As a young kid, I didn’t grow up in the twin cities. I grew up on a dairy farm. I attended the Minnesota State Fair as a kid but not every single summer. After I got married it became our tradition and then when kids came along, it has stayed our tradition. Yes you can enjoy the fair with small kids. We have done it for 11 years now. We had twins in 2004 and they have been to the fair every single year. Yes… even that first year when they were only four months old. Each year we do at least one long day, and sometimes we do two days. We all look forward to it. We don’t rush through everything but we do cover a lot of ground. We used a stroller until they were four, and then the girls were required to walk each year. One of our first stops is the Education building. Sort of an odd first place with kids, but we head to the Education Minnesota booth for our free calendar. They take your photo and then you have a calendar for the whole year. It is our favorite souvenir. This year we found another great photo op, at the Kemps Booth. This photo below is my family getting photo bombed by the Kemps Cow. Of course the samples at the Kemps booth are always a bonus too. They only do samples at a few specific times each day, so you will need to make sure you time it right. 
Now we all know there is an admission charge to get into the fair, but beyond that you can have a budget friendly day at the fair. We share our food and we purchased souvenir bottles/drinking cups several years ago and continue to bring those back each year. The animal barns are a huge hit for all of us. We were sad that the poultry barn was missing chickens this year but we wrote out cards to be given to the farmers, and hope to see them next year. If you need to cool off from the heat, there are shaded spots under trees or sit and listen to some of the free music at one of the entertainment stages. I discovered a favorite band, Trampled By Turtles one year when we walked by and heard them. I am pretty sure I made both of our girls dance on the street with me that year. Yes the fair is a busy place but you can find fun, off the beaten path entertainment in surprising places, like the Senior Building with great free music, or check out the Blue Moon Dine-in Theater for old films. If you go to the fair, go with an open mind and not a mindset that it will be crowded and you will enjoy yourself.
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Kristi is married with twin daughters. She grew up on a small dairy farm, but now lives in the south metro area. She enjoys finding free or thrifty things to do whether they are outings close to home or last minute adventures to far-away places.
Kristi can also be found enjoying estate sales, attempting to garden, volunteering in the wetlands or a favorite thrift store, or maybe just enjoying a good play in one of the many theatre venues in the area.
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