I have loved the Evergreen State Fair since I was a kid, and now I live in Monroe, so it's right around the corner. It's perfect to do in a day, but enough interesting that going back for another day is well worth the trip. This year, I spent one day at the fair with four kids in my care, ages 2-5. One of the parents had the great idea of a rope with knots, and we got a lot of looks as we traipsed along each kid holding their knot and me at the front of the line! It was really fun to see the fair from the kids' perspective, which included a ride on the merry-go-round, the petting area, "be a farmer," and corndogs. Possibly their favorite part, though, was the parking area shuttle--a wagon with seats pulled behind a tractor (yeah, they are farm kids). I spent another day at the fair with my husband. We did totally different things and I got yet another perspective of the fair and all it has to offer. My favorites from that day were the goats, and some time spent watching a 4-H dog agility trial, and obedience competitions. Oh, and for my husband, we spent a lot of time looking at and talking about tractors. (I see a theme, here; possibly we aren't so grown up after all.) read more

As I get older, I lose interest in rickety rides that make me feel like I'm making a death wish, long lines, or prizes. In my 20's, I know I should still want to wait for 1 hour in line for a 2 second ride, but it simply doesn't appeal to me anymore. Only fair food does. With that being said, there's still so much to love about this fair!! Going to this fair was a last minute decision after mulling over the final summer days which could be spent hiking or at the beach. We got to bond with animals we don't usually see like horses, llamas, sheep and cows. There are plenty of petting areas, and trainers/owners comfortable with giving plenty of information about their companions. There's even an area to watch sheep be sheared and cows get milked..doesn't get more intimate than that, haha! When you've done enough walking and playing there's a plethora of food to choose from. I have NEVER seen so many food stands at any gathering, EVER. It was literally like a maze of food smelling of sausage, popcorn, scones, cotton candy, pizza and BBQ. I've also never been to a rodeo. $4.50 for 2 hours of family fun compared to $40 for movie tickets and popcorn--think about it. Better yet, don't think! JUST GO!! read more

Cool place for lots of events. In the summer, there are car races every weekend all weekend long, there is also a swap meet that runs every Saturday and Sunday from 9am-4pm. Most of it the stuff at the swap meet isnt so great, but every so often there are a few treasures. Aside from misc events there is always the fair that runs every year in August. read more

Evergreen State Fair - Local Flavor Near Me - Monroe, Washington

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I've been to the California state fair numerous times and I must say it is so much more fun than the WA state fair. 2 years ago I went to the county fair in Mt. Vernon & even that was more fun than the Evergreen State Fair. They had particularly accessible and endearing animal exhibits. The bunnies were amazing. At the WA state fair this year, The carnival rides were overwhelming in scope and noise, which I guess would be a plus if that's your bag, but as I have BPPVertigo (rocks in my head) rides are no longer my bag. The "circus" show in the kid's pavilion was painfully bad. The only highlight was my daughter being asked to come up and assist. The horses were beautifully amazing specimens that were fun to watch. Frontier land was interesting. Wish we had spent more time there. We did a little tour of the food court: pizza, gyros, sausage & peppers, lemonade. Lamb gyros were best. Slightly salty, but amazing flavor. Lemonade was watery. Pizza was only worth 1 bite. Kinda nasty. Sausage had a decent flavor for a bite or two, but I wouldn't have wanted to eat a whole one. The exihibits weren't very intersting and we never found the animals (other than the dogs & horses). The lay out of the fair was confusing & in 90 degree heat we only spent a few hours before we felt limp & ready to go. I loved the flower exhibit. Huge perfect blooms across from rotten smelling meat eaters. Great juxtaposition! read more

First off - Turkey legs! Skip the rest of the crappy deep fried fair junk or those horrible hamburgers with overcooked onions and head to the huge plum of smoke. These turkey legs are huge and taste like a wonderful seasonal ham. After this great chomp. Lopez ice cream for desert. Both by the north end of the rides and main horse stage barn. As for the rest of the fair. Lots to see and rides to do. If you did not buy tickets ahead. Next year plan and you get to skip the lines! And Saturday they are large. Online tickets and ride bands save money and time. read more

Highlights: Curly Fries, Alpacas, cUrly Fries, Weather, cuRly Fries, the 6-day Old Piglets, curLey Fries, Wood Carvings, curlEy Fries! Lowlights: $7 parking, cat switch-out day, beverage prices. read more

Nice entertainment for $12 . Was little hot today. Nice way to spend time with family and friends. read more

Evergreen State Fair - Local Flavor Near Me - Monroe, Washington

Don't bother if you have small children. They have changed ride height restrictions from what is advertised on their website. I purchased wrist bands online ahead of time based on the information on the website only for my son to be disappointed because they changed the height requirement for his favorite ride and deemed him to be too short now. Inexcusable in my opinion. Spoke with ride operators, ticket sales, and "management" trailer only to be brushed off. "That's why we have over 40 rides" They offered to refund me for one use of the one ride (that we know of so far) that he may not ride after the change. It's his favorite ride, he would have ridden on it a dozen times with the wrist band. read more

It took 50 minutes to get tickets at noon on a Sunday - standing outside in a gravel parking lot. If you're determined to go, I highly recommend buying tickets in advance. But for some crazy reason they don't allow online sales after the fair starts. Yikes. Still no petting zoo... read more

It seems that every year I go, the fair gets smaller. This year was no exception, as the kiddie rides at the entrance had dwindled. Definitely check out the animals, as baby anythings are pretty cute (even goats). For food options, you've got everything from bratwurst to gyros to pulled pork. If you've got a sweet tooth, there are elephant ears, ice cream, various flavors of fudge, and so much more. The commercial buildings don't hold much appeal anymore. When I was younger, I loved browsing the different wares. Now the most exciting thing to consider buying was a jar of garlic seasoning. The rides are pretty standard, but the tickets and wristbands are getting way overpriced. If you get a chance, just take your kids to a theme park. All in all, it's pretty good for a small-town fair. If you compare it to big ones across the country, it fails. read more

The is one of the fun things to do with the family. It is the small town fair. This has been a tradition with my family for years. Reminds me of my childhood. By the kids the all day ride pass and then hit the booths and shows. You won't be disappointed. read more

Evergreen State Fair - Local Flavor Near Me - Monroe, Washington

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Pros: Smaller than the Puyallup, more community centered. LOTS of food choices. Cons: $$Parking, distance from home. We had a nice day at the fair - got to see everything we wanted to until we were completely worn-out. It seems to be organized better than the Puyallup, cleaner and friendlier. read more

I went out Sunday night for races, not the fair, but I did walk around a bit. There were quite a few booths and what not, nothing I was interested in though. Lots of people all trying to get around. Had to have a corndog of course, but $6.50? ouch! The races were ok, the hornets and V8 divisions were the most entertaining - I thought the demolition derby wasn't that exciting, they were just limited in space and couldn't really get going. What bothered me most were the 3 rows of idiots in front of me who couldn't sit still if their life depended on it. Up and down, up and down, up and down....its like I am an ahole magnet. The other problem was access to/from the seating area is way too small, they need more/bigger exits. The races were entertaining enought that I will probably come back next time, but you can keep the fair. read more

Fun time and great food. The rides are fun and the people are friendly. Highly recommended for all. read more

Evergreen State Fair - Local Flavor Near Me - Monroe, Washington

We love going to the fair every year! There was wonderful live music on the Active Duty/Veterans stage, we always watch the lumberjack contests, and love the animals! Our idea of fun changes as we get older, but I don't think anyone will ever out grow the Evergreen State Fair! read more

Very disappointed I brought my granddaughter who is 18 months . There wasn't any rides for her to go on with me. We couldn't even ride the merry go round. Since when? I spend money on this card for the rides. Then they tell me that I can't can't get my money back. Waisted of money to get in then can't go on rides. Left there after 15 minutes. Not recommended for family with I little kids read more

Love the elephant ears. Best ever!! I love this fair so much! Have gone since I was young. The foods amazing. Nothing beats the elephant ears tho! read more

Evergreen Fair we love you! We're new to Washington- we've been here 3 years this summer. At the end of our first summer/fall here (in '08)... we were excited to see the famous Puallup Fair... Not being from Washington- we didn't know about the Evergreen Fair. If you notice most reviewers of The Evergreen Fair are ALL located in Snohomish County... Hardly anyone from King County braves it up here- too bad for them. The Evergreen State Fair is one of the many hidden gems of Snohomish County that only locals know about. So, we go to The Puyallup Fair back in '08, and both my husband and I are amazed by how pathetic it is, oh it's big, but that's about it. It was such a hassle to get in to... everyone squeezing, and inching a long on the roads, then through the small town, and on to find parking. It's too much traffic for that small of a town! It has all the same fair food, sweet animals, and fun rides as any other fair, but there was NOTHING home town about that expanse of a place or the comercialized booths! I do like the town and area of Puyallup to visit- we go a couple times a year, and enjoy the area. Their fair didn't feel like it represented the feel of that area's heritage to me. That large fair felt like a letdown- it's so famous, and we had such high hopes. There wasn't any kind of variety of food. We loved the scones, but turns out- The Evergreen Fair has the SAME yummy scones! We moved to Snohomish last summer ('10), and we were happy to try out our local fair. We instantly fell in love with everything about The Evergreen State Fair. The parking is easier, better prices for admission and food (and more food choices than at The Puyallup Fair). The 522 and highway 2 go DIRECTLY to the fair, instead of going to the center of a town that is too tiny to hold so many visitors like in Puyallup. I'm very impressed that there is a homestead cabin from the late 1800s at The Evergreen Fair, and a life sized teepee to walk in to. TIme in the lumberjack show and the cute pig races... all of this is located in Frontier Land. All of this is FREE! The Evergreen State Fair boasts the 3rd largest 4H zone in the NATION! ASK any of the 4H kids, and they'll gladly let you pet their animals. Our girls loved petting mellow cow after cow and their babies!! Kids can also pet guinea pigs, bunnies, and sometimes dogs in the large 4H barn. Stop by the craft barn near 4H to see Lego displays- we love those. There is also a good sized FREE heritage museum open for everyone to explore (near the 4H animals and kiddie rides)- very neat to wander in. We found FREE vintage push pedal cars for kids in this area, too. All of this is FREE! This year we caught the horse shows, and petted most of the horses in their stalls. (The equestrian center is by the racetrack/older kid rides) The horse area is FREE! What I've learned: You CAN bring your own water in! There were many free/discounted admission offers during the weekdays- find out about them. The $25 ride wrist bands are better than paying $3, $4, or $5 a ride (plus, there are two ride areas to use). Time in the FREE daily shows: pig races, lumberjacks, and horse shows... they're worth it, and also gives your family a rest or a snack break! Most people reading The Evergreen Fair reviews will be local, but hopefully some Washington newbie like us will read this and go. It is the same distance to The Evergreen Fair from the Eastside cities as it is to the Puyallup, with 100% better traffic and parking, trust me! read more

I grew up at the fair grounds. Now that I'm in my forty's I realize the fair hasn't changed much. Yes, they might have made the grounds cleaner, but everything is the same. The greasy food is still the best, I love fair food. The same venders, same animals and same stupid games. The one thing they have changed is the cost to enter the fair. Every year they raise the price of admission but do nothing to warrant the increase. read more

Every year it is the same thing. Same vendors, same food, same carnival.... They are even in exactly the same locations year after year. The mall changes more than the fair. The carnival rides are WAY! too expensive, parking is too expensive. the food is not low cost at all and the other events like racing are additional costs. It's really not worth it. read more

I have been to the Puyallup fair many times and it had been awhile since I went to the Evergreen. For what you get its fairly expensive once you walk in the door and get something to eat. I had already spent about $50 Then you either pay big dollars for popup rides or get robbed by the $5 a game for the tiny prizes. The best part of the fair is the exhibits. They were more entertaining and free. The people at the game booths should be ashamed of themselves robbing little kids like that. I remember when I was a kid you paid a few dollars and you got a great prize. There was this lady on the loudspeaker who kind of drove me crazy. I left like i lived in a war zone.There are some great vendors here but some seriously shoddy ones as well. Not a bad place but seriously I thought it was expensive. Fisher Scones, the Pronto Pups (fair famous in the picture) and a couple of other places are the only saving grace. They really need some healthier options here though. It's seriously a fried food fest. read more

I was very disappointed to see First Responders dropped from this year's 'Special Admission' days... :(

The fair hasn't changed much over the past 35 years. Many of the same rides, food, and exhibits. Among the favorites are the International Lumberjack show, duck races and petting farm. As a former 4H'er, I love seeing the entries and animals knowing how much effort is put forth. The vendors seem to be disappearing each year and there are many empty spots that used to be full. The food isn't any more expensive than a sporting event, but you are allowed to bring your own and there are many drinking fountains with water bottle filling spouts. read more

Such a great fair easy too park traffic was not bad at all all of the food we are was delicious and fresh. Expo center was well organized restrooms were clean . This is truly a well oiled machine. read more

This fair always gets a good crowd of people. Our son is showing his dairy cows second year in a row. My wife and I are not really frequent fair goers, but we have gone to multiple fairs with our son for the past two years. Evergreen feels like the perfect size for us - not as big compared to Puyallup fair. if you are there, try their fair scones and Purple Cow shake. read more

To be fair (pun not intended), I'm not a big fair goer. Still, I've been to better. The rides are OK. Most fairs I've attended have been at "fair grounds" with open space, dirt, etc. This one is mostly what feels like a parking lot. This is just not a great venue and the rides, food, etc. read more

The low star rating is mainly for the kiddie rides. Of about 5 rides we took, two were broken: a) The "rocket ship" ride could only go up and down, and the side-to-side motion was not functioning. Not to mention the 70's era DVD playing the helicopter-chase scene inside. And no air conditioning in a closed compartment on a hot day (even though there are AC units visible from outside -- either broken or not turned on). b) Plane ride unable to go up and down as it is intended Makes me wonder what else (besides repair costs) might be skimped on with those rides... The pros: - not as big as the Puyallup (definitely a plus for us) but with a lot of the same fair food, animals, and vendor booths - cheaper than the Puyallup read more

If you relax, squint a little and visit the food, crafts and 4-H animal exhibits at the Evergreen State Fair, you can almost picture what state and county fairs were like a hundred years ago. There's lots of tradition here, even if the carnival rides are a lot better than they were back then. The rodeo is a standout and there's everything you would expect to see and do and eat at a fair. read more

Maybe it's just me, but I felt like there wasn't nearly enough free entertainment at this fair. Did enjoy the lumberjack show and the animals, but it wasn't the all-day event I expected it to be. read more

Meh...I rather wait an extra few week and drive south to the Puyallup Fair. It's like 6 times larger than this one. Meh

We arrived around 3:30pm to the fair on the day they had the "Demolition Derby" at 6pm in the grandstand. We wanted to attend this and it said "doors open at 2pm." Assuming we had to be seated asap because it was busy, we quickly ran about and saw a few animals, got some overpriced greasy food ($9 nachos, $3 water/soda) and went to get a seat. We sat at 5:40pm...and we sat for 3.5 HOURS to get to the derby. There were more than a dozen other smaller events you have to sit through just to get 6 minutes of demolition derby and every seat was filled in the place so you couldn't get up and leave. (The figure 8 race and figure 8 boat drag race were cool.) I felt like it was false advertising. Where I'm from, when you pay $27 a person to get into a fair and derby, you get multiple legs to watch and it's really fun. Live and learn. read more

Ouch, My family of four was out more than $50 before we even got started on the overpriced food and rides. If you have tons of money to burn and don't care what things cost, this is a lot of fun! read more

I have been going to the Evergreen State Fair every year since 2000. Usually my family goes two or three times. This year the fair is very boring. It's the same thing every year!!! It would be nice if they changed things up. We went on 8/29/15 and there was very few people there, which is very unusual. There was no entertainment on the outdoor stage while we were there. The one change they did do this year was to add a petting farm. It was good, but they removed one of the entertainment areas to add the petting farm. In years past I would have given the fair 5 stars, this year the fair is really bad. Between the ten dollar parking and the twelve dollar admission per person it's not worth the money. read more

This fair is the little sister of the Washington State fair in Puyallup. It's nice it's smaller and easy to see everything. One minus is the long lines at some of the food stations and a really long line to get into the fair. Guess that comes with the fair so no biggie. Try the smoked turkey legs! The ride area is smaller than the Puyallup, basically everything is smaller but it makes it easier to see everything. One tip, don't get too close to the backside of the cows as big stinky wet explosive poop sprays out everywhere. Think the cows are aiming for unsuspecting kids as I was witness too. Poor kid, got to throw those clothes out for sure.... read more

Great fun!!! Great weather!! Gotta love the fair foods!

Had great time all day, good music and displays and car races

The traffic we experienced to enter the fairgrounds 8/31 was horrendous; we approached on SR 2 and spent 90 minutes agonizingly creeping up to the gates in a 5 mile lineup. Somebody please put some traffic control on westbound SR 2 to help out! read more

Elephant ears, corn on the cob, hamburger, turkey legs, cotton candy, yummy!

We went to the fairgrounds on a Sunday. It was packed. We had to park a ways from the entrance but enjoyed our time there. So much sinful food. We had fun and would likely go again. Lots to do and see. One day would probably get you to enjoy most of the rides, food and displays. read more

We went to the fair on Friday 09/02/11. My 4 year old daughter did have a great time at all the rides. However when she was playing at the tube slide, the fair emplyee who was in charge of the slide seemed to be in a bad mood, ridiculously chewing his gum. He started screaming at my daughter and telling her don't run. I was very unhappy and told him to stop yelling at my 4 year old and told him that I won't let her play on the slide until he is gone. He scared my daughter to the point where she was scared to go back on the slide. This is supposed to be a friendly and family oriented environment. I am very disappointed that we spend so much money at the fair on rides, food, etc., that one person can ruin my daugther's fun. read more