I am going to show you how to have fun in under 2 hours with two 10-year-old boys. First, get as many free offerings before the fair opens by watching all the stores/websites and emails that offer them. I got a free entry ticket and 6 free cream puffs for our visit with little effort. Every day seems to have a ticket offer, so watch the fair info and get on their mailing lists. NOTE: Some of the events/stores only take cash, so plan to either bring cash or use an ATM with a fee if you need to. Otherwise, many take CCs. We arrived on the first day at 5:00 pm and parked ($15 cash or card) right in front of the entrance. (Note the lane number you are parked in.) I always take a photo of the kids before we enter in case we get separated; they are also told to describe me now in case they need to later. Enter and bypass the rides, heading for the Sky Glider, $6 one way to the far end. While you are in the air, look at the entire park to see what you think is fun to do, and where it is. There are a lot of food trailers under the ride, so check them out. Since the boys are young, I listened to the music at many food stops for my visit with adults another day. This year, things were moved so don't assume you know the layout from previous visits. We planned to Sky Glide and grab a fresh lemonade when we got off ($4 each) and then walked the center area to see all the food options there. Next Stop is the Corn but on the way there the Idahoan Mashed Potatoe stand had freebies and they were enough for a meal itself, so that saved us money on food. Bought New Berlin's Lions Club corn on the cob soaked in butter, $4 each and worth every penny. (No toothpicks available anymore, so plan ahead, and they take cash or CC.) As we ate, we walked past the pig races and watched the crazy sling shot (not the real name which I can't remember) shoot people into the air; they have seats in front to watch it while we ate. Then, since it was our once-a-year fun we bought Mini Donuts ($18 for 36!!! But they do take credit cards) and indulged as we headed toward the Giant Ferris Wheel. CC self-serve on tickets is easy to spend $7/ticket). Enjoy the view as you go around two or three times. Hop off and go for the Giant Slide (CASH ONLY $4/ticket). Grab your slide ride and have a blast! Off to the Cream Puffs in three flavors this year; original, strawberry or chocolate. Single: $5; 3-Pack: $14; 6-Pack: $25, cash or CC. Grab lots of napkins or get a box to take them home. Back to the Corn stand for more and then to the Colluseum to watch some animals as we ate the last corn and then back to the car for the ride home. But we also visited with the police horses which is pretty cool too.
I told the boys we only had 2 hours to spend and with our planning ahead we did exactly that. They saw lots of things, asked lots of questions and enjoyed the fair without needing to blow the bank on junk and expensive toys.
Set the tone, plan ahead and take advantage of as many freebies as you can. The prices can easily add up so choose wisely what you want to do or see and what you can just enjoy by wandering; the free street entertainment is an easy choice. Due to our time limit, we did not see everything by any means, but the boys were not disappointed and actually pretty tired as we headed out. They can't wait to come again next year, so I know it was a successful visit without crazy costs or endless wandering.
I can't wait to go back with only adults and enjoy the music and fun for myself. read more