Video:Arizona State Fair

Transcript:Arizona State Fair

What Is the Arizona State Fair?

When the summer is over in Arizona, we turn our attention, with giddy anticipation, to the Arizona State Fair. The Arizona State Fair is known as one of the best attended state fairs in the country. When October rolls around, central Phoenix will have nearly 100 acres full of food, games, rides, exhibits and performances for three weeks and a million people, give or take, will attend.

Rides at the Arizona State Fair

Every year new attractions and rides are added to the Arizona State Fair lineup so that each year brings new experiences to fairgoers. Don't worry -- your favorite events like the Demolition Derby and the All Indian Rodeo will still be there, too.

Children at the Arizona State Fair

If you have young children in the family the Arizona State Fair is three weeks of heaven. Unlike other carnivals that only provide a handful of rides for the young kids, there's a wide variety of rides for your little daredevils including mini-roller coasters, bumper cars and boats, a gorgeous carousel, rocket ships, tea cups and mazes. There are playgrounds, a petting zoo and life-sized cartoon characters to visit. The livestock displays, where kids can get close to the goats, cattle, sheep, pigs and rabbits in the barns, are great places for photo opportunities.

Teens at the Arizona State Fair

You'll find most teenagers on the rides and in the midway during the Arizona State Fair. On days when an all-day ride wristband is offered, that's the way to go, but even then some of the most extreme rides are not included, and you must pay as you go. By the way, just photographing some of those extreme rides made me queasy!

Saving Money at the Arizona State Fair

There are season passes, discounted ride tickets, two-for-one admission days, dollar ride days there are so many options that I can't mention them all. If you do any advance research and planning there's no reason to ever pay full price at the Arizona State Fair!

Food at the Arizona State Fair

Aside from the extreme rides the biggest expense is usually the food. Sure, there are corn dogs, curly fries, nachos and funnel cakes, ice cream, cotton candy and lemonade -- all the usual suspects. But if you are a bit more adventurous you'll also find some bizarre snacks, like chocolate covered scorpions, deep fried pickles, chocolate covered bacon and deep fried cheesecake. Yum! Bring cash and lots of it! Feeding a family of four or a group of teenagers who are spending a day at the Arizona State Fair isn't a cheap proposition.

Concerts at the Arizona State Fair

Little ones, teenagers and adults all take advantage of the concerts at the Arizona State Fair. They are free with your paid admission, and the folks at the fair do a great job of bringing in big-name, internationally known performers and bands. There's a concert almost every night of the Arizona State Fair and the performances usually include rock, pop, soul, Latin, rap and country music over the course of the Fair run.

To learn more about state fairs and amusement parks, visit us at About.com.