My first year attending the Stone Arch Bridge Fest. Due to the bridge being under construction on…read morethe Mill City side you cannot access the festival (via the stone arch bridge) from the north loop side. You have to find parking dt/near mill city. This festival was bigger than I thought it would be. It felt like it went on forever, the more you walked down the river parkway. Towards the Guthrie they had a vintage pop up shop (which was the starting point for us). We adventured all the way towards the north loop side where they had a car show going on. They had plenty of vendors, food trucks, ports potty's and things to do along the way. They had live music going on, a dance class, areas to sit and people watch. Also the views of the river! For sure a fun fest to checkout even if it's just to look at the art vendors, so many creative pieces of art & art styles.

It was hot on Sunday and the festival was packed. It was fun to walk around and see the cool…read morebooths. My only complaint is food was very far away. It also would have been nice to know what trucks were on each side. So glad Johnny Pops was there to provide a cold treat. We had to park my Surdyks

Well, I'll start out that I'm not a huge fan of outdoor fairs in swampy, humid Minnesota in the…read moresummer, but I also end up going to a lot of them. Anoka's county fair is a good one... maybe not the best, but a good one. (My favorite so far is the Steele county fair.) Better than the Ramsey county fair. You get the same feel of the State Fair on a smaller and more manageable scale: the smelly animals, the greasy, overpriced food, Midway rides and rigged carnival games, and plenty of crap for sale. Plus, if you go on the right (or wrong) day and time, you'll hear the loud sounds of a demo derby or tractor pull. The upside is that if you're not into roaring engine sounds and the aroma of diesel fuel, the grounds are actually big enough to get a bit away from that. So it sounds like I'm not a fan, but yet somehow I am. I do like this stuff in limited doses. There are also some musical acts as well-- we saw a good rock band, and I wish I could remember their name. Good story! Pro tip: word on the street (and their website) is that you need to get a seat right away for the demo derby. Pro tip 2: you probably won't find me there. Free parking is the in the giant lot across from the main entrance. From the south, turn left at the lights after the bend. From the north, turn right at the lights. Look for people in bright vests and throngs of people waiting to cross the street. There are probably better mappy app directions, but I'll leave those almost rural style directions for now (and forever). Have fun!!! PS: Holiday in Lights in early December is a better way to experience the Anoka fairgrounds, in my opinion, plus it's free admission / free parking, and nachos / popcorn / cider for free or for a donation. That is, if you can tolerate Santa, Jesus, inflatable Minions, and Christmas music at distorted levels over the PA system. I can. It has a small-town winter wonderland feel to it, somewhat vintage as well. Plus it's not 90 freakin' degrees out.

Went to the fair this year it was OK but the seating was not very good for the derby and a couple…read moreof the guys got out a hand and attacked the security people which I didn't find very respectful but other than that great food and they had a lot of old tractors and stuff that were nice to look at you rarely see things like that.

As a first timer, this far exceeded my expectations! Both the caliber and the sheer quantity of art…read moreavailable for purchase made me wish I was far wealthier than I am, yet I still found many pieces that were within my budget. The amount of food trucks and beverage stands that were around (both professional and child-run) definitely added a fun element to my time spent there. Would definitely go back!

Loads of art to look at and buy, centered on 60yh and France Ave. Four street blocks with a…read more variety of mediums, paint, wood, jewelry, weaving and fabric, and of course food and beverages. The art ranges from framed fine art and photography too much lower priced jewelry and crafty type stuff. The food and drinks are "fair food" and are priced accordingly, so if a bucket of donuts or giant bag of kettle corn do it for you, this is your place to come for some food! Parking is a bit dicey, plan on finding a door for your car a few blocks away. All of the local shops are still open, so come on over. The atmosphere is bubbly and friendly with the requisite double wide strollers and dog walkers here, it appears to be a popular destination this morning with lots of folks happy spring is here. You are going to wish you stopped by if you miss it so come on over.

My girlfriends and I went to check out the great pumpkin trail. Tickets can be purchased online or…read moreat the door. This trail was really cool, a mesmerizing trail, illuminated by over 10,00 0 intricately carved jack-o-lanterns! The trail was a Half-Mile long so it is not too long, we had fun and an enjoyable evening of pumpkin mania and seeing faces on pumpkins we've never seen before. Free parking.

I really loved heading over here - I will say that it's rare to experience something just as fun as…read morea kid as when you're an adult. Walking in, I made a bee line for the little coffee house after the drive from St. Paul out to Wyoming. It was good, and I was on a mission to find the funnel cake food truck. It's been a minute, and since I didn't make it to the fair this year, I was determined. We got the cookie monster, funnel cake topped with Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies, chocolate drizzle and whipped cream. Pretty sure I had a week's worth of caloric intake, even with splitting it, and I didn't care. Next, we headed over to the apple launcher area. At first I couldn't see where the workers were, but the building is set back a bit. We had a blast launching apples at the farm equipment and barrels. We walked over to the pumpkin patch trailer area and had a great time picking our pumpkins. I immediately grabbed a pretty pink one. I was glad they had little wheelbarrows for us to transport our pumpkins as we continued walking around. Before we headed out, we checked out the farm animals and the gift shop. I loved the variety of jams, pickles, and salsas. I grabbed the blueberry jalapeno salsa, cherry jam, apple butter and dill pickles. I've had a chance to bake with the apple butter and it's delicious! Overall, a great time and something for everyone!

Yes, the fair is small but it's free (besides parking). There's animals, rides, food, and shops…read more It's worth checking out if you're looking for some outdoor activities with your family and eating some fair food.

It's a fun little fair that grows a bit every year. Admission is free, and there is plenty of free…read moreparking nearby. Or pay in the main lot for $2 per car. There are two building with commercial exhibits - similar to the modern living building at the Minnesota State Fair. There's a stage with live entertainment playing all day long. There are the typical fair foods and vendors selling all the typical things, even with the headsets and entertaining demonstrations! The main "barn" also features local 4-H exhibits as well as agricultural stuff. There's a small petting zoo as well. It's a fun little local fair. Not too big and not too small. Great for an afternoon with a friend!

We try to come every year for the Barrels and Bluegrass festival and this year was a blast!!…read more The festival always has several bluegrass bands, which adds to a perfect setting to kick back enjoy the music while sipping on a cocktail or some whiskey neat. There are usually two or three food vendors and a kettle corn tent. This year the food options included pizza and pulled pork sandwiches. As far as the drinks go, 45th Parallel always has a cocktail tent and of course the whiskey tasting, which includes a plastic tasting shot glass(the cost for tasting is a few dollars, which gets you entered into the raffle as well). 45th Parallel has greatly expanded the property, so the festival now includes their newly constructed bar if you would like a brew along with your whiskey.

Such a fun place to go with family! We took our 3 year old and he had a blast. They have baby…read moresheep, goats, puppies, chicks, cows, pigs and bunnies. You could even hold the puppies, goats, and baby chicks. They also have a ton of food truck options along with a giant slide and bouncy houses. Majority of activities outside of the animal tent were an additional fee. They did have a fun straw maze and corn pool to play in for free. Staff was super friendly. I appreciated all the hand washing stations they had setup outside the animal tent and by the bathrooms.

Liked it better when the food truck area was free. Now you have to pay 18 to get into the food…read moretrucks. No thanks. That's what we went for, but after 18 to get in and 15 to eat better off going to a restaurant

I want to support my neighborhood and last year was a five-star day, so that's why I went with four…read morestars rather than three. It has soooo much potential since it's not as enormous as the other summer block parties, but this year was more of a three-star experience. I hope they learn some things this year and really knock it out of the park next year. I don't clearly remember the first year of the Lyn Lake Fest, but last year, it was packed, it was easy-ish to get a beer, Har Mar Superstar killed it. This year (year three), it felt kind of empty and nothing grabbed my attention enough to stick around for very long. The beer "garden"/parking lot was full, but not the street, at least not when I was there around 4-5 p.m. Plenty of cute dogs though. The local lineup on the mainstage was awesome this year (Koo Koo Kangaroo, Black Blondie, Peter Wolf Crier, Haley Bonar, Heiruspecs headlining), but I think they could have done without the second stage. One band was playing on that northernmost stage with almost no people paying attention. I felt bad for them. The food options were improved this year, with the Chef Shack and Magic Bus Cafe on-site with the Lyn-Lake restaurants. Heidi's also had some burger specials specifically for the event. Summit had their beer truck out and I also saw someone with a to-go Bloody Mary. I never figured out where it came from though. Damn. Lots of other Lyn-Lake and local businesses had booths, like Nice Ride, Hair Police, The Loft Salon, some crafters selling cute jewelry and other odds and ends. Both salons were doing feather extensions. Maybe that should have been discussed among the salons before go-time, because they were just a couple of tents away from each other. And what was up with the poodles (with NEON-dyed fur, the poor things) being groomed right there in the middle of it all? There were little balls of pink dog fur blowing in the wind blocks away. Gross. Absurdly gross.

We went here with a group and had the most magical time! We ate at the grill on site and the food…read morewas ok. They also have a full bar with seasonal drinks and hot chocolate. The indoor market was cute but I do wish it had a little more. The light display was amazing. It isn't too spread out which is perfect for families with younger kids. It was an awesome night and we will definitely make it a yearly tradition.

No pictures as I was driving someone with special needs…read more Two nights per year they offer drive through nights. Wheelchairs would be very difficult to maneuver through gravel and snow unless they have heavy duty tires. Plus it is hilly. So we drove through an amazing display. The best drive through light display we have done yet. My brother was wowed and me too. So much fun. When you arrive they give you a tag for your rear view mirror. Then drive around the corner to enter. You can go through more than once. We even saw Santa at the end and he came to the car to say "hi." My niece visited on a regular night and she was impressed with the holiday village and the lights.