Fair 101: Navigating the Ohio State Fair

{Tank Top: Similar // Plaid Shirt: Similar // Jeans: Old Navy // Hat: H&M // Backpack: Similar // Sunnies: Similar // Sandals: Similar // Necklace: Forever 21}

Raise your hand if you have to beg your significant other to go to the fair with you (raises hand?!) Don’t get me wrong, my hubby loves to do fun stuff but going to the fair is just not one of those things, at least not until I told him we were going (on a whim of course) forcing him to happily oblige. I hadn’t been to the fair in years and I was aching for some deep-fried food and my chance to pet a bunny rabbit (or four.) So we jumped into the car and headed out for our fair date.

Once we arrived, we were surrounded by the sounds of exciting screams coming from the rides and the smell of all that good but so bad for you, food. I immediately made a mental list of all the things I wanted to try and do and I think I overwhelmed my introverted husband just a tad bit when I told him of my plans. Needless to say, he went along with it all and we had a blast. I think I even remember hearing him say, “Babe this was really fun. We need to do more stuff like this again soon” (SUCCESS!)

Fast forward a couple days later and I have some awesome photos from our little night out, but I needed something to go along with it. Something of value that you can take away from this too. The first thing that came to my mind was to provide you with some tips for navigating the fair (or a festival for that matter.) Take it from me, when you have a significant other or even a child, who is more introverted, sometimes knowing what to expect or how to make the experience more enjoyable for them is just as important.

Going to the Fair? Here’s What You Should Know

1. Tickets: I’m all for saving a few bucks if I can. The Ohio State Fair was selling tickets on Ticketmaster for $6. They were $10 at the gate so I figured I purchase ahead on the app, and saved the extra $8 for fair food. If the fair or festival you are going to sells tickets in advance, buy them! We saved so much time skipping the line. They scanned our QR code and we were in!
2. Parking: I get that parking lot fees can be pricey but I’d rather pay that than park in someones front yard for a fraction of the cost and take the chance of getting my car blocked in. We parked in the General Parking Lot and paid $5 which was not bad at all, turned down the first aisle and found a car leaving. Some call it luck, I call it destiny! Either way, if you do get stuck parking far back, chances our they will run a shuttle so you don’t have to make the long hike. In this case for the Ohio State Fair, that is exactly what they did.
3. Money: Take cash with you! I can’t stress this enough. While some places did take credit cards, they charged a 3% charge just to use the service. We took like $50 in cash and used that when cards couldn’t be accepted.
4. Bags: I highly recommend taking only the necessities in your purse or backpack. I have this fear of getting my purse snatched and losing all my stuff (by that I mean, the pounds of lipstick I hoard around in my purse.) If you only take what you absolutely need (and I did have a lipstick in there) you won’t risk possibly losing it all. Plus, it’s easier to weave in out of the crowds of people when you have something small to carry along side you. This backpack is similar to the one I carried and would be perfect!
5. Rides: Most of the rides at the Ohio State Fair took 1-3 tickets to ride. Usually the bigger ones took three and the kiddie rides took one or two. Do the math and purchase as many as you can at once. This will cut down on time spent at the ticket booth and more time having fun! Also, one thing we learned was that the Sky Ride, has it’s own window to purchase tickets.
6. Food: This is where it can get overwhelming and where I have the least amount of advice because I couldn’t decide on anything. I saw a concession for fried veggies and my heart said get the fried veggies but I thought, “No, there’s got to be something I want more.” Only to make my way back to the fried veggies at the end of the night because I couldn’t stop thinking of them (Haha!) Moral of this story, go with your gut and get what sounds good! Who cares if you eat more than you should. It’s one night. Plus there’s always TUMS (that should be a tip of it’s own.)
7. Photos: I did this before we went and I’m glad I did, but clear out your iPhone photos (if you’re low on space like I ALWAYS am.) Nothing sucks worse than going to snap that perfect shot, only to be hit with the “NOT ENOUGH MEMORY’ message.
8. Shows & Events: Another thing I did not do this time, but I will next time, is to review the concert and event schedule to see what’s going on the day I plan to attend. There were so cool shows taking place when we were there and I was having major F.O.M.O. By the way, a lot of these tickets can be purchased in advance; be sure to do that!
9. Attire: Fair and festival season is almost always in the summer. Wear something that is cool and comfortable. I wore my favorite sandals and I have to say, even though they are my most comfy pair, my feet were tired after a few hours. Go for the sneakers if possible. Your feet will thank you!
10. Take the Sky Ride: Our strategy was to start at the front and work our way to the back of the fair. Once we got to the back and we were nice and tired, we’d ride the Sky Ride to the front and be on our way home. It’s a relaxing way to end the day and the sunset and all the lights add to a colorful view.

{Obsessed with corndogs. It’s always been my thing}

{Cotton candy skies}

{I wanted to take every single one of the bunnies home with me}

{Next year we’re going down this slide!}

{The infamous fried veggies that were worth every penny!}

I’d love to hear if you had a chance to make it to the Ohio State Fair this year, and if so, are there any tips you’d recommend that I didn’t share on here? I’d love to hear of them.