Arts & Culture Festivals 2020 State Fairs Check Out this 2020 State Fair Calendar By Susan Breslow Sardone Susan Breslow Sardone Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Susan Breslow Sardone is a travel journalist who specializes in honeymoons and romantic getaways, and who originated New York Magazine's highly successful "City Weddings and Honeymoons" sections. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 06/26/19 Plan to do a lot of walking if you want to see everything. New York State Fair. State fairs, originally held to celebrate the harvest, have grown into enormously popular annual events. For couples on a budget and last-minute vacationers, state fairs offer great, affordable dining and entertainment close to home. Food A bounty of edibles fresh-picked from the farm, ethnic delights, and other unique temptations await those with an appetite for something different at state fairs. At the Minnesota State Fair, you can choose from dozens of different foods-on-a-stick... Regional specialties also reign at state fairs: To determine who makes the finest cheese in Wisconsin, attend competitions featuring colby, cheddar, and other local varieties. At the Vermont State Fair, see how to make maple syrup -- and savor maple cotton candy and maple donuts. And at the California State Fair, sip on blue-ribbon wines. Animals Animal lovers head for the livestock exhibits at state fairs, where they can see the cows, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits, and other farm animals up close that 4-H club members work so hard to nurture all year. Four-legged creatures are also put through their paces in state fairs. Horse shows and dog agility demonstrations draw animal lovers. Those with a greater appetite for speed can catch state fairs' grandstand racing and demolition derbies. Crafts Crafty types will appreciate state fairs' demonstrations of needlework, dress-making, and stained-glass making. Award-winners in canning, baking, cake decorating, and other domestic skills show onlookers how the experts do it. If you're not handy yourself, craftspeople and vendors hawk everything from hand-pieced quilts to amazing new inventions at state fairs. Games and Rides At night, the midway illuminates the grounds. The big Ferris wheel provides an eagle's-eye view of the state fairs activity, and the carousel turns it all into a blur of colors and sounds -- especially when there are fireworks. Visitors of all ages flock to games where prizes large and fuzzy await ring-tossing, balloon-popping champions. (Tip: If your heart is set on walking away with a larger-than-life stuffed animal, offer to buy it outright: In the long run, it'll be cheaper than "winning" it.) Music Expect to see the biggest names in show business performing on the state-fair circuit -- and ticket prices are comparatively low. Traditions Old-fashioned country pleasures such as fiddling, square dancing, hog-calling, and hay rides are a staple at many state fairs. And state fairs are also the best place to hear country music outside the Grand Ole Opry. All over America, the good times are rolling. Whatever your vacation plans, make time to come to the fair. Alabama National FairOctober 4 - 14, 2019 Alaska State FairAugust 22 - September 2, 2019 Arkansas State FairOctober 11 - 20, 2019 Arizona State FairOctober 4 - 27, 2019. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. California State FairJuly 12 - July 28, 2019 Colorado State FairAugust 23 - September 2, 2019 Connecticut FairsMultiple Dates Delaware State FairJuly 18 – 27, 2019 Florida State FairFebruary 6 - 17, 2020 Georgia National FairOctober 3 - 13, 2019 Idaho State FairAugust 16 - 25, 2019 Illinois State FairAugust 8 - 18, 2019 Indiana State FairAugust 2 - 18, 2019 Iowa State FairAugust 8 - 18, 2019 Kansas State FairSeptember 6 - 15, 2019 Kentucky State FairAugust 15 - 25, 2019 Louisiana State FairOctober 24 - November 3, 2019 Maine State FairAugust 8 - 17, 2019 SkoheganJuly 25 - August 3, 2019 Bangor Maryland State FairAugust 22 - September 2, 2019 Massachusetts State FairSeptember 13 – 29, 2019 Michigan State Fair (Upper Peninsula)August 12 - 18, 2019 Minnesota State FairAugust 22 - September 2, 2019 Mississippi State FairOctober 2 - 14, 2019 Missouri State FairAugust 8 - 18, 2019 Montana State FairJuly 26 - August 3, 2019 Nebraska State FairAugust 23 - September 2, 2019 New Hampshire State FairAugust 30 - September 2, 2019 New Jersey State FairAugust 2 - 11, 2019 New Mexico State FairSeptember 5 - 15, 2019 New York State FairAugust 21 – September 2, 2019 North Carolina State FairOctober 17 - 27, 2019 North Dakota State FairJuly 19 - 27, 2019 Ohio State FairJuly 24 - August 4, 2019 Oklahoma State FairSeptember 12 - 22, 2019 Oregon State FairAugust 23 - September 2, 2019 Pennsylvania FairsMultiple Dates & Locations, 2019 South Carolina State FairOctober 9 - 20, 2019 South Dakota State FairAugust 29 - September 3, 2019 Tennessee State FairSeptember 6 - 15, 2019 Texas State FairSeptember 27 - October 20, 2019 Utah State FairSeptember 5 - 15, 2019 Vermont State FairAugust 13 - 17, 2019 Virginia State FairSeptember 27 - October 6, 2019 Washington State FairAugust 30 - September 22, 2019 (closed Tuesdays and September 4) West Virginia State FairAugust 8 - 17, 2019 Wisconsin State FairAugust 1 - 11, 2019 Wyoming State FairAugust 13 - 17, 2019 Was this page helpful? 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