Why County Fairs Are So Much Fun

There are some summer activities that sound fun when you talk about them but end up being kind of boring once you actually get there. County fairs are not one of those things. Every time I go to a fair, there is so much happening at once that it almost feels impossible to see everything.

You have carnival rides spinning in the background, people carrying giant stuffed animals, the smell of funnel cakes and fried food everywhere, livestock barns, games, music, little kids running around with cotton candy, and teenagers trying to figure out what ride they should go on next.

County fairs are definitely a little chaotic, but I think that is part of what makes them so much fun. They are one of those places where you can spend an entire afternoon and evening without really having a plan and somehow never run out of things to do.

The Carnival Rides Are Half the Fun

Obviously, one of the biggest reasons to go to a county fair is the rides. Even fairs that aren't huge usually have a surprisingly good selection.

There are always the rides where you spin around way faster than seems necessary, the giant slides, the Ferris wheel, and at least one ride where you start questioning your decision the second the person running it pulls the safety bar down.

I think rides are even more fun at a fair than they are at a regular amusement park because everything feels more spontaneous. You walk around with your friends, see something that looks completely ridiculous, and somebody says, "We have to ride that."

Then five minutes later you're being spun upside down while wondering why you agreed to it.

The Ferris wheel is almost the opposite. It isn't exactly thrilling, but it's one of my favorite fair rides, especially around sunset. When you're at the top, you can see the entire fair below you with all of the tents, lights, rides, and crowds.

Fair Food Is Basically Its Own Attraction

I don't think anyone goes to a county fair because they want to eat healthy.

Fair food is supposed to be excessive. That's the entire point.

There are funnel cakes covered in powdered sugar, giant lemonades, corn dogs, fries, caramel apples, cotton candy, ice cream, nachos, fried Oreos, and about fifty other foods that somehow taste better simply because you're eating them while walking around a fairground.

And every fair seems to have at least one food stand selling something that makes you stop and say, "They fried WHAT?"

Part of the fun is sharing things. Instead of everyone ordering a normal meal, you can get a funnel cake, somebody else gets fries, another person gets something fried on a stick, and everyone tries everything.

Going With Friends Makes Everything Better

You can definitely have fun at a county fair with your family, but going with a group of friends is completely different.

A fair gives you something to do without forcing you to follow a complicated schedule. You can walk around, get food, ride a few rides, look at animals, play games, listen to music, and spend an embarrassing amount of time debating whether somebody can actually win the six-foot stuffed banana hanging above a carnival booth.

It's also a good place to hang out because nobody has to constantly think of something entertaining to do. The entertainment is already everywhere.

Some of my favorite memories from fairs aren't even specific events. They're just random moments like laughing in line for a ride, sharing fair food, taking terrible pictures, or walking around after dark when everything is lit up.

Carnival Games Are Ridiculously Tempting

I know carnival games are not exactly famous for having amazing odds, yet somehow I still want to play them.

You see somebody carrying around a stuffed animal that is approximately the size of a refrigerator and immediately start thinking, "I could win that."

Then you spend five dollars trying to knock bottles over with a ball and discover that apparently you cannot.

But that's part of the experience.

There are basketball shots, ring tosses, balloon darts, water races, shooting games, and all kinds of other challenges. If you're there with friends, the competitive games are probably the best because you can race against each other.

And even though the prizes are usually things you would never actually buy in a store, winning one somehow feels like a major accomplishment.

The Animal Barns Are Actually Really Interesting

When I was younger, I mostly thought the animal exhibits were something you walked through because your parents wanted to see them. Now I actually think they're one of the coolest parts of a county fair.

You might see horses, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, and other animals being shown by local kids and families.

For people who don't live on farms, it's easy to forget how much work goes into raising and caring for animals. At a county fair, you get to see that up close.

It's also impressive seeing teenagers around my age showing livestock. A lot of them have spent months taking care of those animals and preparing for the fair. While I'm worried about homework, sports, or whether I remembered to charge my phone, somebody else my age may be getting up early every morning to care for a 1,200-pound cow.

That definitely gives you a different perspective.

There's Always Something Random Happening

Another thing I like about fairs is that you never really know what you're going to come across.

You might have live music on one side of the fairground, a tractor pull somewhere else, a livestock show, a talent competition, a demolition derby, magicians, local performers, or some kind of contest you didn't even know existed.

Sometimes the smaller events are unexpectedly entertaining.

You could walk into something just because you have twenty minutes to waste before meeting your friends at a ride and end up staying for the entire thing.

It makes the fair feel like more than just a temporary amusement park. It's also a showcase for the community.

The Fair Is Even Better at Night

If you've only been to a fair during the afternoon, you're missing the best part.

Once the sun goes down, the entire atmosphere changes.

The carnival rides light up, music is playing everywhere, the temperature finally cools off, and the midway looks completely different. Even rides you've already walked past ten times suddenly seem more exciting when they're covered in flashing lights.

This is also when the fair usually feels busiest, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. There are groups of teenagers everywhere, families walking around, people carrying food and prizes, and lines forming at the most popular rides.

There's something about walking around a fair on a warm summer night that just feels like summer is supposed to feel.

County Fairs Feel Different From Everything Else

I think the biggest reason county fairs are so much fun is that they're a combination of a bunch of completely different things.

If you go to an amusement park, you're mainly going for rides. If you go to a concert, you're going for music. If you go to a restaurant, you're going for food.

At a county fair, all of those things are mixed together with animals, competitions, games, exhibits, and random community traditions.

They also don't happen every weekend. Most county fairs come around once a year, which makes them feel more special. When you know you only have a few days to go before everything disappears again, you're more likely to make plans and actually go.

And fairs somehow manage to feel nostalgic even when you're still a teenager. You can remember going when you were little, but now you experience it differently. Instead of your parents choosing where you go next, you're walking around with friends, deciding what you want to ride and probably spending way too much money on food.

For a few hours, you can forget about school starting again, homework, college applications, practices, jobs, and everything else waiting for you outside the fairgrounds.

You can ride something that makes you dizzy, eat food covered in powdered sugar, try to win an unnecessarily huge stuffed animal, visit the goats, watch the sunset from the Ferris wheel, and spend the night laughing with your friends.

That's a pretty good way to spend a summer day.