My family and I have been heading to the Kentucky State Fair ever since our oldest was a toddler. That's been about ten years now, but my husband has been coming since the 70s! My number one tip for families: Head out to the Kentucky State Fair during the week if you can! It's much less crowded, parking will be a whole lot easier and with the Louisville heat and humidity escaping some this week you can't beat the weather we're having in mid-August!
Yesterday we arrived at the fair around 4pm and entered through Gate 6 on Crittenden Drive. It was a piece of cake to enter, much easier than last Saturday when we tried to go and discovered that the Main Gate was closed and people were stuck trying to exit the highways for over an hour. Let your kids stay up a little bit later and go during a week night for less stress and hassle! We parked very easily and ventured straight to the Midway because our preschooler was begging to ride the ferris wheel first thing. We stopped at the ticket booth for ride tickets and found that tickets cost $1.25 per ticket. Most rides are 2-4 tickets each so keep that in mind. You can purchase the ride-all-day wristbands for $12 for children under the age of 12. The height restrictions on that deal are also 56 inches maximum. That is the best deal if you plan to spend a lot of time at the Midway riding the rides. They also have an option for 22 tickets for $25 if you just want individual tickets. Adults can also purchase a wristband for $25. We spent about 45 minutes to an hour at the Midway. We started out on the ferris wheel and then went over to the kiddie rides for our preschooler. The Midway is a staple of the Kentucky State Fair with all of the rides, games to play and fair food you can squeeze in during your day at the fair.
After riding a few rides, we walked over to the livestock areas to find some animals to greet. We found sheep being judged, cows grazing and pigs squealing (quite loudly too!) The animal area at the fair is always charming and bustling with activity. After visiting the animals and seeing the 4-H and FFA exhibits in the West Wing, we walked over to the North and South wings to peruse the hundreds of booths. On the way we of course passed by infamous Freddy Farm Bureau and had to stop and talk to him. My preschool-aged boy got a real kick out of that, especially when he asked him if that "was an octopus on his shirt." On his Facebook page (yes he does in fact have his own), each day fair goers can look for Flat Freddy in their #FindFreddy seek and find game. My daughter just had to find the face painting booth and then we went to Kidz Biz to check out the kid-friendly areas for children. A tradition of mine is always to check out all the fair entries as well. I love viewing the fine arts and crafts entries, especially the drawings and sketches and photographs. We also love looking at the fish tanks and dollhouses. Of course, all of the food entries are worth a glance; my favorite is the cake section!
Remember the second Carload Day is Thursday, August 27. Everyone in your vehicle will enter for one price of $20 and that number includes parking, so load'em up and get a great deal! There's still plenty to do at the Fair over the last few days. See a show, watch a cooking competition and grab a free bag and stuff it with all the freebies you can. If you're heading there on Saturday, August 29, look for Diane Moore Dance Academy and the Miracle Dancers of Louisville. They will be performing at the Family Stage at 10 a.m. in the South Wing. Also remember you can park for free this weekend (August 28-30) at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and ride the free tram over to the fairgrounds. If you want to park near the fairgrounds but want to avoid the $8 fee and Ring Road, I did see a sign on my way out yesterday at the Executive Strike and Spare bowling alley on Phillips Lane. It was suggesting parking for $5, but I am not sure if that rate applies every day.
Here are the direct links to the Daily Schedules for each of the remaining days of the Kentucky State Fair:
See these other posts about more family fun tips and our Parents and Preschoolers highlights for this year's state fair. Make the most of your fun at the fair this year, it all wraps up this Sunday, August 30!
Photos by Erin Nevitt
