Oh, how I love the N.C. State Fair so. Here's my recap from today including three money-saving (and making!) tips.
{tip one} First things first. No way to paying $15 for parking. And my favorite parking is closer than the $5 parking, so I'm all for parking near Carter-Finley Stadium where it's free. It's nearest my favorite entrance - Gate B - so I'm fine to walk but there are also open-air shuttles available. Gate B is closest to Yesteryear. I like this entrance because it's typically calmer, and you walk into an area that eases you into the madness ahead (complete with flamingos).
{tip two} My Yesteryear journey begins at Grist Mill. It's quaint and they give you free hushpuppies. So there's that. Right near there is the Duke survey mobile where I took a 10-minute survey and made $9 (that translates to a free fair snack). And when the fair is all about 'doing this and doing that,' why not help out some college students. Back to Yesteryear: I love the fireplaces at the Tobacco Barn, the gardens all throughout that area that include Mrs. Barrell Monster and Smokey Bear, and the John Deere-made ice cream is pretty great too.
The Village of Yesteryear crafts are always good for a lap. The glass-blowing guy is my favorite. He makes awesome octopus necklace charms that look just perfect on a gold chain, but I don't know from experience or anything.
{tip three} As for food, I'm all for whatever I can only get at the fair AND what is new, and then a tried and true. For lunch, my Dad and I hit up some of the stands near Kiddieland and had the deep-fried barbecue on a stick with dipping sauce. We were all for it. For dessert, I knew my Dad had to try the deep-fried Girl Scout cookies so we did just that. You'll probably be thirsty from all this right? Right! I threw one of my favorite big water bottles in my purse because many of the vendors offer $1 refills on any cup, any size, whatever goes. So I enjoyed my Diet Coke for just $1 (which was really free - remember that survey). Yes, yes to that.
There is so much to see and do. We looked at pottery, produce (giant pumpkins!), animals: if it was there to be seen, we saw it. If we weren't looking at something, we were enjoying free entertainment. We got a kick out of the 'K9s in Flight' as seen on ESPN, NBA half-time shows, etc. They are dogs with skillz. Then we turned right around to watch the Pig (and duck!) Races behind us. Back to back cuteness. All of this worked up an appetite so we enjoyed a tried and true as our snack: jalapeño cheddar Wisconsin deep-fried cheese with ranch. And it was free! Yep, that survey again. We were all snacked up and ready to ride. We hopped on the adult two-person swings, Vertigo, which gives you a great view of the fair but with more of a thrill than the sweet Ferris Wheel.
I'm always good for a souvenir from the N.C. Pottery Exhibit. Last year I got the pumpkin, this year the boo ghost. Seven hours of fair later and that's a wrap. Happy Fried Everything!
