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Another fair tip - there are PLENTY of games on the midway that say "kids always win" - stick with those or you will end up with unhappy kiddos. I should have taken my own advice on that today but eventually we found them!
Ugh don't wait in that line unless you plan on getting there at 9am and eating it for breakfast. You can get the exact same ice cream year-round at DH Hill Library or Talley Student Center without having to wait in a 45 minute line. I do agree it's delicious though.
It opens at 11 AM. We get there 20 minutes early and are first or second in line.
I have always wished they would go to an armband or hand stamp system where you can buy an armband for a set price and ride as much as you want. The tickets have always been a hassle: knowing how many to buy, having to keep up with them, count them for each kid, having to find a place to keep them without loosing them, standing in line for more...
Seems like there has to be a better way.
They do this on the first day of the fair. It's $28 for an all-you-can-ride wristband.
When we were kids my mom would buy the discount ride tickets they sell at the advance sale. My sister and I would each get one sheet of tickets and once they were gone they're gone! It was always enough tickets to ride 3 or 4 rides which was plenty.
Yep, we went on Thursday, bought the discount tickets at Gate 9, then walked right in and stayed a couple hours! Was amused when I saw people in lines for tickets on the midway that were longer than I waited outside for discount tickets. $10 for a sheet of tickets. My kids each got a sheet and each has 18 tickets, so they got 4 rides (3 5's and a 3....if ya know what I mean). That is not bad!
We decided at the last minute to head over to the State Fair on Sunday. Got there at 10:30 AM. Traffic was already backed up on Blue Ridge Road but it moved quickly. We parked across from Gate 9. Cost $10.
It was crowded but from the time we got there until about 2 PM, not too bad. From 2 to 4 PM, it was CROWDED. There were some areas around The Village of Yesteryear that were so packed, you had to push your way through!
We left around 4. Tons of folks were coming in as we were leaving. A client of mine called to tell me that she was stuck in traffic, trying to get in, at that time. She finally gave up and decided to go another day.
I KNOW BETTER THAN TO GO ON A WEEKEND but didn't think it would be THAT BAD! I won't make that mistake again.
As to the poster that asked about pushing a stroller, the only area that I saw that WASN'T paved was a small area down where the larger rides are. We always took our kids, in their strollers, so I remember when there was lots more unpaved areas.
There are strollers and wagons, for rent, if anyone needs that.
We went Sunday too. It was crowded between 3-5, but by 6 PM it was thinning out and by 8 it was almost deserted. No lines for anything...
Traffic was bad though on Blue Ridge. We usually just take the bus from Cary but this year we had a free parking pass for Gate 11 but we weren't even able to get to the gate. We sat in traffic at Blue Ridge/Hillsborough Street intersection for over 30 minutes before deciding $10.00 parking was worth it and pulled off into a parking lot.
I will stick with taking the bus next year!
There are Hand-washing stations all around the Fair, they have bigger signs and are well lit, so if you're going to visit the petting zoo or the livestock building do use them..
Rocio
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