I was apprehensive about attending this community event because I only heard about it the day…read morebefore via Facebook events, and I didn't see too many reviews from recent history. However, let me be the voice that convinces you to go! It was quite kitschy, with local vendors selling German (sometimes just generally European) trinkets, crockery, snacks, and traditional German attire. That was of course in addition to the multiple food vendors and bakers and the MD German Association selling a la carte plates, where you could pick from multiple kinds of wurst sausage, schnitzel on a roll, sauerkraut, potato salad, pickles, and landjagerwurst dried sausage. For two full plates, it was $35, which I thought was a great deal, and they took card/Apple Pay. The MD German Association also had a couple beer tables where you could buy either by the cup ($8) or pitcher, and a wine/spirits table ($5 Bee Sting/Jagermeister shot). I bought my $15 ticket online, which came with some fees, but if I come again, I'll just buy with cash at the door to save a few bucks. They had a full performance schedule, including choreographed dancing, some dancing with audience participation, and a choir. My absolute favorite part was the barrel march, where all the performers walked behind a set of men carrying a small child balanced on a 4ft-diameter barrel on their shoulders. It felt so silly yet so fun. Fairly priced food and drinks, and I'm salivating right now just thinking about the strudel I brought home. Free parking at the MD State Fair Grounds in an air-conditioned building with rows of tables and chairs for 200+.

A fun and communal event. Great food and an excellent atmosphere. Traditional German dancing…read moredemonstrations. Large selection of merchandise to browse or buy. Most of the merchandise tables took credit cards and some food vendors. Several styles of German beer. If you have a chance to buy tickets through Eventbrite, there is a discount available. An enjoyable afternoon.

The MD State Fair has been a very good fair experience for me. Each year seems to bring strategic…read moreimprovements. For example, last year the seating area for the ribs, corn, and smoked meats vendors was situated in an area so to not obstruct walkways. However, what was new in 2025 (at least to my knowledge from previous years) is only patrons of those vendors could sit in that seating area. It could have been the case in previous years and it just wasn't enforced. I don't think the MD State Fair has congregate dining areas apart from those in the vicinity of the food pavilion and a few low-capacity, all-purpose seating in random areas which is frustrating because many of the food vendors are situated along narrow walking paths where you have to compete with ride goers. What keeps me from giving the MD State Fair a 5* experience is despite some improvements, it still lacks the variety of unique and creative food items and fair-goer experiences which are common at other thriving fairs around the country. The food court here is good, but lacks creativity as it essentially serves traditional table food with few novelty items. But no iconic items. The planners do a great job of organizing the farm animal exhibit. And it is expansive. The rides are your typical carnival rides. The value at the fair is the wristband and fun pass cards for ride goers. I recommend saving your fun pass as the same pass vendor is used every year, so you don't have to pay for the activation fee. You'll just need to load money onto the card every year. Also, there are plenty vendors that offer unlimited refillable soft drinks at a discount. In my opinion, it is best to choose your preferred beverage, purchase the refill price, and stick to refilling at that particular vendor throughout the park during your visit. There are many sweet tea and lemonade stands that offer this deal. Also, the cups are reusable, so you can keep them as souvenirs and bring them back at future fairs for refills. Parking on grounds at the fair is $15 and first-come, first served. The parking lot is uneven, very hilly, and on grass (and when it rains, mud). I recommend arriving early to get a good spot close to the main entrance of the fair. At the end of a long day, it is exhausting to walk up and down hills to your car. Parking spots are not marked, so workers direct parking traffic. Again, arrive early to get a good and hassle free spot. I like that there are restrooms at the front on the inside near the main entrance and indoors at the animal exhibits. The fair grounds isn't vast, so unless you have an itinerary to visit all the exhibits, you can get through the fair in less than 2.5 hours tops. Overall, the fair is a good experience with delicious food and entertaining activities for young, old, and families.

I'm glad I didn't listen to the Yelp and Reddit cynics. If you've been at all 50 state fairs and…read morethis is only your 43rd favorite, cool, but I'm glad I came down from New Jersey. It's smaller than some other state fairs, which isn't a bad thing if you don't feel like walking as much in 85-degree weather. My food and beverages were entirely within the confines of the Maryland food section. I got the pit lamb sandwich at the Lamb Stand, and this was like that Gin Blossoms concert where they opened with Hey Jealousy: impressive, but sets the bar too high. The meat is superb so you should take a few bites before adding mint jelly or horseradish. Try their sweet tea. The fried green tomatoes weren't my favorite but that chipotle mayo demands your attention. I liked the pit beef from jake's and the peach sundae. How I can not give five stars to a state reachable by light rail? If you've been to the Minnesota bash, you might be slightly disappointed by the relatively normal size pumpkins in the 4-H building, but the tomatoes are enjoyable, as are the quilt and photo exhibits. How serious are these folks about their work? There are hay-baling prizes and the category of "bee-related photos" gets further refinement into amateur and professional categories.

Great. It was Hip. Cool, Fun. Mostly 20s and 30's with a smattering of 40's and 50…read mores. It located next to the inner harbor and a great neighborhood to live in and when they close the streets for the festival it is lined with food trucks and market carts. You could sample any drink from any of the local bars and pubs and I even saw a micro. Food ranged from Crab cakes to Ribs from NC to everything in between. Music flowed from bars and pubs and some were even staged outside. Got to see a Jersey Shore/Philly band there called STELLAR MOJO who were great. Hip hop, top 40, rap, You name it they did it, TIP: Don't wear heels. Lots of cobblestones.

Mark you calendar and don't miss it next year. It has the right mix- music, food and alcohol:) its…read morea family and pet friendly place so get your furry friends along! Parking is a challenge but we got good garage nearby with short walk.

We stopped by the Italian festival on Saturday afternoon to see what was happening after driving…read moreby! So glad that we stopped in, there was so much to take in! The live music and dancing was so fun, there were even hula hoops all around! We tried fresh pizza slices, salads and the best calamari I've ever had with a lemonade and Italian iced tea to wash it all down. As someone who is not Italian, it was super cool to stop in and enjoy pieces of Italian culture and support an awesome Baltimore community! We will definitely be back next year!

Italian Festival in lil' Italy in Baltimore provides a wonderful experience for us who are not…read moreliving in Baltimore and want to get out of bubble of the usual, mundane things. It has free parking, free entertainment, visit to a National Historic landmark (1881 ornate Italian style church), a lot of great vendors and amazing foods. The "gladiators" pass you by on your way to watch a game of bocce ball. People are friendly as this is a block party festival that gives you a feeling that you are one big family. Very easy to start conversation and harder to end it. I learned today that the meat is not what makes calzone but the dough that hosts the meat inside. The meet was good but the dough was memorable. Speaking about the dough - how about delicious sweet fried dough for $3 that is impossible to finish by one person - even if you are a true Italian. I was advised by two elderly Italian ladies, "take real sugar because the powder sugar is too messy, and have sugar on both sides." I am sorry that I did not try meatballs but I can testify that calzone and pizza were the first class and worth the trip. I am very tempted to repeat the experience on a similar event - August 19 and 20, 2017 - this time just a saint will be different (St Gabriel in August).

Great place to take kids, they have 2 giant slides, tug of war, some farm animals to pet, corn…read moremaze, corn pit, tire swings, jumping pillow, tricycles to race, water duck races, hayrides to the pumpkin patch, a zip line swing (which was closed when we went), and other things. They have a snack shack where you can buy apple cider donuts, slushies, kettle corn popcorn, etc. and they do take credit cards. Be sure to confirm the hours of the Snack shack. Parking is across the street. Cute place, will return!

We went on a particularly wet weekend, after a week full of rain. Still had a total blast! The corn…read moremaze was challenging but not too hard to do and took about 30 minutes for us to go through. Had fun going through the petting zoo, playing with bubbles, and competing with each other in the duck races. We spent a little over 2 hours here and had a relaxing fall day.

Happy Holidays Everyone!! This is an amazing event we…read moreattended each year and support Kennedy Krieger Hosp. I am like a child in a toy store lol. I love decorating in themes and my ideal tree was there today with shells hand painted and beautiful starfish cone on top. I would have bought it but it was too expensive for this year. Did buy mom a small tree decorated with birds. Back to the beginning...we had a timed ticket but we had to wait with the new people who just bought tickets. Why get a time then? Handicap parking is a joke! There's definitely not enough available and the parking lot is huge. Please get a parking area up close with 200 spots for handicap parking and you will fill every spot. Very frustrating to buy items & have to walk a mile to truck in pain when I should be parking closer to the entrance. Building is handicap accessible. Getting around with stroller or wheelchair is tight in places. The vendors I dealt with were all very nice and friendly and I would recommend purchasing from them, I just can't say the names now because they are Christmas gifts. Unique items, decent prices and the holiday music and the Christmas trees!! Great fun all around. Even bought small Christmas tree, gifts etc. I posted a review of this for last year so this review is for this year 2023 but pics of both years are attached.

Pretty cool charity event for Kennedy Krieger Institute to get families thinking about others that…read moreare not so fortunate during the holidays. Lots of Christmas Trees, holidays decorations, family fun and games and Saint Nick himself.

The 2nd annual Choctoberfest (CF) took place yesterday in ChocolateTown Square on a perfect autumn…read moreday. The music from local bands was playing, beer was being poured, bites were being eaten and -most importantly- the chocolate was sweet. All of those things came together for a family-friendly fall festival. I heard about the event on Yelp and decided to check it out. I'm glad we went on such a gorgeous day. Admission was free and parking was easy at the lot across from the theater. One of the nice things about a small festival is that you don't have to walk for miles to see everything. The area for listening to the bands was a great spot for viewers; they had haystacks for seating and tall tables throughout the park for drinking and eating. The lights strung from the trees were a nice touch. However, the tents area was cramped, crowded and not where I wanted to be. I wish they had a better space to spread them out. Luckily, once people got their items, they were able to move over to park area. The lines weren't too long, thankfully. I didn't eat any of the bites, but I did try one of the beers and it was good. In the back, they also had some activities for the kids. There was a bounce house, chalk drawing, free pumpkins and bags to paint, Frisbee Toss and a few others. They also had some portable toilets along with a hand washing station, which was good for those chalky fingers! I would definitely go back next year and I bet they will continue to grow. It seemed like a well-organized event and Hershey is a nice town to visit. I'm not a fan of festivals in general but CF is my type of small-town festivals. I'll be back!

From the owner: oin us for Choctoberfest 2023: A celebration of bands, beers, bites, and chocolate!…read moreThe 8th annual Choctoberfest will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 11:00 am – 6:00 pm in ChocolateTown Square Park, located at the corner of Chocolate and Cocoa Avenues in Downtown Hershey. Join us with family and friends for a fall afternoon full of great live music, local craft beer, delicious food from downtown restaurants, and, of course, chocolate! Choctoberfest offers an array of activities for all ages to enjoy and is free and open to the public, with food and beverages available for purchase. Check back as we detail more of the events for the day!

Last year, my Adventure Buddy and I spotted Cherry Crest Adventure Farm while riding the Strasburg…read moretrain and made a mental note to come back someday. Fast forward to a beautiful, sunny Saturday in early October when we realized we'd be nearby with an open adventure slot. WELL, HELLO, CHERRY CREST! We purchased our tickets online ahead of time for significant savings and arrived around noon, apparently at the exact same time as EVERY OTHER HUMAN BEING IN PENNSYLVANIA. The parking fields were packed. Admission lines looked enormous. For a moment, I wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into. But the parking attendants were doing a great job directing traffic, parking was FREE (thank you!), and the admission lines moved surprisingly quickly. Before long, we had our wristbands and were ready to adventure. FIRST STOP: THE DONUT HUT. We grabbed two apple cider donuts and a bottle of apple cider and both exceeded my hopes! The donut was so fresh and hot I had to wait for it to cool before digging in! Soft, fluffy, generously coated in cinnamon sugar and absolutely delicious! If this was how Cherry Crest intended to welcome me, we were going to get along just fine! Next up was the main reason we'd come: THE CORN MAZE! I did my first corn maze last year and decided to make it an annual tradition. Cherry Crest had the honor of being my Corn Maze #2. I'm no corn maze expert, but, this one had some really fun twists! Instead of simply wandering around hoping to eventually find civilization again, we were given a blank grid and tasked with finding pieces throughout the maze to tape onto it, gradually completing our map. There were also hidden clues for a crossword puzzle! A corn maze WITH SIDEQUESTS?! SIGN. ME. UP! We navigated our way through the intermediate maze in less than the estimated 40 minutes, which was both surprising and satisfying. We found our way out, completed our adventure and didn't have to call anyone to rescue two grown adults from a field of corn. CORN MAZE 2026: COMPLETE! From there, we wandered around exploring the property. It was definitely busy, with plenty of families, strollers and wagons, but still manageable. Patience is key on a beautiful fall Saturday, especially when apparently the entire Commonwealth has decided to celebrate autumn simultaneously. Eventually, we made our way to the other side of the farm for what turned out to be my FAVORITE activities of the day. APPLE CANNONS AND PAINTBALL! Of course we'd purchased the optional add-ons. You think I'm going to stand next to a giant cannon that launches actual apples and NOT pay to shoot it?! The lines were a little long, but they moved along nicely. And once it was my turn? PEW PEW, MOTHER NATURE! I had an absolute BLAST launching apples at targets and managed to hit almost everything I aimed for! Then we moved to the paintball range, where I continued my surprisingly impressive performance, knocking over targets with lime green paintballs! Apparently I've been walking around for 40+ years without realizing I have a natural talent for recreational projectile launching. WHO KNEW?! Both activities were absolutely worth the additional cost. If you're visiting as an adult and enjoy a little friendly target practice, don't skip them! Another thing that caught my attention was the reservable fire pit areas scattered throughout the property. They had little pavilions and signs identifying the groups who'd reserved them. We saw everything from birthday celebrations to retirement gatherings, and I thought that was such a cool way to spend a fall afternoon with friends or family. Food prices seemed fairly typical for an attraction. I noticed a double cheeseburger with fries advertised for $17.99, for example. But I also spotted groups with birthday cakes, two-liter bottles of soda and bags of chips at their fire pit areas. I'm not sure what Cherry Crest's outside food policies are, so I'd recommend checking before bringing your own picnic. If it's permitted, though, that could be a great way to keep costs down, especially for families! All told, we spent about two hours exploring Cherry Crest as two adults in our 40s, and we had a GREAT time! Would families with children get even more out of it? ABSOLUTELY. There are so many activities geared toward younger kids that I could easily see families spending an entire day here. But don't assume you need children to enjoy Cherry Crest. Between the corn maze, fall treats, apple cannons, paintball and general autumn atmosphere, there's plenty of fun for grown-ups, too! I came for a corn maze, discovered a surprisingly accurate apple-cannon aim, ate an outstanding donut and added another destination to my annual fall adventure list. Not bad for a couple of hours in a cornfield! Nice job, Cherry Crest! I'll absolutely be back!

This place is ok - if you don't mind parking a mile or more away from the entrance, walking forever…read moreto get to a line to wait to get in for an hour all with kids in tow. This is so poorly laid out. They have no maximum and just let hundreds if not thousands of people in all day long. This part of their ticketing was my favorite: - Pre-purchased admissions are NON-REFUNDABLE for any reason and expire at the end of the season. - We are a weather dependent business and may need to close due to weather. So it's a giant F.U. if something comes up in your life for your family or something happens to you. But if it rains - it's F the buyer you're beat. No refunds. Nothing. What a completely ass backward way or running a business that's CLEARLY not hurting for profit. I'll never take my family here. I'll tell everyone I know it's a collasal waste of money and not worth driving hours to get to only to be directed up a mountain to park. You think my little kids were ready to walk A MILE to stand in line for AN HOUR?! lol. What a joke.