That’s right. We’re nearing the end of summer and that means the state fairs are starting up again. There are actually a few that start at the end of June, but the majority of them seem to be in July and August. There are a few in September and some states linger into October and November.

This “season” we started our adventures of with a mini-road trip. In 4 days, we hit up 3 state fairs. We started with the Indiana State Fair (in Indianapolis), then went to the Kentucky State Fair (in Louisville), and we finished up with the Wilson County-Tennessee State Fair (in Lebanon).

See below for the highlights from each fair and our journey back to Chicago.

Indiana State Fair
It was laid out in a donut shape, thus the center was inaccessible and you had to walk around. There was an underground to cut through the center, but we didn’t use it. Some unique features: Indy Dunkers, Wolves of the World, free tractor shuttle (which was actually not that unique we found out), canstruction, a cheese sculpture, Hoosier Santas, vinyls tribute and the watermelon seed catapult contest (used to be a spitting contest, but then COVID happened).
Some things we tried: deep fried BBQ pork sandwich, corn dog, walleye sliders (these were the best in my opinion), moose track ice cream, vegan philly cheesesteak with tortilla chips and apple cider slushie (also super delicious). There was a free Melissa Etheridge concert at night.
*Highlight: we met up with a couchsurfer named John and there were goats!

Kentucky State Fair
This fair was super spread out (unnecessarily so). It mainly just had typical fair food, and the best eats were probably things things that came from their agriculture associate booths (like beef, pork and chicken). They also had a tractor shuttle. Something super unique: a corn dog dipping contest (we were one day too early for this), lady houdini, and the talent show. There was a free Blue Oyster Cult concert in the evening.
We had a grilled pork chop (this was pretty good, nicely seasoned), corn dog, ice cream, and chicken tender and fries.
*Highlights: saw my first tobacco plant, learned about pawpaws (and now I want to try one), got free string cheese and popcorn.

Tennessee State Fair
This turned out to be quite a good fair and the medical staff made sure to take care of the guests. It was super hot and they were handing out ice cold towels. The fair didn’t open until noon, so we actually went in town to grab some Prince’s Hot Chicken (worth it!). At the fair, we saw: an antique tractor pull, participated in the first annual Great Bacon Toss, saw a cat show and watched kids compete in the robotic challenge. Some of the things we ate: ice cream, fried hand pies, and BBQ pickle popper.
*Highlights: the Great Bacon Toss, Prince’s Hot Chicken (not at the fair), tablescaping contest

The time between the fairs wasn’t great, but the drive home was a bit brutal (it would’ve been a straight 8 hours without stops, but, of course, we made stops). We made a stop at the CostCo’s in Kentucky to check out the bourbon selection (there’s sooo many) and also a stop for lunch. We stopped at The Brown Hotel for my first official authentic Hot Brown (paired with a Mediterranean Salad because we were in need of some veggies). After that, we made one more stop at a travel stop to walk around but also get an Arby’s snack.