Last weekend I got to bring my 11 month old and husband to the State Fair Meadowlands at MetLife Stadium. I used to go when I was younger, so I was very excited to share this experience with my son. Though the times have changed, not much about the fair has, and that's not a bad thing.
One of Rosaire's Royal Racers, Tyrone the Terrible
If you're looking for entertainment, the shows are great. We really enjoyed Rosaire's Royal Racing Pigs, run by 5th generation circus family, The Rosaire's. I wish I could say just the baby was entertained by pigs running around, but I found myself cheering them on as well. There's also the Sea Lion Splash, an educational show featuring rescued sea lions, Arctic Olympic High Dive Show, with towers and dives so high it's certainly not for the faint of heart, the Cycle Circus Live, which is your standard, but very exciting caged motorcycle show, and magic/illusion shows, Extreme Illusions and Escapes, Art of Magic and Belmont Festival of Magic. There's also a petting zoo, which had camels, llamas, kangaroos, goats, donkeys and sheep, and probably topped the list of my sons favorite thing at the fair.
You can't have a fair without the rides, and all your favorites are there. There are ferris wheels, carousels, rollercoasters, tilt-a-whirls, flying chairs, fun houses, etc. There's a children's area called Kiddy World where we spent most of our time on every ride where you can sit and ride with your child.
Dragon's Breath
But the main attraction to the fair always has been and always will be the food. This years fair featured rolled ice cream, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like, Dragons Breath, a cup of cheese-puffs and Froot Loops frozen with liquid nitrogen, that makes you blow out smoke when you eat them, and a bacon stand, where you can eat DELICIOUS bacon in every form. I think I'm more of a fair traditionalist though, choosing funnel cakes, gyros, deep fried Oreos and zeppolis. Spaghetti Eddie's is where it's really at though, a stand that's been in existence at the fair for 33 years, serving you a FULL Italian meal (think lasagna, ziti, and OBVIOUSLY spaghetti and meatballs) with a side salad and bread for $7.
No matter what your favorite part of the fair is, it's all at State Fair Meadowlands. If you're looking for a cheap activity this weekend, Saturday July 2nd, is Cheap, Cheap Night where all tickets cost $5. If you want more of an all encompassing ticket, you can get a MegaPass for $25 that includes your gate admission and a pass for all the rides. Maybe you just need a place to watch July 4th fireworks, the fair has got you covered on July 3rd and 4th. Anyway or day you make it, State Fair Meadowlands is a great time for your whole family!
**Running June 21-July 8th 2018