Colorado State Fair

In late August and early September, we like to stop by the Colorado State Fair.  It's held in Pueblo which seems a bit off the beaten path for most people in Colorado.  But coming from Texas, where the State Fair is held in a dangerous part of Dallas, I'll take it!  It generally has a laid back, local, country feel to it and is so much fun.

Pueblo is much hotter than the Denver and Boulder areas, so we always wait until nighttime to arrive.  Plus, fairs are way more fun in the dark anyway, with all the bright flashing lights lighting up the sky.

Rides at the fair can really add up, and if you have kids like we do, it's a pretty good idea to buy the wristbands for unlimited rides.  It also sometimes includes food, which we did this year.  We got four wristbands plus four meals and drinks for $125.

Chris's favorite part is a beer festival and competition, which he enters every year.  The kids' favorite part are the rides.  And the fried Oreos.  And the Funnel Cake.  And Corn Dogs. 

Sometimes the rides can be a little intimidating, though, so they become best friends.

Normally what we do is when we arrive, we let the kids go on rides for a bit, and then head over for food and then to look at the animals.  Looking at the animals is fun, because they let you pet a lot of them.  The goats, which are there for competitions, are friendly and love to be petted.  There are also petting zoos.  Beware of the piglets, though - they bite!

We generally only need 4-5 hours to do and see everything we want to do.  There is much more that we don't get to, since we have little ones.  This year the Broncos Cheerleaders were there, along with  some shows, like rodeos and barrel racing.  We also got to test drive some trucks on a mini off roading course.  Fun!

It's just a good, fun, family friendly way to spend a weekend.