Full disclosure: I write my (almost) annual Minnesota State Fair post more for my historical record than anything else. 🙂 It’s been tradition since Joe was old enough to appreciate it for the two of us to spend a day at the fair, and I want to remember these photos, these moments.
This year, my sister and daughter and my parents came with us, so it was an extra special time! Sisters … cousins … grandparents – so many moments to soak in and enjoy.
Plus, it’s way easier to try more food when traveling in a larger group! And that’s exactly what we did!
A group photo before we hit the road from my sister’s house!
Breakfast of champions for my cheese curd-loving kid … always a tradition!
First new food of the day … the Swedish Meatball Smorgas from The Blue Barn. This rated very highly with our group — it tasted like homemade Swedish meatballs and the soft bun was a great complement.
I’d say some Farm Girl beer pairs very well with the French Toast Bites from the Blue Barn. And that huge dollop of real whipped cream with pop rocks sprinkled on top? So fun!
Another stellar option if you’re in the mood for breakfast … the scrambled egg bake at The Blue Barn with chicken, chorizo, lettuce, and salsa. Another win!
My sister and Dad went with the beer, but my mom and I loved the Strawberry Mint Fro-le, also from the Blue Barn. It wasn’t too sweet and just the right consistency!
My niece Morgan charmed one of the State Fair mascots … or was it the other way around?
Little Miss Morgan loved the kiddie rides, of course. 🙂 And my sister’s expression – priceless!
A carousel ride with “Aunta”!
The men in my family have always loved the side view photo, for some reason … and apparently Joe is no exception.
We stopped by the Spam store to check out the varieties available around the world! This is especially fitting since Teacher Man spent most of his formative years growing up in Austin, Minnesota – home to Spam (and Hormel Foods)! His Dad worked at Hormel for many, many years and his brother and cousin still do. Go Spam!
The Duck Bacon Wontons from Giggle’s Campfire Grill were pretty yummy.
We took a ride on the jumbo ferris wheel, which gave us an amazing view of both the Minneapolis and Saint Paul skylines.
Joe doesn’t like heights and this is the look of a guy who wasn’t too keen on the ferris wheel – ha!
Our traditional ride on the Sky Ride is one of our faves … and important to take a selfie while waiting in line.
We had a cool view of the parade, which included this high school marching band from … somewhere! LOL
For whatever reason, the Sky Ride is more Joe’s thing than the giant ferris wheel!
If you look carefully, on the left side of the Sky Ride is a tiny little stand that sells Key Lime Pie on a Stick. If you’ve never tried these gems, you NEED to. Truly a fabulous mix of key lime, graham cracker crust and dark chocolate.
This girl loves her cotton candy!
The Horticulture building never disappoints – we love to visit the award winning vegetables … an oh, all that garlic (my favorite thing to grow)! #goals
A brief respite just outside the Horticulture Building … and of course Miss Morgan is leaning on her cousin, whom she absolutely ADORES, instead of her momma! 😉
My favorite raspberry malt from the Dairy Goodness Bar in all its glory right here. This is the only food item I didn’t share! 😉
Grandparents and their grandkids. 🙂 (And yes, that is a rather large Ninja set that Miss Morgan talked her “Gram” into buying for her!) She and Joe are very much alike in many ways … I well remember the days of all the Ninja stuff at my house!)
I have to mention my absolute favorite at the State Fair … Turkey To Go, which turns 60-year-old at the fair this year! We grabbed some Giant Juicy Turkey sandwiches for the road – the perfect way to end our fair visit.
Oh and this t-shirt … perfect for Joe, who takes grammar, good sentence structure, and spelling very, very seriously. (For real!)
You can view previous State Fair posts here and here and here. (Oh my – look how Joe and Morgan have grown!)
Have a Labor Day great weekend, my friends! Ours will be a mix of a short road trip to visit the farm and then being low-key at home … just the way we like it!
xoxo – Lara