Candace D.

Iowa State Fair was GREAT! We had the most delicious LOBSTER ROLL...drenched in warm garlic butter ...best we've ever had! We also had concert tickets to Rascal Flatts in the Grand Stand...he did not disappoint! So much amazing food ..so little time! Funnel cakes, corndogs, chicken on a stick, pickle dawgs....great time with so much to see!

Christine I.

2025 Edition. This year had great weather! I have a few new food favorite: The Hawaiian Hog and Granny Smith apple delight sundae. Both were decent price and pretty filling! Special dessert shout out to the deep fried uncrustable with Nutella! Also the pickle ranch pizza is now a staple classic at the Iowa state fair.

Daniel E.

Let's see: Gather over 100,000 people on a massive campus and give them dozens (maybe hundreds) of unique food options, including entertainment, good music, lots of farm animals, agriculture info, and a great vibe. They do it quite well here, as the Iowa State Fair at the Fairgrounds is a lot of fun. For this city boy, it indeed was a terrific experience. Tip: park at one of the highly efficient remote parking lots provided by DART and take a $2 roundtrip bus to and from. It made the whole experience even better. The earlier in the day, the better regarding crowd size. It was always manageable, even on a busy Friday. Strong recommendation.

Sara H.

We had a great time this year and every year that we go! Would t change much except the parking situation. This year was awful.

Dan T.

Iowa State Fair 2024. I took the DART Park and Ride from the 7th and Center Street ramp. A really great value for what it is. I'd always driven down, fought traffic, paid premium parking prices... Yeah. Today was $2 ($1 if you use the DART app) round trip. And they dropped me off right in front of a gate. That's kind of hard to beat doing it on your own... Probably going to be using Park and Ride again in the future...! This year's trip was a mix of old and new for me and there were a few items I wanted...but just didn't get to. Ollie's crab fritters. $11 an order. Love these. I get them every time I go to the ISF. Are they conch fritters from the Keys? No. But they're close enough. I'll buy these every time I see the stand. The lobster corn dog from Destination Grill. I've had their lobster roll in restaurant and I wanted to love this... You have to give them credit for the concept. It's hard to deep fry lobster and not overcook it. Loved the breading and the sauces. It was okay, but not something I'd buy again for $20. My take...reviews are subjective and tastes vary. The bacon cheeseburger eggroll and jumbo crab rangoon from Winn & Sara's Kitchen. $12 for the egg roll. $5 for the jumbo crab rangoon. There wasn't anything I didn't love about this! I'm not sure if the bacon cheeseburger eggroll is Asian fusion or just a spin on a bacon cheeseburger... It's done right. Out of my list this was my second favorite item. The regular sized Connecticut style lobster roll from JRs. Connecticut style is just heaped lobster meat and hot drawn butter on a toasted roll. I spent my first two years in the Navy stationed on the East coast and seafood is something I dearly love. Being an Iowa native who returned to Iowa good seafood is something I really miss... I'd spend $31 all day long for this. I'd buy the two foot version for $100 if someone was there to split it with me... This is my TOP pick for this year. Huge chunks of claw meat...! Fried jalapeno Spam curds from Sizzle Pork And Mmm for $10. Okay... Spam is a guilty pleasure of mine. This was an impulse buy when I spotted the stand. Lol Pretty good for what they are. Once was good for me. I can skip them next time. One glazed donut from Peachys for $5. I live three blocks from the Krispy Kreme store in Clive so this is a hard one for me. I can get warm, fresh glazed donuts pretty much every day. It was good; light and fluffy. I really liked it. But was I blown away? Not really. I'd get it again, but if I only had $5 left in my pocket and I had a choice of a donut and a new item I hadn't tried yet... I'd try the new item. I'm not knocking the donut. It was really good. Just not enough to make it a yearly item for me. It is what it is. My last item was a breaded pork tenderloin from Chuckie's for $11. I've tried quite a few fair tenderloins and this is probably my new favorite. A little on the thicker side. Tenderized nicely. Served hot and fresh! I hit the main draws... The butter cow, the big boar, the super bull, the avenue of breeds, the DNR building, grandstand, and the varied industries building, etc... But the biggest fair draw for me is always the food. This year I was really impressed with the choices. I missed out on the cajun catfish, the AE party balls, the Iowa Sm'Oak'ed Roll, Deep-Fried Uncrustable PB & J, the fry bread tacos, the Big Daddy burger, the Spicy Fever beefburger, firecracker shrimp, and the Louisiana mac bowl. And some old favorites like the cheese curds, cajun chicken on a stick, and a good old footlong chili dog. But there are just SO many choices! My DART crews were great back and forth. The gate staff was nice and friendly. I used the information stands a couple of times today... Talk about having the patience of Job! I appreciated the information booth staff today more than I can say. Lol The staff at the stands. Phenomenal! All great transactions and I didn't run across anyone who wasn't smiling and who didn't say thank you. There's a chance I might be able to make a follow up trip, but I'm not really planning on it. I've really enjoyed reading everyone else's reviews on multiple platforms this year. They helped guide me in a few of the choices I made on my fair trip. So thank you all too!

Hillary P.

As the saying goes, nothing compares to the Iowa State Fair! An annual event held in well-established fairgrounds near downtown Des Moines, is a must do at least once. Open for a brief 10 days a year, there is a lot packed into the short amount of time, and different events are scheduled daily, so check their website for items of interest. We happened upon the state fair mid week, which was a great choice, the crowds were astonishingly large, and could not imagine trying to come here on the weekend. A destination for politicians provide unique opportunities to meet your candidate. You will also run into hordes of journalists for photo opportunities with those running for state and federal offices. Politics aside, there is a wonderful array of agricultural displays for produce, livestock, and fun crafts that you could not even imagine! We went through miniature doll houses, miniature floral displays, wine, beer, mead, apiary, to name a few. You will also have a chance to see just about every major form of manufacturing related to agriculture in the state of Iowa. Daily contests change regularly and include the likes of tractor pulls , beard contests, art contests, and general art fair displays, and this doesn't even start to address the food and carnival ride portion of the fairground. The opportunity to wander through the various livestock buildings and watch animals being prepped for their display is just a hoot! It's really nice to see the pride taken by the youth, showing their 4H exhibits. All kinds of fair type foods start with the pork on a stick, which is just super, the beef pavilion, ice cream, mac & cheese, barbecue, Mexican, and all kinds of food we could even get into! Everyone will be satisfied, particularly if you have a sweet tooth. Highly recommend that you stop over and see the Iowa State fair, it is worth the experience. It would've been nice to have more healthy food choices options. Each evening there is different, live entertainment, available with advanced ticket purchases. The night we went Jeff Dunham was performing. Check the website for dates and ticket availability, which may be limited. There is a charge for parking and it can fill up if you're not there by 10 AM. Shuttles are encouraged and many hotels offer complementary shuttles to and from the fairgrounds. There is also a fee to enter, with discounts offered on certain days(check the website for which days various discounts are offered). If you purchase tickets ahead of the state fair start dates, you can also save money. Signage is somewhat limited as you get close to the fairground, so use your GPS until more signs are hopefully posted in the future!

Shalaunte W.

Iowa State fair owes me nothing . The hubby and I came down here for our 23rd anniversary coming up this week. We really enjoyed it. We did 2 days Fri and Sat. Our hotel offered shuttle service to the capital location were the fair shuttle picked us up as well for an dollar . Thank god we used this option the first day , it was very smooth and organized. The second day we drove and it was a cluttered mess of cars and traffic . Definitely a different experience. Upon walking into the fair I absolutely loved it. I'll attach the video, it was open, vibrant, picturesque space. An abundance of everything. It was so much to do . Eat, drink, dance, mingle, educate etc. The weather was beautiful. All sun not a raindrop in the sky. Sooo many people and the beautiful thing about that, no violent behavior at all. Nothing negative I saw and everyone I saw was on perfect behavior. FYI bring your walking shoes . No flip flops , crocks, etc.

Samantha G.

It's the best state fair in the country (supposedly). It's got all the things you expect from a fair. Shows, rides, animals, food, and fun. So yeah, it checks all of the boxes. The beer tent is a must. Be sure to utilize the app to find all the foods you want, know what shows to see, etc. And don't forget about the politicians. Nothing quite like seeing presidential candidates out in the wild, wandering the fair.

Kaitlin C.

This state fair is HUGE and the food options are endless. Parking is a hot mess so it's a good idea to get to the capital early and take the Dart bus for a few bucks. My biggest shout-out is the exclusively vegetarian booth called Vegetable Table. No matter where you choose to eat you'll leave with a heart attack . The infamous butter cow is in one of the back buildings on the 1st floor behind some glass. Check out the State Fair tiktok page for some fun content.

Jenni H.

I am an Iowa native. Born and raised. It took me 35 years to go to the fair-- and probably unpopular opinion-- but barring a stellar grandstand concert being announced, I'm not sure I will be back. We popped into town at the end of the week-- deciding to go Friday to the fair. The true draw was Ludacris. Over 13k came to the concert and I really enjoyed the pricing, the venue and the experience. I will say, you should pay attention to where your seats are (while you can sit in sections E and W-- the view of the stage is less than stellar.) I'd give a 5/5 for the Grandstand as a venue-- and even the diversity the Iowa State Fair brings in for talent. Ranging from country to comedy to rap to pop. There's at least one night that will appeal to you! Now my 3/5 truly is about the fair itself. My biggest qualm was just the bang for buck. Buying tickets at the gate is $16 for adults and $10 for children-- but if you buy in advance they're $11 for adults and $7 for kids. Now what does that ticket get you? Literally just admittance. Food ranges from $9-50. Beer is $9-$13. And the killer to me was each ride requires tickets to partake, we are talking about $5 a kid per ride. Wowza. That gets to be a pretty expensive day as a family of four. Agriculture is the foundation of the Iowa State Fair -- you can go to see a multitude of contests with pigs, cows, horses, sheep, goats, rabbits and more. I can't say this aspect really intrigued me a ton. Other contests to see include: spelling bee, mom calling, whistling, timber sports, dollhouses, flowers and more. There were a bunch of old automobiles and farm equipment to see. And of course, the famous butter cow. This year, butt Caitlin Clark was featured, as well. Besides the concert-- the quality of food and the items offered-- was the star. It was amazing at the sheer amount of food booths there were! (200) With all kinds of foods -- and so, so many of them on a stick. If money was no object and my the room in my stomach was limitless-- there was so, so much I'd eat here! Brad & Harry's Cheese Curds served dill pickle-flavored cheese curds and they were the star for me. Lastly, the sky glider was the only ride I went on and it was fun. Good bang for buck-- a great view of all the people and the fair itself. 5/5 would recommend. The fair attractions didn't disappoint with bumper cars, super shot, fun house, sizzler, tilt a whirl, a ferris wheel, maze, sling shot, giant slides, and many more. My biggest qualm, as I mentioned, was just that each ride cost $3-6 a time which doesn't scream family friendly to me, personally. Overall, this is a well run fair. Bathrooms and signage were plentiful. It was kept clean-- you constantly saw folks emptying trash and cleaning up after livestock messes. I didn't really experience the parking situation-- thought it is $10 to park each day. The Iowa State Fair has something for everyone and is worth a visit! Personally-- I found it to be oddly expensive but if the entertainment at the Grandstand is your cup of tea? Let 'er rip.

Alice T.

I'm from SoCal and the only fairs I've ever been to are Orange County Fair and LA County Fair. Those fairs are just meh. It's the same vendors every year with little innovative and unique foods. LA County Fair can get a bit dicey too- I once saw a full on fight broke out because someone cut in line for the shuttle. I happened to in Des Moines during the last weekend of the Iowa State Fair. I've read online and I've seen some shows on Food Network that Midwest state fairs are a totally different beast. Boy was it. Demolition derby, John Deere booth displaying all their tractor models, full scale butter sculptures people line up to get a close up look on, newborn piglets and calves, Iowa State band doing a full on performance and cookies by the bucket that people wait 40+ minutes for. You will never find these things at our local fairs in SoCal. I actually thought all of these things were cool. There's free parking at the Capitol and a local high school 20 minutes away from the fair. You just have to pay $2 for a round-trip fare. During the weekend the Capitol is a mess and impossible to find parking and the line at the end of the day for the shuttle to go back to the Capitol is long. Parking at the actual fair seems impossible to get to and you'd be backed up for miles and barely moving. Surrounding residential houses outside the fair were charging money to park on their front lawn and it's probably expensive so they can make big bucks. I highly recommend parking at the high school as I found that to be the easiest. Would I go to Iowa State Fair again? Hell yes and this time I'd give myself more time there so I can try more food. Midwest fairs are totally worth going. Just plan accordingly and go during the weekday.

Bobby C.

Living in California, I only go back to Iowa to see family - Mainly winter holidays. It's rare that I'm back at this time of the year but I happened to be here to check out the last day of the Iowa State fair in 2024. It did not disappoint, however, I was expecting it to be bigger in terms of food options, and mainly the rides and attractions which are lacking - even though that's not what I came here for. I wanted to see deep-fried everything get shoved into my mouth. Have a couple beers, walk the grounds, get a sunburn, and watch some Clydesdale horses kick up a storm. They have dog events, live barn with petting areas and even a cultural exhibit that was filled with wonderful artwork in a pretty huge air conditioned building. Some live music from a Mötley Crüe cover band and such types entertain for free and they also have a concert series where you pay for, kind of has been name groups that play occasionally - think of an old rapper second tier country star. Overall amazing but I'd love to see the Texas state fair. The most interesting thing I ate there was a deep-fried lobster on a stick with a bunch of sauces on it.

Dannah S.

Had an amazing time at the Iowa state fair. Was my first time attending. The options there for activities, foods, and drinks are so much fun. Definitely would come back here year after year. I loved all the food and the local craft beer tent was very cool especially for beer lovers. Definitely a state fair worth checking out.