August Guide: 44 Fair Tips + Other August Essentials

In Minnesota, the State Fair dominates August with the same thoroughness that the holidays dominate December. The month belongs to the State Fair mascots Fairchild and Fairborne. We will lean heavy on State Fair recommendations for our monthly guide but we’ll also pepper in some recommendations for those who want little to do with the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

🐶 See some world class athletes

The All-Star Stunt Dogs Splash is one of my favorite parts of the state fair every year. The event features some of the best dock diving dogs in the world jumping up to 30 feet into a swimming pool to catch their favorite toy. The full-time traveling stunt show that puts on the performance only utilizes positive reinforcement training and prioritizes the health and happiness of their dogs, so you can be sure all the furry friends are having as much fun as you are.

🦃 Basic staples according to Anna

I’m going to make this really simple for you. You’re gonna need to get yourself a cheese on a stick, and a fresh lemonade every year that you go to the fair. I realize that is a frosty root beer pictured above, and yes, that would be a sufficient substitute for a delightful lemo. I will happily allow either.

Listen to me when I tell you that I was a vegan for two years and a vegetarian for four and I still made sure to eat a Turkey To Go sandwich every year at the fair. That simple, drippy, flavor-bursting sandwich is nothing short of elite. Did you know that Turkey To Go used to have a shop in the St. Paul skyway? When I worked at MPR, no less? What a dangerous and delightful time in my life that was!

Once you’re stuffed, please – for me – get yourself to Ye Olde Mill, and to the good ol’ Haunted House. A bonus will be your clothes smelling like pork smoke while you wait in line. Gosh I love the fair. See you there? –Anna

Pro tip: Use this packing list if you have small ones like me:

⏰ Falcon Heights alternatives

Falcon Heights is best-known as the home of the Minnesota State Fair and for good reason: the fairgrounds make up almost a quarter of the city! But, given that we are celebrating the area, we want to offer a couple of non-state fair options in the vicinity. As I gathered intel from my Falcon Heights insiders the same recommendation came up: “don’t visit during the fair”. It’s just a reality that it’s not worth navigating fair traffic for attractions that are open year-round. But, these are some great spots for pre-fair and post-fair visiting.

Bole Ethiopian Cuisine - Celebrated Ethiopian cuisine served up in a cozy neighborhood spot with an amazing patio equidistant from the Como Zoo and the fairgrounds.

Marjorie McNeely Conservatory - The Como Zoo is a treat all around but the crown jewel is the year-round natural oasis of the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. To have a spot this soothing, restorative, and accessible 365 days a year is one of the most tangible draws to this part of town.

Nelson Cheese and Deli - Nelson Cheese and Deli makes some of the most delicious sandwiches in the Twin Cities and the folks who love them will happily engage in fisticuffs to protect their honor. The spot is located diagonally from the State Fair and the team from Nelson’s elects to close up shop during the fair rather than counter-program. But once you can find your way to Nelson’s it’s an absolute slam dunk of a sandwich.

Pro tip: Don’t get adventurous. Nelson’s strong suit is deli mainstays done just right: I’m a sucker for the California Club or the Chicken Little.

🥒 Sean’s first, second, and fifth food stops at the Minnesota State Fair

Now if you do choose to go to the fair, I have a couple recommendations for stops:

The State Fair should be a cross-stitch of old standbys and brand new experiences. As you move out of your deep-fried twinkie stage and into your goat cheese and peaches phase, it’s important to find a constant that really works for you year in, year out. Having a couple standbys really helps smooth out the edges when one of the new foods is an absolute dud.

First Stop: Hot Dish on a Stick - Lay down a first layer of deep fried goodness on Liggett at the long-running Ole and Lena’s booth. This is a great first food because it’s an only-at-the-fair type of experience and there’s rarely a long line.

Second Stop: Pickle Dog - A pickle dog sounds terrible on paper, but thankfully we don’t eat it on paper. This is a pickle spear lotioned up with cream cheese and wrapped in pastrami. I know it sounds gross. It’s not. It’s a cold food and it’s not deep-fried. It’s practically health food. I know the State Fair is really getting underway when I feel the snap of that dill pickle through the pastrami covering. Trust me.

Fifth Stop: Mediterranean Lemonade at Holy Land - The International Bazaar can often be the worst bottleneck at the State Fair with lines clogging up in the small market stalls area as well as the large stage that greets you upon entering the Bazaar but I’d walk through much more to make it to my beloved Mediterranean Lemonade from Holy Land. Imagine a lemonade slushy that is supported by mountains of freshly chopped mint. It is hydration with style and I don’t go to the Fair without picking one up.

Pro tip: I find Park & Rides kind of overrated and confusing. Driving to the Fair is a fool’s errand and I’m not always game for a big bike ride home after a day of mischief at the fair. My preferred mode of transportation is the A Line on Snelling. Park up in Highland and get on the bus when it’s empty and enjoy a stress free ride to the fair. It’s a short ride and you’ll get dropped off at the main gates on Snelling for an easy arrival. I don’t want to sugar coat this: it’s going to take a long-ass time to get a bus going back home and your bus is going to be absurdly full. So make sure you have a pair of headphones and a bottle of water while you wait on Como. –Sean

In Non-State Fair News

There are, in fact, other things happening besides the fair. These festivals, hopefully, involve less sunscreen and animals giving birth.

Minnesota Fringe Festival (Aug. 6-16) is a testament to the diversity and breadth of the Twin Cities art scene. The 11-day festival features a series of one-act plays spanning venues across the cities. There’s a whopping 560 performances in all, and “performance” doesn’t really capture the various acts that will take the stage.

Pro tip: If you’re feeling overwhelmed by choosing from more than 100 shows, it can be fun to settle in at one venue all day and watch everything they have in a row. If you do that – bring snacks and don’t forget a potty break between shows!

Midwest Black Book Fair reminds us that we’re never too old for a book fair. Shop from Black booksellers, meet authors, and attend panels. Everyone is welcome, and tickets are free. (Aug. 22)

American Pottery Festival unites ceramic lovers across the country at Northern Clay Center. You can shop from 15 nationally recognized artists and see some clay throwing in action. I can’t resist cute pottery, so I think it’s worth skipping the first few days of the fair to pick up a mug or bowl. (Aug. 28-30) –Tiffany

🎧 Contributor fair tips!

We asked our beloved City Cast Twin Cities podcast contributors the impossible: choose only two foods and two activities at this year’s fair. Here's what made the cut!

🧀 The Curd Craze

Five of our eight contributors picked cheese curds as a must eat, so let's just get it out of the way: you're getting cheese curds, and you know it. Em Cassel and Kirstie Kimball are both loyal to the Mouth Trap curds in the Food Building, while Hans Buetow wants his hot enough to scald, with a full smorgasbord of dips including garlic, ranch, even the ketchup-soaked "sacrifice curd." Tane Danger and Pavielle French agree with their whole cheese-loving hearts.

🍴 Beyond the curd

Once you've paid the cheese tax, the field opens up. Sam Choo swears by the wild rice burger in the Food Building, smothered in sautéed onions and provolone, chased with whatever weird new flavor Hamline Church’s ice cream folks have dreamed up. Kirstie's second pick is the grilled peach with goat cheese from the Produce Exchange, with one caveat: go in the first five or six days, before the peaches get soft. Em pairs her curds with the giant egg roll on a stick from Que Viet (she says the lines are shorter than they used to be), Tane heads to Paella Depot, and Roseanne Pereira makes the case for the deep-fried green pepper rings at The Big Pepper, a charming change of pace from the usual fried fare. PaviElle’s second pick is a pronto pup with ketchup and mustard (NOT a corn dog) because it's browned more and tastes almost like a hush puppy. And Hans grabs corn on the cob dipped in butter on the way out. Good job, team!

One warning from Winter Keefer: skip the savory waffle cones and the apple donut ham grinder. You've been warned.

🦙 What to actually do there

Animals dominate this category. Hans walks the barns and times it to catch the 4-H events, especially kids showing off outfits made from their own sheep's or llama's wool. Winter goes for the alpaca dress-up contest. Sam prefers the llama costume contest and the 4-H musical. Tane ends his day at the Coliseum watching whatever horse show happens to be on.

For the arts-inclined: both Winter and Roseanne endorse the seed art, and Roseanne always catches the butter sculptures. Tane makes sure to see shows at the Minnesota history stage and the arts and culture theater.

Kirstie's pick is the sleeper hit of the bunch: union bingo at the Labor Pavilion on Dan Patch and Cooper. PaviElle recommends STEM Day over by the 3M area off Dan Patch (she worked there for nearly a decade), where you can catch scientists doing tricks with dry ice. Then, she says stick around for kid karaoke and watch little kids belt out '80s songs they've never heard, reading the lyrics as they go, like Toto's “Africa”.

⏰ Brief logistics

Em's strategy: bike to the fair and go early. We’re talking in by 9:30-10 a.m., out by 2:30-3 p.m., before the crowds swallow Dan Patch Avenue. And a neighborly PSA from Sam: if you're parking in Midway, pull up close to the other cars. Don't leave a half-space only a scooter could enjoy.