California State Fair
add photos4 Reviews for California State Fair
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50 families found this helpful
"Sacramento wouldn't be the same without this fair."
Besides the fun rides, exhibits and performances, what sets this fair apart from the others is the special memorial set up dedicated to the victims of 9/11.There is a beautifully crafted marble ball which slowly rotates in water with every victim's names engraved on it. Anybody going to the fair just can't miss this memorial. If you go during the day, you will have the chance to see all of the livestock and even pet them. At night the whole grounds light up beautifully. It's well worth seeing any time of day!
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0 families found this helpful
"Too Hot!"
I really don't know why they do the California State Fair at the end of July when it is still so hot! We had a hard time enjoying the animals or any outside exhibit because it was just so hot for us and the kids. Not to mention the deep-fried foods made us ill in the heat. The kids enjoyed making cream and milking a goat. And the animation exhibit was something fun to see, but nothing hands on for the little ones. I think it must be fun for teenagers, because it really wasn't geared toward little ones.
'11, '12
0 families found this helpful
"Fun for the whole family"
I love the state fair and I’ve taken my son the last 2 years but it is very expensive and hot. Here are my Pro’s and Con’s.
• Lots of yummy but expensive food.
• Decent selection of rides for toddlers but all day ride
wrist bands are $30 for both children and adults.
• I love the carnival games and prizes.
• Fun vendor booths (my son charmed me into buying
him giant batman and Spiderman inflatables – goodbye $30.)
• Parking is a nightmare – expensive – and the walk to the
entrance can be very long. I once knew a girl with a child
under 1 who locked her keys in her car and had to stand in
the heat with the baby waiting for AAA to come rescue her.
• Sacramento summer heat is no joke.
• At night it gets ghetto fabulous.
• No soda cans are allowed inside and purses get
searched before entry.
• Limited places to sit in the shade at the Kids Park.
• Tuesdays are Kids Days. Admission for kids under 12 is
FREE and rides are only $1 for all ages.
• Tickets can be bought at a discounted rate online
before the opening day of the fair.
My coworker gives his daughter the option of either having $20 to spend on anything she’d like or the purchase of an unlimited ride wristband. It she wants the wristband he packs a cooler of food and drinks for them and no additional money is spent at the fair except his admission ticket. If she chooses the money he doesn’t give her more money once she’s spent it. I really like this idea and plan to do this with my son when he’s older. I hope I can stick to my guns to make this lesson work like my coworker does.
0 families found this helpful
"Nothing to love"
The state fair should be a showcase of all that is great about California and Sacramento. Instead it is the opposite. From parking to rides and exhibits the state fair is over-priced and under-whelming. Rides are individually priced and cost adds up fast. Teusdays bring $1 rides and lines too long for most kids to cope. Most rides have height requirements that exclude the preschool set. The best thing about the fair is the food -- it's a fried food fest but NOT worth the investment. Skip it.
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