We took our 3 yo and all had lots of fun. Except for him playing one $2 game, we skipped the carnival part and saw the animals, fire trucks, judged produce/art/etc, Old Timers Show, walked through the indoor exhibits, played on tractors, ate a funnel cake and rode the free "trolley" a little. My son LOVED playing on the tractors. I also rode a camel. Fun day.

To the PP asking about age-- my son liked seeing the animals and sitting on the tractors when he was 1, too.

All fairs are expensive. Two adults, a teenager and a toddler in our family- we went to Loudoun County fair a couple weeks ago and spent $115. Tickets to get in, tickets for the kids to ride, then the teenager of course thought he was too cool to ride rides and instead wanted to do the other stuff that cost additional money. We also ate dinner there since it's fair food and you must, but it was $45. Then a funnel cake. It just adds up.

I agree with OP; it is expensive. We always took the kids when they were small, to see the animals and to ride the rides, and then as they got older, we'd make an evening of going to the fair. Now as teens, they don't even care about going, but when they were younger, they loved it and looked forward to the fair all year. DH and I were always shocked at how much money it took, even on the special wristband night, but we figured that it was a once-a-year thing, so oh well. It is always hot and dirty, though!

Love the fair but it was super expensive! I was hesitant to go to Sesame Place bc of the cost of tickets, but we easily spent more than that on Sunday. It was super fun though! I remember going to the county fair with my family every year - going on the "scary" rides with my dad and eating funnel cakes is one of my most favorite memories!

3 adults = $30.
3 wristbands for the kids = $75.
extra tickets for the adults to ride with the under 42" crowd = $20.
parking = $10.
1 funnel cake = $5.
1 lemonade + refill = $8.
2 ice creams = $8
2 adults trying to climb the rope ladder = $4.

Sorry but I HATE the fair, it's dirty, expensive, gross food, and I don't like the rides
I hate to sound snotty but I really hate fairs

Sorry - autocorrect - that was overpriced lemonade. Not sure how I wrote menace!

We skipped the carnival but still spent a small fortune. Parking, two adult tickets, overpriced menace, lunch for 4, and the real killer. - a crazy expensive toy truck for the 3yo who was threatening a psycho meltdown in the weekend's heat. But I have to say that my kids loved it - lots of animals and tractors are pretty much heaven for them. It was our first time and we'll definitely go back. But bring snacks and try to avoid the obvious shakedowns...

Yeah, the height restrictions on the rides were a little absurd. Height restrictions on bumper cars even when a taller kid is "driving"? Height restrictions on the flying dutchman? Some of the carnies were willing to "stretch' my daughter, which was nice.

We always take the shuttle--the kids seem to get a ridiculously big kick out of it, like they're "goin' somewhere!" They're 6 and 7 and ride the school bus every day...

One perk of living in the vicinity; we can just walk over there and save the parking fee.

Anonymous wrote:We have a little kid, so we didn't do the carnival but $10 in (free under 10?) and $10 in parking per car (free if you shuttle from the lake forest mall). We walked the barns, bought lemonade and watched the 4h parade. $40.

And $40 seems crazy to see farm animals and a parade.

Anonymous wrote:How old do you think the kids need to be to enjoy it?

Maybe not so much age, but height. There are only a couple rides for kids under 42", and a good number for kids at or above 42". My younger is just 5, had a blast, and seems convinced that we will go back tomorrow. Sorry, kid.

How old do you think the kids need to be to enjoy it?

We have a little kid, so we didn't do the carnival but $10 in (free under 10?) and $10 in parking per car (free if you shuttle from the lake forest mall). We walked the barns, bought lemonade and watched the 4h parade. $40.

If you're thinking of going to the fair this week, just know that you'll drop serious money for it. Three of us spent $140 on parking, admission, rides (got the all-you-can-ride bracelets instead of individual tickets, AND it was the discount day, $15 instead of $25 per person), one prize game per kid, and a few snacks.

That said, there are lots of rides that you can do with a small child, pony rides ($5 a pop), baby pigs and goats and kangaroos, and baby chicks hatching right before your eyes.

I'm glad I went into it with the mindset that I would spend what it took for the kids to have fun and for me not to have to say "no" every three minutes. But it's not anything like budget entertainment for a family.