Rachel Roland is a mom on a mission - exploring beautiful Arizona (and beyond!) with her two little companions, Jeremiah and Sarah, in search of the best restaurants, attractions, and products for you and your children. See what she has in store for your family today!

Where can you find turkey legs (both bacon wrapped and not), giant cups of lemonade as big as your child's head, and chocolate covered food like bacon and pickles?  Or fry bread, po boys, burritos, burgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, french fries, nachos, cotton candy, and so much more?  The Arizona State Fair, of course!  We had the chance to visit today, and I was both excited but slightly unsure - I've never actually visited the Arizona State Fair before, and I wasn't sure what to expect.  

In addition to the plethora of food choices, there are also tons of rides to choose from.  Haunted houses, rides that flip, spin, and fly you around, and more tame rides for the little ones like mini-rollercoasters and the always popular carousel.  You can purchase tickets (which are dispensed on a rechargeable card, brilliant) or wristbands which offer unlimited rides.   The tickets are also used for the games, which we had to try out.  Jeremiah did win a small prize (a puppy) and Sarah won a small pink fish.  Fun! 

There are also so many events for children - you can help build a LEGO replica of the Arizona State Flag with Bonanza Educational, test your football skills at the Verizon NFL Training Grounds, and so much more! 

There's also the Butterfly Adventure, a butterfly walk-through experience with 1000 butterflies!  It's a beautiful and fun stop while at the Arizona State Fair.  We had the chance to 'feed' the butterflies with q-tips dipped in nectar.  The butterflies are very friendly and landed on us several times - one even landed on my camera! 

There's also a great reptile show, Reptile Adventures, with expert Rich Ihle.  It's a fun show - Rich is really silly but an excellent teacher - and Jeremiah and Sarah both had so much fun learning about the snakes and lizards Rich brought out on stage.  

Overall, we had a great day, and I definitely think the Arizona State Fair is a great family activity.  

My recommendations: 

Try to visit on a weekday, if possible (the Fair is closed Mondays and Tuesdays)

Bring water and sunscreen!  I forgot our sunscreen but was able to purchase some from a vendor in the vendor hall - very lucky!  

Bring cash - several vendors we visited were cash-only! 

Bring a stroller or wagon, or you can rent one by the main gate for $10-$15.  (worth it!)  

HAVE FUN!  

The Arizona State Fair runs Wed-Fri (12pm-10pm) and Sat/Sun 10am-10pm (the midway games and rides may close at different times).  The Fair takes place until November 4th, and admission is $10 for adults, kids (5-13) and seniors (55+) are $5, and children under 5 are free.   

Photo courtesy Red Phoenix Photography

I'm Rachel - a mom, wife, and 'green' blogger at Small Steps On Our Journey.   If you want me to come visit your place of business, have any questions on this article or suggestions for a future article, you can email me at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , tweet me at @rachelroland, or connect with me on Facebook.

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