We went on opening night, which was cool because it was only $2.00 admission. They had a ton of food stands. I tried a gyro which was really good. My boyfriend got an italion sausage with peppers and onions, he liked it. They had alot of animals to look at cows, horses, goats, and sheep...the babys goats were the cutest. read more

We had a great time at the fair on Monday. Loved Steve Miller Band and Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives !!! The fair never lets you down...all those kids so invested in their animalsand the crafts, so much creativity. Can't wait to see who plays next year!!! read more

It's gone downhill. The staff are friendly and polite. If you're there on a hot day, the only shade is in the stock barns or the arena. Lots of cheap junk for sale at high prices. Peddlers harassing you as you try to walk to the midway area. Who buys a hot tub at the fair? Who comes to the fair to get a massage? It's annoying, the solicitation area should be somewhere else. Rides - overpriced and underwhelming. One trip around a "roller coaster" for 10 tickets. I heard someone in front of me arguing with the lady at the ticket booth over the prices, so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks the pricing scheme is out of control. The cash only rides are kind of a rip off as well. The giant bubble thing - $10 for 2 minutes. Pony rides for kids - $10 for 6 times around a circle. Food. Don't get me started. Standard junk food at a 300% markup. An elephant ear is $8. A large soda $5. These are slightly above movie theater prices. Animals - the day I was there, there were virtually no animals. It would have been nice if they'd had some notification at the ticket booth. In the middle of the fair the barns were all virtually empty. The poultry barn had 5 roosters and 8 rabbits in it. The barn they use for goats/sheep/llamas had about a dozen goats in it. Horse barns - about 10 horses total. Featured attraction of the day - a dog show featuring 10-15 mixed breed dogs. Many of the other featured attractions were closed. Probably will skip it next year. read more

I usually enjoy the state fair but it's gotten really expensive. $70 for 2 adults, 1 child and 120 ride tickets (each ride is about 10 tickets per person). Fair food and drink cost is above and beyond that. Unfortunately, at these costs plus the long drive, I don't know that we'll continue coming down every year. It's looking like it'll be more convenient to go to the county fair from now on. read more

Oregon State Fair - A nice spot in the shade on a hot day at the Oregon State Fair! - Festivals Near Me - Salem, Oregon

What a rip off. Paid for my kid a $56 wristband that included 3 free games and 1 free drink. Went to get a drink and the guy said the scanner wasn't working so I had to pay $5 for a drink. Couldn't play any games because the line for the games were as long as the rides. Rode 1 ride while the office administrator and of the ride companies family rode two rides as we stood in line for 1 ride. Watched 6 of them get on the Al Bah A ride then on the ride we had been wringing in. They did not have to wait in lines. Then one of them gets sick on the ride and it got shutdown. So don't buy the wristband just buy tickets. First time to this fair as we just moved here, last time going. Last time I'll be ripped off by this company read more

It's so sad that I have to write this, but even more sad that there are people who patronize this pathetic yearly event. ::sigh:: If you want to blow hundreds of dollars and leave the fair wondering where your money went, then this is the place to satisfy the desire. When I was a kid I remember the fair being spectacular. It was the highlight of the Summer. I don't know what's happened to the place. The lay out is ALWAYS the same. The vendors are always in the same place, so it's really predictable from year to year. And, they're all out of state gimmicky-crap pushers. Want a Sham-wow or low quality cutlery? Enter the Jackman Long Building. Why not include talented artists from the STATE OF OREGON for the STATE FAIR? Why only hot tub and gas fireplace salesman? The food? Forget about it. If you want gut-rot, and you want to spend $5 for a frozen corn dog, then you'd be happy here. If you have any sense at all, you'll eat before or after the fair and only indulge in the delicious ice cream at the Red Barn and other things (like the scones--which are the only thing that I want from the fair). The animals--fun to look at. The rides--Over-the-top expensive and not that entertaining. $4-$5 per person per ride? So I shell out $16-$20 for each ride for my family? Did you know Disneyland has unlimited rides (which are way better) for $50 per person per DAY? Save your money for a trip to Disneyland for crying out loud! Honestly, I don't get why this state hasn't figured it out yet. The fair sucks. This is why they lose money every year. This is why attendance is down. This is why they only get has-beens for their entertainment. My family went last year, and it was truly the LAST year. Never again, Oregon. From now on I'l get my scones by getting a friend to get them when they go and waste their money. BTW, the California state fair is pretty good. read more

I love traditions. I love the dog days of summer. And I love the Oregon State Fair. Is it cheesy? Well, yes, probably. But in more ways than one! Can it be expensive? Only as expensive as you make it. Is there too much to see? Absolutely. Which is why I've made this little guide. Consider it my present to you. Now go--and have fun! **** An Adult Guide to OSF in a day: How this Oregonian sees it **** 1. Pick your day. The standard adult admission in 2010 was $11. However, at least half of the days throughout the 11-day event are discounted in some way. If you're not so worried about the discount, make your priority picking a day with a special event. Sometimes these events cost extra $$ (like a Pink Martini concert), other times they're free (like the ESPN3 Lumberjack competition) 2. I recommend starting your visit around 2pm. This will allow ample time for exhibit watching and wine drinking, and an opportunity to see the way the crowd changes after sun down. 3. I like to start and end my visit with a walk through the midway, so parking at the lot over on Sunnyview is best. The parking is FREE, but remember--you get what you pay for. It's a bit of a free for all. 4. Depending on how hot it is, you might want to check out some indoor exhibits first. I love a stroll through both Columbia Hall and the Jackman-Long building. Columbia is the one with all the commercial exhibitors (think: touch of mink, sham-wow! the weird cast-iron pan lady ... ). It's like watching TV infomercials in 3-D! Jackman-Long hosts Oregon artists and amateur projects and is in the running for one of my favorites at the fair. You can see what constitutes a blue-ribbon jar of pickled peaches, and vote on your favorites in both cake decorating AND lego buildings. In addition to the amateur stuff, they also have a table in the center of the building with Oregon authors. Highlights for me here are always Colene Copeland and William L. Sullivan. You can get great deals on signed books and chatting with the authors is a real treat. 5. You may want to capture a bit of nature after the above walk-throughs. BUT--before saying goodbye to the vendors, take a walk through the outdoor groupies who couldn't make the cut in to Columbia. Here's where you will find all the "wanna be sham-wow" dudes. It's worth it. 6. Meandering deeper in to the fair now, the next stop is Hart of the Garden. TIP: the wine gardens are usually closed for a special event on the FIRST FRIDAY of the fair. Stop at the outside pour station first (better wines) and make a game time decision about the indoor tastes. Then, you can meander through some landscape displays, check out some kid art, and some usually-cool photography exhibits. Don't stop before finding the glass blowers. 7. Now it's time for the animals. I like walking through Poultry first, because it's one of the few historic buildings that they've kept at the OSF. Built in 1919, it's all I need to take me back to my days as a child and reading Charlotte's Web. You try it! 8. Cows/pigs/sheep follow poultry, and then it's off to HORSES!!! The horse arena is also historic (in use since 1921) and if you're like me and grew up with these large beauties, seeing some shows is an absolute must. Some of the highlights for horse-lovers and the average jane include: (a) Draft horse Stagecoach pulling (did you know that Oregon is one of the few state fairs to continue to offer this event? Teams come from as far away as the east coast to compete). (b) Logskidding competition. (c) Any class featuring the Gypsy horses (especially the costume one) (d) Any team roping/gaming/herding competition. 9. Tired yet? Well, now might be a good time for snacks--which I suggest you bring with. There are a handful of secret, great, food spots at the fair ... but you're gonna want your own grub. Particularly water and a piece of fruit. As for where to eat? Here's the list. (a) NW Heritage Pork booth. Seriously--it's GOOD pork, and both the pulled pork sandies as well as the tacos are fabuloso! (b) Oregon Dairy Wives. Chocolate or vanilla, you can't go wrong. (c) Espresso @Hart of the Garden. There's an organic OJ cart in there, too! (d) Scones. WARNING: THESE USED TO BE SO MUCH BETTER! If you're not getting them for a nostalgic reason, it's probably best to just move on. Anyways, find scones near the horse barn, under the sign proffering "deep fried cocacola," Yeah, I said that right. (e) And if you INSIST on a corn dog, or other traditional fair food item, then search for one of Bud Elgin's booths. His are the ones with the kids wearing CocaCola shirts. Trust me, these guys are solid. 10. Loaded up with snacks, and in the twilight, you're now in a good position to ride the fair lift. It's just an old ski lift, but it's relaxing, and fun, and gives you the birds'-eye view of what you've been walking through all day. Have fun at the fair, kids! Oh, and this one (#100) is for you, bro. read more

Oregon State Fair - View from the chair-ski! - Festivals Near Me - Salem, Oregon

NOT WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION. Sorry, very disappointed. After visiting other State Fairs, particularly in the Midwest, this was more like a County Fair. Very small; very few exhibits of interest. Everything overpriced, especially food which was no better than carnival or neighborhood street fair food. Used to real BBQ spit-roasted Pork and Lamb at other State Fairs. My advice, skip it. read more

Damn, I must be getting old. I entirely forgot to review the Oregon State Fair. Have been to it many times and have always had a superb time. The exhibits are terrific. The food is better than any restaurant, maybe because your eating outdoors, I don't know, anyway, it's great. read more

We went here for a family outing. It's the kind of place that's a lot of fun if you have kids or if you are a kid, but for everyone in between it's not the most fun place to be. I had a pretty good time with my nieces looking at all the animals. There's also tons of fair food (read: fried food), and there are a bunch of carnival rides, including one roller coaster. So we did have a good time but I don't think it's one of the most thrilling activities I would choose to do. read more

Escape from the city life and go today! Everyone needs to experience THE STATE FAIR. We went because we had tickets to see Garrison Keillor's Rhubarb Tour located on the fair grounds. If you haven't see him live, it's really worth going. Take a blanket b/c it gets chilly in the evening. Besides his show we wondered all over the fair grounds and saw some of the cutest animals (see pics). The food is typical fair food plus one organic, antibiotic and hormone free meat cart. Quite delicious pulled pork! It's just a fun way to spend an evening... strolling around... people watching... and eating greasy fries. P.S. Whoever added the four $$$$ is crazy. It's more like one $ or $$. read more

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Nop. Sorry dudes. You all should come down to the Cali state fair. Kicks OR ass majorly. We have quilts entirely made out of pictures of poo! Bravo for the beach volleyball. Seriously. That was a major plus! But just about everything else was blah. I must say, there is one vendor selling mangoe lemonade who also sells strawberries dipped in chocolate on a stick. Oh yes. There is nothing I would rather do at any given moment then walk around eating chocolate and strawberries off a stick in front the entire po dunk population of Salem, OR. Bad decisions=better yelps. read more

We had elephant ears for the first time. Delish! The livestock included horses, pigs, cows, goats and ducks. read more

The Oregon State Fair in Salem is an annual event with over 100 years of history for family fun. Each year, there is a different theme and something to do for everyone. In practically every direction, there is plenty of things to buy, lots of junk food to try, and even more to see. It can get crowded during the limited time that its open, which can mean some really bad parking. Its best if one can get dropped off or park downtown for the fair shuttle (which takes 20 minutes). The carnival area is probably the most noticeable portion of the fair, touting big rides and mini ones for the little ones (appropriately called Kiddieland). The lines can be extra long during the unlimited ride special days. For those who are experienced with riding amusement parks, are likely to walk away unimpressed from the rides here. Fact is, there isn't much here due to lack of space, demand, and cost. These things are taken down and reassembled for other fairs (like the Lane County one in Eugene). Best rides are probably the Zipper, El Nino, and Scooters for the pure fact they get screams almost every time. There are rides who have been here since the start of man, like Super Loops, Starship, Monster, Sea Dragon, and Kamikaze. I've seen someone throw up while spinning around in the ride Zero Gravity, in which the vomit ended up splashing back onto his face due to the gravity pull. It was gruesome and incredible at the same time. For the animal lovers and those who don't mind the urine/manure odor, the 4-H Barns feature some of the most good looking animals the state farmers have to display. Its an opportunity for people who aren't farm familiar to be next to livestock and observe for what makes a prized animal. Beyond the contests, there are exhibitions and horse shows in the arena near by. Beware, its very dusty and can be problematic for allergy prone folks. The Familyville area is located right next to the Vendor Tents or "Tent Row." The Familyville area is great for little ones who want to be part of the action but can't get on the rides or too close to the animals in the barn. There are little kid shows with songs, magicians, dancers, and even a petting zoo for the smaller animals. Thank goodness there are various handwashing stations here. As for the vendor tents, one will find anything from hippy gear to the world's largest (insert animal). There are some good buys and there are some very funky things that aren't found in any mainstream store outside of the tents. Bring plenty of cash and be sure to bargain, its not a guarantee than any of these folks will budge however. For the slower paced artsy / curious type, the convention / exhibition centers feature an array of random artwork galleries, food/wine tastings, various exhibitions just enough to keep the older folks entertained. Its like an infomercial convention where the world's weirdest products are put on display for the world to be bedazzled. The food tastings are fun and are Costco like in their samplings, thank goodness there is a lot of walking to burn off the excess calories. Garden lovers can enjoy the landscaping area known as Hart of the Garden or Artisan's village. Its pollen ridden, but great for those who want the romantic photo op while enjoying a naturesque rainbow of imported flowers all smacked together for the perfect summer setting. There is a lot of hardwork involved in putting this area together, its always amazing how it looks from the start to the finish. There is a food court but don't expect anything fancy beyond fair (read: junk) food like corn dogs, burgers, fries, elephant ears (huge!), and funnel cakes. As of the last decade, there has been the addition of Mexican, Thai, Greek, Asian, Italian, Polish concession stands added to the mix. Most of it is overpriced and a lot of it tastes like crap. But when people are hungry, hot, and winded from the walking and the rides, most anything will do. There are a lot of options, one just has to look really hard to find anything specific. Plenty of out of towners will come to Salem to check this place out, but a bigger draw is the concerts that are held annually here. They usually feature one big name act (All American Rejects - 2007) followed by a few artists no longer in the limelight (Jesse McCartney, Steppenwolf) and then some small noise makers (local bands, American Idol rejects). The prices are not as steep as one would think, but the Indoor Pavilion as a venue is uber lame with uncomfortable seats and a really weak sound system. Overall, the fair is an experience that is meant for all those who are in Salem at the end of summer. For those who are unfamiliar, its a nice change from the boring pace of the city and its a tradition for some of the local residents in the city. Prices rise and the crowd gets trashier each year, but its still worth a night of date / family fun. read more

OSF rocked this year! We arrived at 10am and stayed until 6pm. There was so much to see! Animals, crafts, rides, food, and more! Admission was $6 for 11 and under and $8 for adults. First responders and veterans get in for free. No lines to wait in on Labor Day. There are cows, pigs, horses, and goats to see here. You can walk around and pet some of the animals as well as watch the shows where they get judged. People watching is also super fun here :) The big halls have a lot on display. Table setting, photography, skirt making, quilt making, oregon authors section. Lego display, butterfly and bug display, and so much more! There was a long line to get tickets for the rides so we decided to just do a walk through. Maybe next year we will try a few. They had an awesome dog jumping show where the dogs jump off a long platform into a pool of water and get judged on distance. This was super fun! They had great music playing and the crowd got really into cheering for each dog and rooting them on for the big jump. The food is fair food. Pizza, corn dogs, hot dogs, teriyaki chicken and noodles, elephant ears, lemonade. You get the idea :) Family fun for all! Can't wait till next year! read more

More expensive than a politican's pregnant mistress but The Fair can still be a lot of fun. I've lived in three states and have been to all of their state fairs. Maryland's is small and cramped. Just outside of it's largest city, Baltimore, it attracts thousands and you can barely move. New York's fair is massive, built on Syracuse's fairgrounds and offers just gobs of stuff to do. Oregon's is kind of somewhere in-between and more enjoyable than both. I liked the Artisan's area of Oregon's fair and wished there was a bit more of it. Here you'll find an old-timey blacksmith, chainsaw artwork, and handcrafted jewelry. It was the smallest area of the fair but had the neatest stuff to look at (and also the best coffee). There was a large building with your typical "Home Show" type vendors agressively selling junk. Some of it was home remodeling goods (gutter covers, basement refinishing, etc) and some of it was home goods (pots and pans, shoe cleaner). Here you'll find a lot of over-priced merchandise. I was agressively approached by the vendors selling the aforementioned shoe cleaner for the mere price of $19.99. There were the "splat-balls" the kids liked at $5 per unit (The kids insisted I buy them these things that looked like dollar store goods). The vendors that marketed to children I took special note of since all of it was crazily expensive. Magic markers at $15 per pack!? Insane. Insane. Insane. I would like to not have nearly as much of this crap at the fair. At least most of it is confined to one building so it can be avoided. The outdoor vendor area was better and showcased mostly local businesses like the birth centers in Salem/Lebanon, Oregon Cruises, etc. It's good to see so many Oregon businesses particpating in the fair. The Familyville area was the highlight of the whole shabang for me. There were free "crazy animal races", free shows, free play area, free "barrel train", and a free mini-zoo. This area was really well put together but throwing in a couple games or activities could have livened it up. The ride area, however, was just brutal on the wallet. $20 got me 40 tickets with the cheapest games being 6 tickets ($3) and the least expensive rides being 8 ($4!). Two of my kids played three games and one of my children got on a single ride (we actually didn't have enough tickets left for the ride but the guy let me slide). All in all, that $20 was gone in quite a hurry, less than 10 minutes. It'd be nice if they offered all day passes for rides, or had a pass that allowed kids to get on the kids rides unlimited. If you really want to hit the rides and games hard here expect to pay nearly $75 - $100 per head. Yeah, you read that right. It's obscene. The fair also had a lot of music and stages. It's one GREAT thing the fair, and Oregon in general, offers. Oregon's farmers markets and the fair seem to just cram musicians everywhere, it's a really powerful testament to Oregon's culture. All of this was free as well. I had mixed experiences with the food, all of which was mighty pricey. Corn dogs at $5 a pop, Teriyaki chicken $9 (noodles good, chicken bad), soda $2.50-ish for a small. Everything deep fried and bad for you but mostly guiltily-delicious. It's also a track-meet so bring your best walking shoes. I had a good time until I looked at my wallet at the end of the day and cried and cried and cried; then I went home and drank all that sadness away. Oregon's fair is good if you like these sorts of things; I mostly don't unless the rides are cheap, which they aren't. read more

I love the OSF! You can spend hours here perusing the farm animals, horses, dogs, petting zoo, art and creative living spaces! The people watching is also magnificent. You can find all kinds of people here. I did not come for the rides, but they also look fun for a state fair. The only drawback is they have no healthy food to choose from. So, if you're health conscious, or have a food allergy, don't plan to eat here. read more

My family and I had a wonderful time at the fair today! Among the highlights this year were the tailgate cookoff, the new venue for the art and photography contests, and I especially wanted to thank the parking staff who were speedy, efficient and extremely friendly. Another wonderful perk was the changing table/nursing station that came complete with comfy chairs and A/C! We are new parents and were a little nervous about taking our child out to her first big outing, especially since my wife is nursing, and this amenity was wonderful! Forgot to add: Tbhe musical acts were great, especially the Rock Bottom Boys! We loved them. They play daily I think. Check them out by the Artisan's Village. read more

Meh place is a rip off. ive been to other state fairs and oregons is just really meh. not worth the price of admissions and we really only go to check out the vendors which ive noticed year after year lack in variety. Just the same ol people trying to sell you sham wows, metal roofs, sprinker systems, etc. No cool gadgets, etc. Food is beyond over priced.. 14 dollars for a corn dog.. you've got to be kidding me I could make 20 home made corn dogs for that. Sadly its just really gone down hill over the years. They also did not offer the special deal with ride tickets and admission tickets which honestly is hardly worth it. Maybe one day the oregon state fair will be awesome again. Until then we probably wont be going back for a long while sadly. read more

I'm rather confused by some of the negative reviews. Is this fair similar to its counterpart in CA? No, of course not. That's comparing apples and oranges. In case you haven't noticed (or sobered up yet) you're in OR, not CA. Wake up and smell the rain. I've heard some complain it's expensive as well. As of 2012, you can pre-order tickets for $7. If you bring your own food (it's allowed here, unlike so many other events) and don't ride any rides, that makes for a pretty cheap day. This fair simply is what it is. It's not fancy....it's not dripping with navel-gazing culture.....it's not hipster-organic......it's a rural state fair. It has lots animals, craft and cooking contests, vendors straight out of TV infomercials, all of the typical carnival rides and amusements, food that's not very good for you but very yummy, great people watching and a complete lack of pretension. Thank you for existing Oregon State Fair! read more

Good concert, good animal area, had a great time. Got a BLT melt at a food stand, it sucked. Stick with the kabobs next time. Beer tap house was very cool, had a band there for the patrons, excellent. read more

"Oregon State Money Pit" Free parking, O-K. Entrance fee, O-K. But the "cash only" for all of the food vendors was, not O-K. Many ATM bandits around to suck the money from your bank card. The customer service absolutely sucked to the point of ridiculous. The theme should be; "Whats in your wallet??!! Definitely missing the humanity required to run a family event. Will not go again. read more

Husband and I showed up a little before 11 a.m. Saturday morning 8/28. We have been coming since 2002 except for last year. This was our experience: A few people at first, no line at the gate waiting to pay for admission. Most of the time we stayed, we noticed 3/4 of the people had masks and social distancing (as time went on) was tricky at best. We stopped for BBQ and iced tea, then found an area with picnic tables and benches to sit and eat under some trees. Trash cans were scarce. A person had to walk to the outer areas to find one and trash left behind from those too lazy to look was a disappointment. We noticed (not unexpectedly) less vendors and it seemed to us that many were overcharging to recover what they lost from last year. There were some livestock but not as many as we used to see from years past. Before I close, I want to add that I have felt for years that the fair should come down in their prices for food. I know it's the fair but yeah, it's a fair and some of those prices are ridiculous. read more

Many places too crowded to walk. No mask reinforcement where social distancing is needed. Many without masks. Too crowded to get on rides after spending $55 on ride bracelets. read more

The Oregon State Fair. Of course, every year as it's advertised, I've 'thought' of going but never once actually made any effort. Just one day prior to, though, I wask asked by my baby mama if I'd like to join her and the kid to experience the Oregon State Fair. Their interest was piqued by listening to a report on NPR on state fair foods-namely, all the deep fried good/nastiness. I reluctantly agreed and Saturday morning, we were all on our way down to Salem to go see what this whole thing is about. We were met by one of the longest lines of traffic I can ever remember heading into one event - no police helping with traffic, just miles of traffic inching their way past every left turn arrow. Immediately, I wanted to turn around. But we waited through it and once we parked (off-site) for $3 just two blocks from the gate, everything worked out well. Yes, there are animals - huge cows, pigs, horses, sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, geese, ducks...I even heard there was a reptile tent. Yes, there were carnival rides - expensive carnival rides. $40 for 30 tickets and each ride was around 6 tickets a person. What a rip off! But, of course, the kid wanted to ride some rides and I wasn't going to be 'that dad'. What matters is he got his experience and had a great time. And then there was the food. Deep fried bacon on a stick, dipped in chocolate? Yes, please. Three foot long, hand-dipped corndog? Absolutely. Brontosaurus burger for $12? Add 6 slices of cheese to make it $15? Oh yeah. Deep fried Oreos, Twinkies, soda...it all had to be tried. As fried as it all was, none of it was terribly greasy so nothing left us immediately in a coma. It was during the car ride back and the subsequent rest of the day that wiped us out. The fair was BIG as advertised, the people watching is stellar, the food was outlandish, the weather was perfect...A-OK read more

I like to go to the State Fair every year, ride the rides, pets the animals, check out all the projects, preserves, and exhibits, eat elephant ears and greasy fries, take pics, listen to the music and dance, play the games, watch the plays and performers, and feel the energy and magic in the air!! Parking is easy, prices are fair, service and security is good. It is one of the best fairs in our state and I do my best not to miss it; I recommend you put it on the calendar, pick up your tickets and delve into the magic that is our Oregon Fair and don't forget to stop by the capitol and thank your representatives for the hard work they are doing for us!! Sugarkisses!! read more

Here are all the good things about this fair: 1. You can buy beer (and not just Bud and Coors Light) and actually walk around with it except for by the rides and by the animals. The beers were $5-$5.50 which I didn't think was horrible for this sort of event 2. A pretty OK ride selection. $4 per ride though. 3. Lots and lots of animals. You can touch most of them. I fed some cows and pet a bunch of pigs. There are also bunnies and chickens and ducks and goats and horses... etc. The best part was the baby pigs. So cute! 4. So much food. Yeah, 90% of it is deep fried, but that is what fairs are all about. Good soft serve ice cream too. 5. Games 6. Shopping 7. Little kids getting thrown of of sheep The only thing I didn't really like was the layout. I was constantly worried I was going to miss something. I'll definitely be back next year. read more

Maybe i'm just getting too old for fairs. It was decent I suppose, but felt like a lot of trashy vendors and greasy food... then again, maybe that's why people go to the fair. haha. read more

Here is my list: Farm animals, live blues music, 16 inch corn dogs, "mini-mountain" fries, fresh organic ice cream, tractors, sham-wow, bungee seats, exhibits, exhibits, exhibits!!! Love it! read more

The Oregon State Fair has EVERYTHING a quality good ol' traditional all-American state fair should have. The food, the crafts, the animals, and performances are all top notch. If you don't go, you miss out! It makes me want to move to Oregon. read more

What is there not to love about the State Fair. Ok well maybe the smell of the animal barns but other than that what is there not to love. I mean there is deep fried bacon on a stick dipped in chocolate. How could I not try that. Besides the food there are great acts to see if you know how to work the program. We saw lumber jacks , acrobats, magicians and a hypnotist. Of course these are all included in your fair admission. Overall we had a great day at the fair, found some good food deals and brought home some trinkets we will probably never use. read more

first time going to the oregon state fair. It honestly sucked !!! waiting in lines for 40 mins to an hour so not worth the rides!!! i got the bracelet ( unlimited rides) for my 2 year old but i had it put on myself since she doesnt like bracelets on herself and will try to take it off if its too tight i didnt even get to use it. tried the merry go round and they wouldnt let me get on with her unless it was on her hand !!! which is so fucking stupid !!!! then i told the bitch to put it on her the bracelet which she tried and declined letting me put it on her like i didnt pay this much money to not be ablr to get on rides or have my child get on rides huge rip off. !!! i do not recommend! staff is useless. customer service is rude and useless -0 stars fuck you guys. !!! read more

I went with my daughter yesterday, and found it to be boring and a complete waste of time and money. This state fair is nothing more than a 'glorified' county fair elsewhere. However, if all you like to do at fairs is go on rides and eat expensive carnival food, you might enjoy it. read more

Had the chance to visit this year's fair during a brief stopover in Salem. Going point by point: LOCAL COLOR - Oregon's rural county fairs are a celebration of everything that's great about Oregon - great produce, great food, great craftsmen, great weird local traditions and contests (Tillamook County Pig n' Fords, I'm looking in your general direction). The Oregon State Fair obviously has a better midway and draws flashier touring acts, but I've always been a little disappointed by the lack of local craftsmanship and pride on display there. There's just not much Oregon in the Oregon State Fair. This year the fair cut back on a lot of the traditional blue ribbon contests. With the exception of cake decorating and photography (which, if memory serves, have always had contracts with big sponsors), the other home-ec related contest entries have been relegated to a small area in one of the exhibition halls. The State Fair brass probably should've done this a long time ago - a lot of the vegetables and pies seemed to have been entered by one family - but it's sad to see them go. The Artisan Village is still the best place at the fair to see local craftsmen do their thing. My Dad likes gabbing with representatives from local organizations and museums, so if you're a Chatty Cathy type or a Salem booster the fair is definitely a good place to make local connections. FOOD - The Oregon State Fair has never been famous for food booths. This can be a good thing - somehow I imagine that all the "Deep Fried ______ on a Stick" options at other fairs would generate a pretty ghastly grease trap miasma by Day 3 or so - but it's a little disappointing how local restaurants and agricultural products have never had a strong presence on the State Fair menu. The food situation does seem to be improving, though. This year, Salem's fantastic local taquerias had a strong showing. Junior's had a spot near the Family Village, but the Taqueria Los Panditas booth on the main drag had an al pastor spit going so I headed over there and grabbed a juicy torta, made with perfect crispy bread. Dad was able to wrangle a combination al pastor/longaniza torta - even better. For dessert, we had a swirl cone from the Oregon Dairy Assoc. booth by the livestock barns. Nothing special, but it's local and the women working the booth are always delightfully crusty. BEER - Walk-around beer! Walk-around beer! In the past, if you wanted a beer at the fair you had to go to an OLCC-approved "beer garden" (read: "shame corral"). I was not of age when the beer gardens were the only game at the Fair, but I didn't need to be to know that they were depressing as hell and that you probably had to be a drunk to put up with the burning plastic chairs and lukewarm Bud Light. And if you were escorting a kid around the park and wanted a cold n' frosty, you were just SOL. How times have changed. Now you can hop on over to one of many conveniently located beer tents. Each individual tent only offers two beers on tap, but the next tent a few yards down the line will have a different selection. It's not pub cheap, but it's not Blazers-game expensive, either. I still wish there'd been less Bud and Sierra Nevada and more Ninkasi, but that's a small quibble. Once you've got your brew, you can wander around with it to your heart's content (midway and Familyville excepted). MIDWAY - If you are over 25 and you don't have kids, limit yourself to one ride. Use that one ride to remind yourself that carnival rides are expensive, underwhelming, potentially dangerous, and usually kind of painful. Go wander over to the livestock barns and look at the fancy pheasants instead. Pretty, pretty, free, pretty, fancy pheasants. read more

Oregon state fair is always fun. Even though for every single thing you have to pay, but it's worth it. It's nice to see animals, buy things and meet new people. read more

A lot of people hate the fair...while some don't mind it. I don't know anyone who loves the darn place...thus my 2 star rating. I usually go every year, and every year you see the same ol' stuff. I and most people I know really miss the old horse racing track...that was fun! Anyway, if you go, visit the red ice cream bard on the north end -- they make the best shakes in town! Then if you can stand the smell in the animal barns, check out the cute piglets they have every year...found at one of the north ends of a barn. The rides are SUPER expensive...so its not worth it...spending $5 a person per ride. Whatever. In the end, go if you are bored...and ready to spend some dough. read more

Bad food, too many people, limited seating, lack of restrooms. Some good rides but the lines were so long my son began to cry. He smiled twice, so I give two stars. read more

I wouldn't really call this a state fair ! A lot more like a County fair. living in Portland I never realized how redneck Salem truly is - strong smell of cow shit all throughout the fair the vending is a bit of a joke lots of $12 sunglasses from the dollar store and other random crap you couldn't pay me to look at don't forget the really scary pro-life display inside and other products with pushy salesman aggressively in your face after two adult admission tickets ,parking, quick Philly cheesesteaks for lunch : I was already almost $50 Deep - the rides are few and crappy - The dinosaur exhibit is five dollars per ticket and takes 30 seconds to walk through. Everyone seems to be obsessed with the soft serve ice cream in some creepy's little licking matter manor where their mouth stays open Do yourself a favor if you're coming from Portland stop at the Clackamas center shopping the outlet mall money is better spent read more

We had a great experience at the state fair this year. It was clean my kids loved seeing the animals and the lego exhibit.

Wow. Just Wow. What a GREAT change to the OSF this year! Whoever was in charge def knew what they were doing. It felt so much more like a carnival than a dirty state fair. I loved the new ride layout and company managing them. I loved the way the food and vendor areas were laid out throughout the fair the entertainment acts throughout. I appreciated being able to take my beer/cider and drink it around the grounds as well. It was just a little more positive and laid out as well. I heard amazing things about the all you can eat BBQ that was onsite. I didn't get to try them but hope they are back next year. I also loved seeing that first responders and veterans and their families were given free entry. Very cool. I am actually looking forward to next year for the first time in a long time. read more