Top Minnesota State Fair Activities with Kids

Hoping to bring your kids to the Minnesota State Fair this year? Check out our list for the top activities with kids while at the fair!

Are you excited for the Minnesota State Fair this year? I know I am! Sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed bringing our kids. There’s tons to do, kids get tired- how do you decide what to do and what to skip? Here are our Top Minnesota State Fair Activities with Kids!

One note before we begin this long list- back again for the second year is the Minnesota State Fair app. We highly recommend downloading it. It’s way better than their web based map they had in years past. This app can actually help you find things in live time with your location on- super neat!

One of our most favorite things is to visit the Alphabet Forest in Baldwin Park, between Randall and Wright avenues and Cooper and Cosgrove streets. It’s an amazing area with lots of kids activities, little crowns for them to wear and rotating kids author visits throughout the fair.

There’s also the Fabulous Fair Alphabet Game for your older kiddos, which involves finding words around the Fairgrounds and filling out a game card.

Right nearby is Math on a Stick where both kids and adults can explore fun math concepts. There are lots of hands on activities like plyaing with geometric and reptile-shaped tiles to create patterns and designs. You can also do sorting, matching and comparisons with groups of colored eggs on colorful cards. There are shape and numbers books to enjoy plus a lot more math-centered fun.

Kemps Little Farm Hands, at the cross section of Underwood and Lee Street, is always a kid favorite! It’s an interactive exhibit where kids get to be the farmer from the beginning to the end of the process. My kids always love to ride the tractors. Depending on your kiddo, plan for a good 30 to 45 minutes here.

Just across the street is the Giant Sing Along. This is another fun, free for all exhibit where you literally get to sing along to songs with a bunch of strangers at the MN State Fair. There’s a field of microphones and a huge screen with the lyrics so everyone can sing their hearts out!

Maybe by this point your kiddos want some rides and game at the Kidway or Midway? This year the MN State Fair has a digital Fun Card instead of paper tickets! Rides can get so expensive though, I’d encourage you to either buy the digital Fun Card ahead of time when you buy your advance admission tickets (25 tickets for $20, 50 tickets for $40, 100 tickets for $80 or 200 tickets for $160), or use the coupon found in the Blue Ribbon Bargain Book. With the coupon, you can get $9 off a $30 Fun Card filled with 33 ride & game tickets.

It’s not a trip to the Minnesota State Fair without visiting the animal barns! There’s so much to see- horses, cattle, llamas, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats and so much more. My kids love strolling through the barns because you never know what you’ll see. I’d recommend heading here earlier in the day because the barns can definitely get hot and stinky!

Depending on how much your kids like animals, you can also pay the Miracle of Birth Center a visit, it’s on Judson Ave by the Coliseum. This year there won’t be any live cow births but you can still see sheep, pigs and poultry being born. Of course the births don’t follow a set schedule so plan on at least seeing the cutest little baby animals!

Following the animal theme we have going on, the Butterfly House is a must for any bug-lovin’ kiddos in your crew. Located at Dan Patch and Underwood Ave, the Butterfly House is a giant space filled to the brim with butterflies. You have the opportunity to “hold” butterflies and see these magnificent creatures up close. Admission is $4 a person.

Every day at 2pm, the Minnesota State Fair has a parade. The Daily Parade features a 14-block parade route begins near the Haunted House, goes north on Cosgrove Street, west on Randall Avenue, and south on Underwood Street ending just south of the Haunted House. Every day features different marching bands, floats and more– it’s always fun to find out what you’ll see!

There are so many free performances to catch while you’re at the Minnesota State Fair! This year the Outdoor Family Fair Stage in Baldwin Park features a hip hop juggler, comedy, music, dance and more. Performers and show times vary each day, you can see the full Outdoor Family Fair Stage Schedule on the MN State Fair Website.

Another super fun show for kids is The Lumberjack Show. It’s such a cool experience where you can watch world-class athletes compete in lumberjack challenges such as logroll, speed climb, ax throwing and more. Showtimes are 12:00 pm – 12:30 pm, 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm every day at The North Woods Stage on the corner of Randall and Cooper Streets.

Looking to tire your kids out? You can climb to the top of the DNR Fire Tower for the best views of the Minnesota State Fair! While you’re in the DNR area on Judson and Nelson, you can also see the giant fish ponds and visit Smokey the Bear.

A fun thing to do that can also help get your family transported to one section of the fair to another is riding one of the two trolleys at the fair! They cover the area from Dan Patch Avenue to Cooper Street to Randall Ave to Underwood Street to Murphy Avenue to Cooper Street to Randall Avenue to Cosgrove Street and back to Dan Patch Avenue. You can ride the trolley from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. except for a daily break from 2-3 p.m. during the parade. 

The Eco Experience building provides lots of hands-on activities for kids to learn about our environment and how we can help improve our air, land, water, and climate. This year the popular Eco Bingo game is back. Visit various sections of the building to collect stamps for a chance to win a special pin with a new and exclusive Eco Experience design.

It wouldn’t a be a good list without sharing some rest spaces at the MN State Fair. It’s obvious both kids and adults get tired and need breaks at the fair. One space we are excited to visit this year is the Fraser Sensory Building located on the westside of Cosgrove Street by the entrance of the fair. There will be calming spaces, fidgets and even sensory trained staff provided by Fraser. Sounds amazing to me!

There are quite a few of nursing and/or diaper changing stations found throughout the fair. Located on the West Dan Patch Avenue is the Care and Assistance Building which has private and semi- private rooms for nursing and changes. The myTalk 107.1 Building also has a dedicated nursing space, located the west side of Underwood Street between Randall and Wright avenues. The TPT Building is located the west side of Underwood Street at the intersection of Lee Avenue and has a dedicated mom and baby space. KaiBi Mobile Family Care Center, located on the west side of Underwood Street between Carnes & Judson avenues, has a dedicated space for nursing, changes and a calming sensory space.

Did this list get you more excited for the MN State Fair? Writing it sure made me excited! If you’re looking for more State Fair content, check out our posts 25 Ways to Save at the Minnesota State Fair and the Blue Ribbon Bargain Book for the Minnesota State Fair.