In a spur-of-the-moment decision, my husband and I decided to make the drive from Louisville to go…read moreto the Boone County Fair with our kids. We grew up in Boone County, and our family, who still lives there, met up with us. And we had such a lovely night, making new memories while also thinking about past ones. We started by entering the kids rock race with some round rocks we had found while on vacation. I love how wholesome the fair contests are, especially for the kids. And this is pretty much like it sounds; the kids raced rocks down a track, and the rock that rolled the farthest won. This ended up being both of my kids, who won in their age groups. There was lots of food to choose from. The donuts and popcorn were my kids' favorites. We checked out the demolition derby and the 4H competitions with the livestock. Then we took in some rides. The $15 per person admission is a bit steep but seems more doable when you consider it includes all rides. I have a soft spot for local fairs and festivals, which perhaps started my attending this one when I was little.

LIGHT UP THE FAIR: this Christmas display is located at the Boone County Fairgrounds. I was out…read morethat way for a Christmas party and it was recommended to check out this drive-through light display for Christmas. I was debating whether to check out Florence's huge light display just down the road, but this specific drive-through was open an hour later and did not close until 10 PM. This worked so much better with my schedule! I was really impressed with how long the drive through the lights were. I loved how all the lights were synchronized with music that we could access with our car radio. It was pretty cheap compared to how long the display lasted. I'm so glad a local recommended this to me! Perfect holiday activity--especially for families.

While I understand that Braxton Brewery is the one sponsoring this event, and the Mainstrauss…read moresociety association has shut its doors, I feel like this festival fell flat. It was only on one street really and in the park. Growing up I remember there being rides, games, more vendors, and more German Beer. Where was the German Beer??? The whole reason why I come to these events is for the delicious beer like Hefweizen, Weiss Beer, and Dunkels. It was all lame Braxton beers and a handful of overpriced cocktail vendors. They also had country music playing which REALLY didn't make it feel German at all. Cmon Braxton! Get it together, you call this a German Festival?? It felt rushed, and Hodgepodge. Also, why is it only on one street! Mainstrauss is huge and used to have vendors and shops and food all the way down to the fountain. I give it 2 stars. Maybe it'll grow, but this should be a way bigger event with rides and more games and activities for families and kids, like it used to be in the 90s and 2000s. I recommend expanding into more than just a few shops selling the same candle, jewelry, and incense merch as well.

Kicking off the Greater Cincinnati's festival season, Covington's Maifest celebrates the area's…read moreGermanic tradition of heralding the arrival of spring wines. However, I think Maifest is little more about beer and brats, but fun nonetheless. The 2008 event kicks off Friday, May 16th and runs until Sunday, May 18th. If the weather is nice, Maifest will be packed as tightly as Northern German sardines. Good luck trying to navigate with a stroller or wheelchair. Yet, given Cincinnati's unpredictable spring weather, chances are pretty good that there will at least be scattered showers, scaring away half of the crowd to a number that's manageable. Drinkers, your best bet is to purchase a collectors mug, which can be refilled at vendors' booths for a discount over individual beer price. And you're making Mother Nature proud. The beer selection is mostly domestic (unfortunately), but Warsteiner's there to keep things semi-authentic. For families, there are tons of food booths and artisans selling their wares, even "gypsies" reading your palms or tarot cards. Kiddies will love the carnival rides and games set up in the 5th street parking lot. Oompa bands and men in Lederhosen rock the crowd Bavarian style, but if that's not your style you can pop into any of the MainStrasse bars for more contemporary jams. There will invariably be someone who can't hold their liquor and will embarrass themselves terribly in front of a crowd of 150,000. But you'll walk away with a renewed sense of Schadenfreude. Prost!

Freudenfest is a fantastic small town festival in Oldenburg, Indiana (70 min drive SE of Indy) that…read moreoffers authentic German food, various German style beers, live entertainment and tons of things to do in this idyllic Hoosier town. I usually go with a group of friends and we spend a good part of the afternoon / evening there. Plenty of spots for shade while you're waiting for your turn to chicken toss or chicken dance. The Dachshund races are a blast but you gotta get there early to get a good view of really short dogs (race starts 2 pm Sat.). Plenty of free street parking. Don't miss this festival - it's one of southern Indiana's best!

Great family friendly festival for all ages. Being of German heritage, I really enjoy being a part…read moreof the celebration that features the old style culture of the German people. Lots of games, events, music, food, and of course beer to enjoy. So grab a stein and head to Freudenfest for what is always a good time.

Best oldest Fair in town, just has to be. Between the parade Thursday, carnival, 4H and food all…read moreweekend, it's the place to be on the West side Best side all fall!! Still time to come out!!

Who doesn't like the fair? What!? You don't, well stop reading this…read more.. OK, so now that I have all the fair lovers, lets get into it. The Harvest Home Fair is a downright ancient tradition here on the West Side of Cincinnati. Every year on the weekend after Labor Day a little fair pops up to take over Harvest Home Park in Cheviot. It has all the fair essentials; rides, animals, and of course the wonderful fair food. They even manage to fit a little rodeo area in, too. The one downside was the expense. It was $5 just to get in! And then you had to pay for everything else, too. Well, the rodeo was free actually. But the rides and food were not cheap! All in all we spent $31 for my wife and me, and I can imagine a family would seriously spend some dough. But there's no point trying to deny your child the joys of a fair once they know it's there. Hey that rhymed. Awesome.

My partner, his family and I were lucky to attend the Taste of Cincinnati this afternoon. The…read moreannual downtown food festival runs from May 24-26 with plenty of local foods brought together, along with music and vendors. Menu items ranged from $3-$12. DEFINITELY a must-do for your list of what to do while visiting this city.

What a great way to start summer. Lots of good music drinks and just lots of fun Everything we…read moreate was spot on. It's a great time to try new things for half the price.

Fun event and fun people/town putting it on. Its largely a really huge craft show with a pretty…read moregood amount of themed food places. Great way to spend a fall weekend in Ohio. It gets very crowded and in recent years that would scare me away, but the vendors and patrons are very friendly. My only negative is, I wouldn't bring multiple kids that are 5-12 years old, its so crowded keeping track of them would be difficult and I think many kids would be bored. (Maybe your kids are different) The town of Waynesville was so charming, I want to come back to town when the festival isn't going on and check it out.

It is a family tradition to go to the sauerkraut festival. I really enjoy it. It's a lot more…read morebusier than it was when I was younger. They always have really knee crafts and they always have very unique dishes, including sauerkraut and I enjoy my family time there.

This was actually the first thing we did when we moved to Cincinnati. Quite literally. We pulled…read moreinto the Queen City, saw a billboard advertising that it was happening that day, and decided to check it out. What was a crazy mass of people grabbing for as many chocolate treats as possible has only gotten crazier. Our first visit saw a fighting chance. Now, talking to vendors to learn about them, and their craft is nearly impossible. The stream of people keeps pushing forward, and one gets swept away from the booths. As the event has grow, this has continued to be the case. (All pre COVID, not sure how this will be safely handled in the future.) While we have tried some amazing treats, thus introducing us to some amazing local businesses, it is hard to truly enjoy the experience. Chocolate should be savored. It is hard to do that here. The only exception is the children's play area. This is consistently a ghost town. My children have enjoyed playing the games, gettibg balloons, or whatever else has been offered. The area is kind of like a section of an elementary school carnival.

I attended this event with my sister in 2014. There is a whole lot of chocolate here. Yum! You…read morestart out with tickets for tastings at the different vendors and there is the opportunity to purchase additional tickets at the event. There were A LOT of different vendors and a lot of chocolaty things to see. I recommend walking through at least once so that you can decide what samples you are most interested in tasting. My only complaint is that the later it gets in the day the more congested the event is. We arrived right when it opened and that was a VERY wise decision. We were kind of crammed together with loads of other pushy people right before we left and that was not ideal. We also upgraded to tickets that included the Bella Luna lounge and wine tasting. This was a great value. Bella Luna provided small bites of (not chocolate) food like pasta and bruchetta. There were 5 wine tastings included in the price and they were very generous pours. I would attend again.

This one day festival is set in the charming town of Mayslick, Kentucky, in between Maysville and…read moreParis, on Hwy 68 South. The festival celebrates all things Asparagus, since the climate and soil in this region of Kentucky is perfect for growing the vegetable beginning at 9:30 am and going until 10:00 in the evening. The town of Mayslick is lovely--a very old town, founded in 1788, but now, a sleepy little southern town, full of good people, a few antique shops, and home to the first consolidated negro school in Kentucky, begun in 1921 and closing in the early 1960's with integration, which has been lovingly restored over the years by the town and many of the alumni. The festival centers on the main street, which is closed to any car traffic. There are several vendors, one of my favorite being Homestead Greenhouses, an Amish greenhouse that offers heirloom varieties of tomatoes, fresh strawberries, Amish fried pies (cherry is the bomb!) and perennial selections that are a fraction of the cost you would spend at a local greenhouse. There is a very large Amish and Mennonite settlement that lies in the outskirts of Mayslick. Another favorite is Sunflower Sundries, from Mt. Olivet, from whom I've been buying soaps and whole grain mustards and elderberry jams from for YEARS. Jennifer Gleason, the proprietess of Sunflower Sundries is on the festival board and really loves to make the experience unique each and every year. Each year, there seems to be different vendors, so if you see something you want, get it or get a business card because they likely won't be back the next season! I was introduced to Cincinnati's Grateful Grahams at this festival, a totally delicious vegan graham crackers made in small batches by a gal here in Cincy, that I now have delivered in my Green Bean Delivery box each week, and I've gotten beautiful handmade pottery, hand made upcycled children's clothing from a woman in Frankfort, even tupperware. You just never know, so do bring some cash! The food vendors are fantastic--local pork and beef farms, and of course, ASPARAGUS!!! A variety of enticing offerings from grilled or fried asparagus and the "tasting room" sponsored by the festival has all things asparagus on the menu, including ice cream, soup, quiches, etc. Whatever your little veggie loving heart desires, all served up by some of the most welcoming folks I've ever met. Don't forget to hit Flat Fork Pork for their pulled pork sandwich, one of the best pork bbq's I've had in sometime. There is an annual art show, housed in a gorgeous old church in the center of town (you can't miss it!) has entries from local artists that depict Asparagus in all mediums, some works are for purchase, others not, and there is a voting booth where you can submit your choice for the festival favorite. Two bandstands and a variety of musicians performing--sometimes it's gospel, sometimes it's covers of country and rock tunes, but I've been lucky enough each year to stick around for Karly Dawn Higgins & Sarah Wood, two instructors from the Cowan Creek Mountain School of Music who are ultra talented gals playing original mountain tunes and they really make the festival even more special for me. You can take a tractor ride to the Burwall Farm where you can pick your own asparagus, meet the new baby chicks and experience an informative Q & A with the farm's owner, talk with the extension service about local asparagus, sample recipes and give your thumbs up or "nay". Remember, it's only held one day, on the 3rd Saturday of May, so make your plans for 2013!

We went there as a Harvest Host guest. But recently saw…read morethem at Food truck days and other places to help kids learn about animals

Family fun! It wasn't crowded the animals were so beautiful.. my 2 year old had a blast! Definitely…read morerecommend for a cheap and fun family outing.

Awesome time for everything goetta! Their menu items are always so creative and involve generous…read moreportions of goetta. This year we also particularly enjoyed their air conditioned tent and live music as well! If you love goetta, creativity, and variety then look no further for your next place to get it and put this on the calendar the next time it come around.

It's all things Goetta! Goetta games, goetta prizes, a goetta world map! How fun! And it's a local…read moreproduct that is run by a guy who seems to be pretty nice so that's a fun product to get behind. I've been wanting to go to this for years and I finally made it. Will I go again? Nope. But that's because I just like goetta and can make everything I want at home and not dilute it with all yhe other stuff. It was worth going to once, for me. The food would have been better if it actually had more than a tablespoon of goetta on it. They also have plenty of alcohol - ever other booth is an alcohol selling booth - so youre covered there as well. It was fun to go and see and meet the founder's son (or grandson?) and learn more about goetta. Beef, pork, oats, and spices - whatever those may be - make a yummy treat!