Falling Leaves and cooler nights: It’s time to take the kids to the NC State Fair. The State Fair has something for everybody, and we have some tips for families to make their trip as enjoyable as a fried Twinkie.

The fair runs from October 15-25, and there is one key mistake you shouldn’t make: Go unprepared. If you decide on the spur of the moment to go to the fair one Saturday afternoon, you’ll end up in the wrong parking lot, taking the wrong bus, buying the wrong tickets, and missing the demolition derby while waiting in line for the hog race, making the kids want to go home before the fireworks… or you can read the post below and hopefully be better prepared.

How to get there, from downtown and East Raleigh

If you live close to Dix Park, a great option is to walk or drive to Dix, and catch the shuttle bus, which takes your right to gate 1. During busy hours and weekends, this is likely faster than driving to one of the parking lots nearby, and then still take a shuttle bus, and risk waiting in line at the end just to exit the parking lot.

That said, it is not a perfect option either, and there can be long lines waiting for the shuttle bus to take you back to Dix at the end of the night. (One thing to bring for sure is a lot of patience.)

How to get there, from other areas in the Triangle

The car is your best bet, and one piece of advice is to not go on an empty tank – you may get routed to an overflow parking lot, or you may have to wait to the exit the lot if everybody is leaving at the same time. Here as well – load a portion of patience in the trunk.

Parking: The address of the fair is 4285 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607, but don’t put that in your navigation, or your phone will desperately try to make you drive into the fair. Instead, use

4280 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607, and once you’re on Trinity Road, follow signs to parking. If you arrive early, you’ll be able to park in one of the Carter Finley Stadium lots, and it is about a 10-15min walk to the fair.

If the lot is full, you’ll get directed to overflow parking, which may be less ideal on arrival, but might help you on the way out later. If you’re from Cary or the Southside of Raleigh, the Cardinal overflow parking lot is better; if you’re from North Raleigh or Inside the Beltline, the Dogwood overflow parking is better. Make sure that you know where the shuttle dropped you off, and be sure to know if you’re in Dogwood or Cardinal – take screenshots of your location, drop a pin, etc. of both your car and the shuttle dropoff. (Dogwood drops at Gate 8 and Cardinal drops at Gate 7, but don’t quote me on that, even their own map is a bit ambiguous.)

How to get in – with the right ticket

I hope you’re reading this whole article at home, and have purchased your tickets online. Or you can be that mom, that frantically buys tickets on her phone while waiting in line. (Trust me, you’ll be in good company.)

Now, I hope you’ve kept your bucket of patience handy, because while the official website says “Buy Tickets Now”, it only links to certain special discounted tickets, and you have to actually go to this site to purchase a regular ticket. (Or click on a special one, it takes you to the same place. There is a confusing array of 28 different ticket choices, so tap carefully; the common regular entrance seems to be this NC State Fair – Gate Admission – Good Any One Day, but do your own checking. There are also “Tools for Schools” tickets with a awesome (sorry) 27¢ discount per kid (I’m not kidding.)

There are a bunch of tickets available for things like the chair lift, slides, unlimited rides, and so on. I usually just buy these things on site, because once here you know if you even want to ride the chair lift or not. However, if you want to go to a special event (see below), like the rodeo or the tractor pull, these tickets do make sense to buy ahead. Note that you always need to buy the admission itself separately.

Or – just stand in line and buy the ticket at the gate.

We’re in – what do we do now?

In my experience, it is most enjoyable to just follow the kids and go where they want to go – or at least, let them feel like it’s that way. A gentle “how about we go this way” will rarely meet opposition, and that’s where the map comes in.

Assuming you’re starting at gate 7 or 8, keep right after the pond. (If the kids pull left, tell them you’ll go there later.) Head uphill towards the Graham Building and Expo Center. That’s where you’ll find the livestock shows, the giant pumpkins and other horticulture exhibits. Once the kids are done with that, it might be time for some wholesome fried food – just follow your nose to the Food Hall. (Actually, head to the restrooms first, because they are right by the Graham Building.

If the kids lasted that long without wanting to go on a ride, they will certainly notice them now, and this is the point where they take over – just make sure to follow closely.

The rides and the cable car (State Fair Flyer)

For younger kids, stay on top of the hill, and opposite from the Food Hall, there is Kiddieland (36” or taller ride alone in Kiddieland, 40” and under ride with a paying adult on select rides), with small rides and attractions for the little one. The older kids will want to go down to the Midway, and explore the larger rides there. You buy booklets of 18 tickets for $10 (or $30 unlimited rides), and each ride takes a number of tickets (usually 3-5 tickets). To get a birds eye view, ride the State Fair Flyer cable car, which requires a separate ticket ($7 one way, $10 roundtrip).

The fireworks

Every day at 9:45pm, the fireworks mark the end of the day. The exhibition buildings close, but the grounds and rides remain open until 11:30p on Fri/Sat, and until 11:00p on the other days.

Especially with younger kids, it makes sense to skip the fireworks, and to beat the crowds to the parking lot.

What did I skip?

Of course, there are many other attractions, but I would guide a family with kids through the fair, that’s the itinerary I would take. New this year is also the large America 250 Ferris Wheel, the “largest portable observation wheel in the world”. It is hard to predict how long the line will be, and it will also take considerable time to do the ride, which includes 2 full loops. But if you do it, you’ll see as far as Wake Forest, Knightdale or Garner, and good views of downtown Raleigh (everything else will be a green forest from that distance). Worth your time? I can’t tell for sure, but go check it out when you’re there. Tickets are $6. Another guilty pleasure I did not cover is the motor mayhem. It’s $10 on the weekend, loud and stinky, but hey, if that’s your thing…

At a glance

Hours:
10/15: 12p-11p
10/16:   9a-11:30p
10/17:   9a-11:30p
10/18:   9a-11p
10/19:   9a-11p
10/20:   9a-11p
10/21:   9a-11p
10/22:   9a-11p
10/23:   9a-11:30p
10/24:   9a-11:30p
10/25:   9a-11p
Find a list of daily activities on the Daily Schedule.
Directions: Use 4280 Trinity Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607 to get to the main parking lot. Don’t park in undesignated spots, it is not right and not worth it. From downtown, consider the shuttle running from Dix Park (from the large Hunt Drive parking lot).
Website: N.C. State Fair
Tickets: North Carolina State Fair Official Tickets | Raleigh, NC ($10/$5 in advance, $13/$7 at the gate)

As of this writing, the official website still has several “coming soon” section, as always check for last minute updates on their website before heading out.