How to Get the Most Out of Your Trip to the Texas State Fair

If you don’t know already, the Texas State Fair is…like… a really big deal.

Last year we took our first trip to the Texas State Fair. We had no idea what we were in for! We enjoyed the Taylor Swift exhibit, a couple rides, some fried food, and called it good.

This year we took our second trip to the Texas State Fair. We got some recommendations, arrived early, we went to a few shows, actually looked at a map while we were there, enjoyed a ride or two, ate some fried food, and had fun.

Next year though… it’s going to be great! We finally feel like we know how to really make our trip to the fair count! Here are the tips we learned that we want to remember when we go again!

Look at a schedule, and a map, before you go.

Attending shows is a great way to enjoy the fair without blowing through your tickets. We attended the “circus” at a children’s theater, a Ronald McDonald show, a Slam Dunk Show, and a dance/firework/water/light show! I’m so glad we hit all of these, but we were running across the fair grounds pretty frantically to make it to everything on time. We had no idea where anything was! I wish we would have looked through the schedule, chosen a few shows to attend with time in between the shows, and explored the area around the show while we were there. Seriously you guys we were just ping-ponging our stroller throughout the park the whole time because we didn’t look at a schedule or map before we got there. It was a lot of walking and confusion!

Bring Your Kids…. BEFORE 7.

There are TONS of fun things for little kids to do at the fair! However, the children’s exhibits close at 7. Come seven o’clock, it’s time for rides, games, and fried food! These things are great, but if you bring kids too young to prioritize, it feels like you’re saying “no” a lot more than you’re saying “yes.” (E.g. “Yes you can ride that ride! No we can’t afford for you to ride it again and again and again! make sense?)

I was so impressed by some of the children’s exhibits there!

There was a Ronald McDonald Children’s Parkway located behind the Swan Boats. Everything along this parkway was free. Kids could get Big Tex tattoos, get their faces painted, watch live shows, and participate in arts and crafts.

Walmart hosted a children’s farm (on the opposite side of the park) and it was so stinking cute! Owen walked through the gate to the “farm”, got an apron and a bucket, then walked from “chore to chore” along the pathway. First he needed to get corn kernels, then pick grapes, then feed the chickens and collect eggs, the list goes on. At the end of the path, the kids sorted out everything they collected, and were able to pick up a treat from the “farm market”. Owen was in Heaven, and I thought it was great!

There was also a children’s theater… but I don’t remember exactly what it was called! It was on the north side of the Cotton Bowl. They put on a “circus show” and included all the kids from the audience. Owen was the tiniest volunteer and he made the cutest little tiger! My mom heart was dying watching him on the stage!

Share Food with Friends

No matter how healthy of an eater you are- when you go to the Texas State Fair- you need to try creative fried food. Believe it or not, fried food fills you up fast! I’m assuming you are going to want to try a little bit of everything! so my food advice to you would be for you and whoever you’re with to all purchase different foods and share. The past two years, we’ve tried fried Oreos, Pop-tarts, Snickers, Brownies, and Jello. My favorite has been the fried Pop-tart! We apparently like our desserts! Last year we also bought dinner at the fair- a corn dog, chicken nuggets, and fries. I didn’t think these things were really worth it. We’ll keep on sticking to our desserts!

Another food tip- pack a few healthy snacks. This prevents you from starving and just buying something at the first food stand you see. Also, you’ll feel better! We packed some protein bars and some carrots to keep us from going into a fried food coma.

Last tip- bring your own water bottle. October is still hot in Dallas and even if you do buy a drink there, it won’t be enough to quench your thirst for the whole day. Bring a cold water bottle and fill it up throughout your time at the fair so you don’t waste any time searching for a drink!

(I took some video of our food adventures but forgot to snap some photos!)

Use Tickets or Game Cards to Pay for Festivities

Once you enter the fair, you need to buy tickets. You can buy tickets in sets of $10. Each ticket is 50 cents, so you can buy 20 tickets for $10 dollars. You need to use tickets to buy food or ride rides, as they won’t accept cash or cards. Fried foods are all pretty much between 10 and 20 tickets. I didn’t see any rides for under 10 tickets. So yah…. you’ll need a lot of tickets!

Tickets are not accepted for games. You must purchase a separate game card. We didn’t play any games so I don’t know what to tell you as far as what to expect with a game card!

Buy a Discount Entrance Ticket

There’s no need for you to ever pay full price for a fair ticket! Check out the fair’s website to see the daily deals on tickets. The past two years we’ve gotten in for $4 by bringing cans of food. Going this route is highly recommended!(take note of Owen’s face in that picture!!)

If I’m missing any other tips- let me know! What are your favorite exhibits at the fair? Your favorite foods, rides, games, shows? Leave it in the comments! See you there next fall!