When you live down the street from the local fairgrounds, you have no excuse not to visit the fair when it comes to town. So I suppose I was “obligated” to spend the afternoon at the nearby Tennessee State Fair, which opened on Friday.
The weather was gorgeous, and the crowds were light for a couple hours after the noontime opening — lines were almost nonexistent.
It was tough work.
The midway rides (by North American Midway Entertainment) featured carnival classics like the ferris wheel, which provided great views of the fairgrounds.
I decided to hop on the wheel to get an aerial lay of the land.
Of course, the midway was dotted with food stands serving every type of fried food imaginable (I checked).
And for every food stand was at least one midway game with workers enticing passersby to come play for a giant stuffed animal.
I was a bit surprised that there weren’t more “big” thrill rides, especially for being the Tennessee State Fair. Tennessee is a…fairly…fair-heavy state, so the competition is steep.
The midway rides were spread across three “zones” — one for thrill seekers, one for families and one for kids. It was an interesting concept that I haven’t seen at a fair before (usually they’re all mixed together).
Alien Abduction was one of the first non-Starship models I’ve seen. It spins, so I passed.
Dropping 10 stories is more my speed. Indeed, the Fabbri “Mega Drop” tower is only about 100 feet tall, but don’t let its relatively modest size fool you.
There are few mid-ride moments more terrifying than waiting at the top of a drop tower.
The drop is abrupt, fast and produces a generous helping of airtime.
The fair also featured a Crazy Mouse, a standard Reverchon-made spinning coaster.
And it wouldn’t be a fair without the classic Himalaya ride.
The Larson “ring of fire” is almost as fun to watch as it is to ride (or is it the other way around?).
But they’re not bad rides. I can see why Six Flags invested in so many.
I’m not sure why, but these are always the most popular types of rides on the midway, at least at the fairs I’ve been to.
Down at the “kids zone” midway, the smaller Caterpillar coaster catered to those who weren’t quite ready to upgrade to the Crazy Mouse.
With each passing year, it’s harder for me to resist these two-story fun houses. Thankfully, there are some without a height restriction.
These old-school YoYo swing rides — with their elementary-school seats and chains — always make me a bit nervous. But I guess that’s part of the fun of going to the fair.
I had major Roller Coaster Tycoon flashbacks when I came across this lemonade stand. If only there had been a burger stand beside it.
I got a little nauseous just watching this one. I can’t fathom what a ride on it would do to my equilibrium.
The sun began to take its toll and the lines began to grow. So let’s “round up” this report (I’ll be here all week).
Overall, the Tennessee State Fair is a well rounded fair with midway rides for all ages and all levels of thrill thresholds. I’ll definitely be back next year, especially if I’m still living next door.
The Tennessee State Fair is open daily through September 18, 2016. For more information, visit the fair’s website.
Have you been to any fairs this year? Share which ones you visited in the comments section below.
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