildings/barns/arena. We didn’t see any animals being shown while there, but we did check out the llamas. I mean, who doesn’t love a llama?! And if you aren’t able to make it while the llamas are there, make sure to check out Animal Town where you’ll find at least one of each animal being shown at the fair! So when llamas check out, you’ll still be able to see a llama at Animal Town every day of the fair! A new addition this year and a great one if you ask me!
The food is worth the once-a-year splurge.
Make sure to grab a Dilly Dilly outside the Coliseum. A cored pickle, stuffed with a hot dog, then fried? Ummm yum. There are so many more fun things to try too - fried Reese's, caramel apple elephant ears, mac and cheese pulled pork, and of course... The Dairy Bar. Because grilled cheeeeeeese.And we couldn’t leave without trying the WAYBETTER STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE - when we got it, we got SO MANY looks. And giggles! And “where did you get that!?!?!?” I think it’s delicious. The milkshake is so good and the extras including a strawberry, cupcake, shortcake, whipped cream, and fruity pebbles really make it. The man warned us 3x how big it was but I had a previous sneak peek and knew what we were in for. {Find it at the Polar Bear Ice Cream Stand across from the DNR building.}If you are needing to give your little footsies a break about now, try out the Sky Ride! It’s a great view of the entire fair and about a 10 minute ride/rest. It is 4 tickets per person one way or $5 per person on way, but was a nice semi quiet moment and even a little breezy!We finally made it home six hours later and all of us needed showers, but man it was an awesome day. Family fun, great food, people watching, and sleepy kids!Until next time State Fair... which frankly might be tomorrow - if this momma can handle it.
MORE INFO: The 2018 Indiana State Fair runs now-August 19, 2018 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, which are located at 38th Street and Fall Creek Parkway. We'd love to give you the rundown on ticket pricing and parking but frankly, the State Fair website is your best option for these details so here's the link to their site. Also, we highly recommend downloading the Indiana State Fair app to your smartphone for trip planning. It contains the day's schedule, a full map of activities/venues and so much more than we can explain here. Special thanks to CityMoms Laura, Amy and Jeanine for contributing photography to this post!