State Fair 2019

Our family has integrated a recent tradition of attending the Wisconsin State Fair yearly. Although we’re admittedly never ones to rush Summer, there is nothing that screams Summer more than visiting the Fair! Normally we enjoy visiting on the first Tuesday of the fair. This year that plan wouldn’t work since it will be busier due to our imminent family vacation! The reason we like to go on that Tuesday is that they do a promotion called Crazy Grazin’ Days and you get deals on the food so you can basically try more items. Smart idea, right?!

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I was a little apprehensive that attending on the first night would be pretty crowded. As we approached the gates there were plenty of people, but once inside I was relieved that it felt similar to attending on Tuesday nights in the past. It couldn’t have been more perfect weather for wandering around the grounds. The gate we entered had a detour around some of the closed animal barns. To our dismay, we realized that one of the closed buildings were goats/sheep. Small backstory, but we call our Grandma, “The Goat.” Our family has a fixation with goats, so whenever we’re there we spend a chunk of time watching the goats and laughing at them. So that was sad to miss out on because we found out that it was closed for the entire night at 4 p.m. which was right after we showed up. 

Luckily we were lured away by the promise of many wonderful fried food smells permeating the grounds. They released over 60(!) new foods for the fair this year. Yes, a lot of it is unhealthy, but it’s a special occasion and we plan ahead to enjoy it all. Plus it’s wonderful to attend with other people who are ready to eat because then we split everything between five people. That way you get a couple of bites of items, but you don’t fill up on one thing. 

We started off with a plate of potato chips, which has been a go-to for years. There’s something about freshly fried chips that are just irresistible. From there we went in search of a beer and found that they had a huge tent called the Micro, serving you guessed it, microbreweries beer. They weren’t hurting for choice! Caitlin chose a particular beer and then the guy returned to tell her she tapped the keg. We were wondering if they were going to tell her to pick something else, but instead, he got on the speaker system and made an announcement and then gave her a Keg Tapper T-shirt. It was a fun little surprise!

Right behind that tent was one of our favorite Milwaukee pride t-shirt shops, Brew City Brand. We had seen their promotion on their Instagram page and knew they had some ridiculously good new t-shirts available. Our friend Sarah was eyeing up the “That’s What Cheese Said” t-shirt, and once Caitlin spotted the “Brews Your Daddy” T-shirt it was game over. She snagged it for an impromptu gift for our Dad and he loved it! There was also a “Red, White, and Brew” t-shirt, which you know us and our love of patriotic gear – super tempting! Most of their stuff is available on their website as well but I think the new ones mentioned above aren’t available online yet, but check it out here.

From there, we refocused on our stomachs. There was a Brat with egg and cheese on top that was wayyy better and more exciting than it sounded. We’re going to have to recreate that one at home! Corn on the cob is always a must. Last year we learned that the corn is grown and sourced locally and they serve it only after they dip it in a vat of butter. Then we had an “Italian Stallion” which was a wonton style deep-fried Italian beef dipped in au jus sauce. Can’t forget the good ole 18-inch hand-dipped corn dog. That is one of Caitlin’s non-negotiables of the fair! They stack 3 hot dogs in a row, and it always hits the spot. We also had to grab a Cream Puff, because Wisconsin. They are the messiest treat but always hit the spot. We also shared some garlic cheese curds, again we’re Wisconsinites! What do you expect aside from lots of dairy?! To wind down the food for the evening, we always head to the local food hall. We started with two ice cream sundaes as an appetizer before we headed over to where Cedar Crest ice cream hooked us up with a 2 (or more like 5) scoop cone. The girl scooping it was making herself laugh as she piled it higher and higher. None of us were upset either haha. The only let down this year was that they discontinued the deep-fried PB&J sandwiches, a more recent family favorite. Consider this our campaign to bring back the PB&J! 

Interspersed with copious amounts of food consumption, were a couple of rides. We always like to ride down the big yellow side. You grab a “burlap sack” (More like a rug now) and climb the stairs to experience the joys of feeling like a child again as you grin the entire way down. We also rode the Ferris wheel this year, which we haven’t done in many years. It was fun to be able to have six people in the same car, but it went way too quickly!

We did stop into the Exhibition hall. It has plenty of products you didn’t know you needed. Our Mom took us back to the Silver jewelry stand and we both picked out a ring because they actually had larger finger size options! Every year we pass by the food chopper guys and he amusing himself with his nonstop chatter during his demonstration. Luckily we didn’t get sucked into any sales demonstrations this year. 

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Basically, we had a blast as we always do attending Wisconsin’s State Fair. It has plenty to entertain the whole family, and you’d have to put more effort forth not to enjoy yourself than it would take to just have a good experience. Tell us below, if you attend the fair; what is your favorite part?

Outfit Details

T-Shirt is linked here, cow print tank is linked here but only available on UK site