Tips, hacks and hidden gems: How to make the most of the Minnesota State Fair
Why it matters: The 12-day fair might as well be a state holiday.
What's new: Over 30 gut-busting featured foods, plus a slew of first-time vendors, exhibitions, and upgrades meant to make the fair more accessible.
The new rides include a 180-foot tower that touts itself as North America's tallest portable swing.
🎟️ Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and kids 5-12 — a $2 increase from last year. Kids under 5 are free.
Plus: Those hoping to snag free parking nearby might be out of luck: Falcon Heights will charge a day rate of $25 for spots on surrounding streets this year.
If you go: We asked readers to share their best tips for making the most of the fair. Here are some of the best hacks and hidden gems:
🍎 Shannon L. praises the cider pops at the apple booth in the Horticulture building as the best deal. She called the treats, which she can buy with the change from a $5 bill, "refreshing, hydrating, inexpensive ... and a great palate cleanser between fried goodies on sticks."
🍪 Abbe C. has a money-saving hack for satisfying a Sweet Martha's craving without buying a whole cone or bucket:
"Every single time I've asked a stranger if I could have one, they've said yes," she writes.
🍔 Several readers shouted out Carl's Gizmo sandwich — a sausage-hamburger sandwich in a bun available near the north end of the Skyglider — as a must-eat item. "Truly life changing," Carter J. wrote.
Greg R. went as far as to say this "nirvana on a bun" is "well worth the drive from Urbandale, Iowa!"
☔️ While gorgeous weather draws the biggest crowds, Julie B. thinks real fair lovers should "never miss a rainy day."
"Much shorter lines, you get to wear a rain poncho, and the clouds weed out the posers," she wrote.
And if you get overstimulated, the Lee and Rose Warner Coliseum is a "cool and quiet" place to recharge, she added.
🧊 Courtney H. freezes water bottles and keeps them in a cooler with plastic bags that can double as a to-go container for extra food. Putting one in her back pocket as it melts keeps her cool.
And, on the topic of taking food home, Jan A. stocks up on $100 of salted nut rolls to "freeze and enjoy until next fair."
🐶 As far as favorite attractions go, Ginny J. loves watching the stock dog competition (Aug. 25 at the Coliseum), and Erin P. ends the night with the giant Ferris wheel and group karaoke.
🦋 Sarah C. recommends visiting the Butterfly House: "Stay still and let the butterflies land on you."
🌮 Ryan H., a self-described "State Fair freak," says the flour tacos at El Sol are "next level — and so many people don't know about them."
Still on his fair bucket list is a sit-down meal at the Peg, the only full-service restaurant on site.
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Minnesota State Fair butter sculpture tradition has dairy princesses bundling up in the summer
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — It was a warm summer day but Malorie Thorson was dressed for winter as Gerry Kulzer sculpted a likeness of her head from a large block of butter Thursday in keeping with a 60-year-old tradition on the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair. Thorson, a 20-year-old from the town of Waverly, was crowned as the 72nd Princess Kay of the Milky Way on Wednesday night. And her first official duty as the goodwill ambassador for the state's 1,800 dairy farm families was to bundle up and sit in a rotating glassed-in studio at 40 degrees F (4 Celsius) as fairgoers gathered to watch Kulzer turn a 90-pound (41-kilogram) block of salted butter into art. Other state fairs also feature butter sculptures. The Iowa State Fair has been famous for its life-sized Butter Cow for over a century. A replica will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery in Washington starting Saturday. The 2025 New York State Fair butter sculpture, unveiled Tuesday, is a 900-pound (410-kilogram) nod to the 125th anniversary of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by New York state native L. Frank Baum. But in Minnesota, all 10 of the dairy princess finalists get a likeness of their heads carved before an ever-changing live audience. Each one gets to take their sculpture home after the fair, along with a bucket of the scraps. They can deep-freeze their heads as souvenirs or share them with family and friends, maybe spreading some of the butter onto corn on the cob. Wearing her tiara on her head, her sash over her overcoat and her gloves folded on her lap, Thorson said she loved the break from the nearly 80 degree (27 Celsius) heat outside. But she added it was an 'unreal experience' to find herself at the center of attention because her mother had been taking her to the fair and its dairy stands since she was at least 3. She said her mother had been a Princess Kay finalist in 1996. Thorson expressed confidence that Kulzer would do her justice. 'I have so much faith in him. I usually don't have as much faith in a lot of people because I like to be in control sometimes," the South Dakota State University student said. "So it's really nice to just sit back, relax and know that he's going to do a great job.' It's Kulzer's fourth year as the fair's official butter sculptor. The artist, who usually sculpts with clay, said butter is different, that it's harder, more like carving stone. 'The temperature makes a huge difference," he said during a warm-up break. 'If you are working at a 50-degree temperature, it's just like clay. In the 40 degrees here, it's just like from your refrigerator. So you cut a knife into your stick of butter, it's like it's hard and flaky.' But Kulzer said his state fair gig is 'super fun' even though it's a little hard working in the cold. 'My fingers get a little stiff, and so I've got two layers on my hands. But you can't layer up too much because you still need the dexterity to carve,' he said. 'My fingers were cramping up because they were getting cold, so you take a break when you need it.'
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
"All You Can Drink Milk" stand commemorates 70 years at Minnesota State Fair
The "All You Can Drink Milk" stand at the corner of Judson Avenue and Clough Street is celebrating 70 years at the Minnesota State Fair this year. "It's classic. It's milk. Can't go wrong with it," Luke Ledoux said. Classic would be the right word. The milk stand has been around since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. "The milk stand was actually started in 1955," Brittney Arnold said. "It started on Machinery Hill and a glass of milk was 10 cents, unlimited and they came in five-gallon cans." Seventy years later, they now use 300-gallon totes to feed milk through their lines. For $3, you can get unlimited white or chocolate milk. Up to 20,000 gallons can be sold during the 12 days of the fair, with as many as 100,000 people stopping by. It might be hard to believe, but even on hot days, the stand is busy. "Milk is actually a rehydration drink. It has 13 essential nutrients," Arnold said. This is the one stop at the fair where there's no crying over spilled milk, because there's more than plenty to go around. "All we want is for consumers to have a great dairy experience, whether that's milk, ice cream, cheese sticks, yogurt," Arnold said. "We are here. We love consumers and we want everyone to know that the dairy farmers are here for you guys." Minnesota Dairy Farmers opened the stand back in the day and they still supply everything.
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
New foods to try, skip at the Minnesota State Fair
It might have been a mistake to eat the Uncrustaburger from Coasters first thing in the morning. Yes, but: It's still worth trying — later in the day. A hamburger patty goes between two deep-fried PB&J Uncrustables and is topped with pickles, Thousand Island dressing, lettuce and cheese. This $14 creation was a nice blend of sweet and savory, though it quickly lost its integrity and turned into a mush of jelly, peanut butter and dressing. The big picture: The Axios Twin Cities team tried 17 of the 33 new State Fair foods. Here's what we thought. The favorites 🧀 Sweet Squeakers from The Blue Barn ($14.75). White cheddar cheese curds coated in funnel cake batter and deep fried, with berry sauce and lemon whip cream. A great shareable snack. 🍤 Shrimp and pork toast on a stick by Union Hmong Kitchen ($15). Ground pork and shrimp are spread on Texas toast. Easy to eat, savory meat and perfectly toasted. 🍦 Soft Serve Royal Raspberry Beer from West End Brews ($11). It's beer and ice cream, two things we love! We think this is going to be a keeper, though some of us tasted more seltzer than beer. 🍟 Somali Street Fries from Midtown Global Market's Oasis Grill & Hoyo Sambusa ($15) wowed us with crispy fries, well-spiced meat and zingy sauces. We may have it for lunch again today, because it's only around through Tuesday. Of note: We did not make it to the new Beans & Beignets stand, but judging by the long lines and strong reviews, it looks like it's worth a stop. Solid 🍓 Dubai Chocolate Strawberry Cup from new vendor Chocolate Strawberry Cup ($20). Ripe strawberries smothered in Belgian-style chocolate, pistachio butter, kataifi and pistachios. This would be a favorite if not for the staggering price. 🌮 Pizza Cheese Curd Tacos from Richie's ($18). We like all the new stuff this vendor puts out. These, with pepperoni, sausage and curds in a crispy flour shell and topped with marinara, were good, but the price was steep for just two. 🧆 Fawaffle from Baba's ($11). A chickpeas and herb fritter pressed in a waffle iron with hummus. A protein-packed antidote to all of the new sugary items. The tahini butter, mint and tomato toppings lighten the dish. Great value. Skip it 🍟 Chicken-Fried Bacon Fries from Soul Bowl ($12). Was there any bacon in these things? Mostly just fried breading. 🎂 Birthday Cake Cookie Dough On-A-Stick from Kora & Mila's Cookie Dough ($11). None of us took more than one bite. 🥓 Timber Twists
