I had a good experience at the VA State Fair. A fun time for individuals and families. The games and activities are entertaining. I wouldn't consider it in the category as one of the best fairs I've visited, however, being this is the annual event of its kind for Virginians, there's no better experience in Virginia. Parking is free, however, a frustrating experience if you do not arrive early as virtually everyone drives to this fair. If you don't arrive early, it is a literal hike to the fair grounds from the satelite parking, so prepare to walk. If you have the ability, purchase the parking that gets you closer access to the grounds. It is worth it especially at the end of a long day. The food here leaves more to be desired. Think your typical DMV carnival food. The availability of exciting, novelty foods is limited which is disappointing for a state fair. They do have your classic fair foods like hot dogs, funnel cakes, corn dogs, fries, chicken fingers, etc.. I give them credit for attempting to create jaw-dropping food items, however, some of them seemed to lack the creativity, flavor, and quality that you sometimes see at some of the country's premiere state fairs. For example, the bacon-topped chicken sandwich and bacon-topped jalapeños mac & cheese was a good effort, but bland and low quality. The drinks at the various stations are perhaps the best value as you can get refills on the larger and more expensive drinks. I recommend arriving early to get good parking, first dibs at food and rides, and a better uninhibited walking experience. The grounds can get oppressively crowded after midday on weekends and locals don't help this as they are able to take advantage of late entry. When I visited, I exited the grounds after 3pm and people were still arriving in droves. read more

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First time at the Virginia State Fair, went opening weekend and I think there are some pros and cons of the whole experience! Pros: The admission fee felt extremely fair especially when purchasing in advance online. I found there to be so much to do for free with admission including an Agricultural themed mini-golf, animal exhibits and plenty of organizations tabling to make the whole experience feel very educational. Parking being free was a highlight and the walk did not feel terrible! It was paved most of the way and the fair layout felt very intuitive. The entertainment was another highlight! The Triple Crown Circus was about 50 minutes of pure delight! Those performers really care about their craft and I had an amazing time watching them. The other entertainer that was phenomenal was Rosaires Pig Racing! That was the most entertaining 30 minutes of interactive fun I've ever had. I have seen them at fairs in other states and they still are extremely fun to participate in and watch. Cons: The food was extremely pricy with small portions and not very fresh or good. We ended up trying a chicken tenders basket which was $16 for two tenders and fries, A chicken & waffles slider with waffle fries for $12 and a $3 debit card fee. The waffles were very similar to eggo in shape, size and thickness, while the chicken was chewy and lukewarm. Typically the fair is a place where food gets weird and weird tastes amazing. Here there were not many options of unique food offerings beyond the typical turkey legs and funnel cakes. The lines were a bit long without much direction so people were kind of standing in areas without any guidelines making it hard to maneuver around the space, just something to consider if you have mobility concerns. The last con was the lack of free water or hydration. It was around 85 degrees with extreme sun. Typically when I have attended festivals, concerts or even fairs, there are usually water fountains or hydration stations to refill water bottles, however there were none here. With such a hot day 5 dollars on the low end for a bottle of water felt almost like gouging, especially with no other options for hydration. Overall, I think this was a fun experience for the entertainment. We did not try the rides so can't speak to those but I think coming for the entertainment is worth it, I just wouldn't reccomend it for an avid fair foodie. read more

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I'm too old for this. Growing up, I used to go to the fair every year for my birthday. Now as an almost 40-something year old, this year's visit killed any iota of nostalgia I've ever felt. Large crowds, crazy parking, long lines, too many kids, overrated mediocre food that I can make better at home, too much presidential campaign rallying (don't know how it's appropriate for the fair), rinky-dink risky rides, cheap game prizes, and the list goes on. I had some lemonade that tasted worst than Crystal Light, a turkey leg that was burnt and dry, and an Italian sausage that was good at best. We stood in line for some churros, got to the window and asked how the churros were cooked because we didn't see a fryer, and the guy just shook his head and showed us what the churros looked like. They're literally not even cooked fresh. The best thing I had was some cotton candy. Pretty hard to mess that up. This was my final Virginia State Fair visit. I look forward to seeing what other states have to offer. read more

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I love the state fair of VA. What I really enjoyed this year was being able to plan and take my boys with special needs. I did get some great tips from my friends who told us how to prep ahead of time. We went on a Saturday and went right when it opened up. We bought tickets ahead of time so that we didn't have to wait too long. We brought a stroller for my oldest because he wouldn't be able to walk around that long. My youngest one is fascinated with farm animals. We love young Macdonald had a farm - he just loved being able to see the little chicks and all the other animals around the tent. We also got to venture in the dove/pigeon tent where he had a hard time NOT trying to touch some of the birds. We then got to venture to the big tent where the contest animals were and love looking at the cows and pigs. We got to sit down and enjoy some bbq and unfortunately my youngest got stung by a bee. We went up a big hill to get some tasty donuts and walk around just a little bit more before heading back home. Our little guys were only able to handle 2.5 hours at the state fair and it was fantastic! We totally did stop at the Macdonald young farm again so that our little guy got to say goodby to the chicks. read more

Pros: For $16 the day of, you can spend an entire day at the fair experiencing the free exhibits & shows. From animals, shows, local vendors and learning expos...there is something for everyone. If you add ride tickets, games & food it can get expensive and Fair food is always so pricey but we went and in the Farm Bureau Pavilion alone...left stuffed from all the free samples we were given. The pig races are always so fun and we love Young McDonalds farm which they have moved near the entrance so it's nice to stop on the way in and out. We went on the second Friday night and it was crowded but every line moved quickly. I feel so lucky we live so close to this event and take advantage of it every year. read more

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I love the Virginia state fair every single year! The day the pig races stop coming is the day I stop going to the fair..possibly...just please always show up! It's the best part! I love it so much! I love going with friends or family and seeing all there is to offer..there's a lot..they have some great concerts, a circus act which is super cool, PIG RACES, some animals and petting zoo's and some great trashy food! I highly recommend going. My only complaint is not anything the fair can fix or control..I went on a tuesday and it rained all day. read more

I have to start by saying this was my first visit to the VA state fair I was mind blown the weather was iffy because there is a hurricane coming but that didn't stop my adventure Parking was relatively easy and well guided I recommend taking a picture of where you parked your car it will save time later So I started admiring the vendors and all the cool artistic work they had available blankets ponchos sweaters bucket hats toys bags backpacks dream catchers bracelets necklaces all sorts of cool things and reasonably priced as well my pika puppy was 12$ Oh but then we got to the best part well at least for me the FOOD The variety of food trucks and vendors is worth the admission alone which was only 16$ btw But there was everything from fried goodness to ice cream creations two candy apples Oreo cookie apples apple pie crumble funnel cakes Arepas and even roasted corn they were turkey legs at every corner Italian sausage and foot-long corn dogs they was so much goodness PIGS GOATS AlPACAS COWS DUCKS And MoRe!!!! The animals looked so healthy and happy they offered pony rides and you could watch the chicks hatch they even had PIG racing!!!! And the announcer was hilarious I also attended the circus and it was epic and amazing it was coincidentally the second circus I've been to this week and this one was by far better even though it was a shorter show there were clowns a trapeze artist silk ropes Aerialist knife throwing and more definitely a great addition to the fair Oh and it was included with admission The artist gallery was extensive and had not only local art work but also vendors of all sorts it was a convention in its own I needed the night relaxing on the lawn listening to the eagle mania group who did a wonderful impression of the eagles their voices were incredible and the instrumentals are on point Next year I'm going to camp nearby and go more than one day read more

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The fair is always an awesome time for families of all ages. I've been going since I was a kid and now I take my own children.

In its category, the worst experience of my life. There were maybe 10 token animals, and one giant pumpkin. So nothing but a big carnival ride event. 30 min wait in a traffic jam to park, then 30 min wait per ride. Food? That's what I went for. Every food stand had an hour wait line, so you get to try only one food. I think this fair is owned by a Kentucky company, so what do they care? The whole fair is aimed at a certain segment of society, and sure enough, twice during the evening we were caught in the middle of people shouting violent threats at each other. Just cultural posturing, no harm done thanks to metal detectors. Real classy place, I gotta say. Never again. read more

This review is for the Fair Food Weekend, which took place this weekend (and continues for several more days) on the grounds of, and under the name of, the State Fair of Virginia. The Fair was cancelled this year, due to the COVID pandemic. We were excited to read that instead, a limited number of fair food vendors was going to gather on the fair grounds near Doswell and sell their offerings. This was put forward as a safe event -- down to and including limited, ticketed, timed parking to ensure that the place didn't get too crowded. Sounded ideal. So we signed up for the parking and drove the 20 miles up to the fairgrounds, eagerly anticipating candy apples, funnel cakes, cotton candy, sausage and pepper sandwiches, fried candy bars -- you know, all the health food that kicks off the sinful eating season that progresses from Fair to Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas to Superbowl to Valentines to Easter..... So we arrive. We followed the signs toward parking and can see the event to our right. As expected, there were the food trailers / carts spread around the field. But what we did not expect was to see no one social distancing, many people with no masks, and no one enforcing the safety requirements. I mean, we know that a lot of people don't care about the need for masks and social distancing. And many people do. It is the responsibility of the venue to protect the caring group from the folks who don't, especially if they are marketing this event as a safer alternative to the fair itself. We were immediately alarmed by the sight. We followed the waved directions from the parking folks and pulled into a spot. It may be that someone at the pedestrian gate was checking for the timed parking passes, but no one at the parking area was. So while I cannot be sure, it seemed that no one was actively monitoring the number of people at the event as advertised either. We put all this together and decided to depart without going in. I mean this event is here specifically BECAUSE of the pandemic -- to replace a bigger event. And no one is enforcing basic safety protocols. No thank you, there is nothing, not even an elephant ear, worth that risk. I look forward to future years when I can freely and safely spend too much money on food, games, rides, and souvenirs and walk around and see the animals. But this year's event, while a good idea, was very poor in execution. read more

Pros- they have an air conditioned changing area for infants which is really nice. The state police presence is massive which always makes me feel safe. The parking lot attendants were organized and got us to our destination very easily. Cons The food selection seems very minimal and unoriginal compared to other state fairs I've been to. Not a whole lot to do The overall vibe of the State fair feels more like a carnival in a mall parking lot than a state fair. read more

State Fair of Virginia - Kiddie boat bumper cars - Festivals Near Me - Doswell, Virginia

Everything was overpriced and around a half hour to an hour wait. The whole things is extremely poorly coordinated. The event was expected to have high traffic, but it seems as if nobody was prepared. It took three hours to get out of the parking lot and we left two hours before close. The whole thing was absolutely ridiculous! Not worth your money or your time! If you're in the area you're better off at one of Kings Dominions seasonal events. read more

The most miserable State fair ever !!! There will be a tough time getting vendors to return to get screwed another time. Whoever manages this event should be fired for incompetence. I'm surprised the place could draw flies let alone a crowd of people. Many vendors said they will not return next year if it's even held. Cost of food was outrageous ! read more

This year .... It was basically 100 per cent or more of the people and half the size the fair is usually. I get there is a pandemic... but why limit the size of the fair if you are not limiting the crowds / people? For the midway / festival loop it got so packed around 2/3 pm that you could barely squeeze through. Less rides and long lines for rides. Long lines for food. Leaving the fair took about an hour just to leave the parking lot since so many other cars were trying to leave ... Less shows and entertainment this year. Their online schedule was incomplete so we had to figure out the show times in real life. read more

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Absolutely embarrassing. Makes a person ashamed to be an American. Completely run like a Walmart in Appalachia. Food off the chart double what they charge in Disney. No place to sit. Rides broken. Got on 2 rides in 7 hours. Parking in a field 1/4 mile away. The WORST FAIR IN THE ENTIRE WORLD read more

Great place for families with plenty of outdoor activities to do. Numerous rides, food and drink vendors, displays, exhibits and merchants. Something for the whole family. Don't miss out on this awesome experience! read more

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I absolutely love the state fair of VA! I think part of reason is because it only comes once a year so I see it as a special event every time it comes. I have been about 4 times in the past 5 years and I always have a good time with some good friends. Parking at the fair is a breeze. It's across the street from the actual fair and there's always plenty of parking and if you don't want to walk to your car there's a courtesy shuttle that can take you to and from the main fair grounds. Parking is the ONLY thing is that free.. haha. But this is the fair so expect it to be expensive and expect to spend more than your budget. I think every year they try to add a few new food items and have a couple of new events/shows. This year I think you could actually test drive a new F-150 on a mock course. It looked like fun but none of us wanted to pay. haha. Some of their new food items this year included: fried bubble gum, state fair burger (pulled pork on top of hamburger patty and fried onion), and TWINX (fried twinkie stuffed with twix bar and had bacon pieces). The TWINX was one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted. It just tasted liked fried perfection. You have to try it the next time you visit! The rides are always fun and of course a bit scary and feels unsafe but that's all part of the fair charm. The games of course are ahem... unfair to say the least but the money machine always calls my name. Every. Single. Year. It's a machine where you put quarters and it pushes quarters over a lip and you win actual money! Me and my friends went opening night and it wasn't too crowded. We got unlimited ride wrist bands and rode a decent amount of the rides. Good times all around. Make sure to find THE tent where everything on their menu is literally fried. P.S.- riding the super nova twice in a row is NOT recommended.. trust me P.S.S.- they frown upon jumping over fences and you can get kicked out from riding that ride the rest of the night. Don't ask how I know... read more

Let me set one thing straight first. Only go to the State Fair if you are planning on spending a ton of money. Almost nothing is included. That being said, if you have a lot of money to spend, you will have a blast! I went knowing that it would be a lot, so I was prepared. It was $12 to get in (I got my ticket at Martin's and it was $3 off the regular price). Then, all the food cost money, obviously. But so do the rides, and the games, and pretty much everything. The fair itself was awesome! I would encourage people to go if you have $35 to spend! That's what I spent on my ticket, and food and drinks. I didn't even do rides, because they are not really my thing. read more

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I'm a huge fan of state fairs, always have been. I've had the fortune of visiting quite a few of them. I can't say that this was the best one I've been too, but I had a lot of fun, especially since this was my son's first one. $50 got each of us a bracelet that gave us unlimited access to every ride. I always remember people worrying about the rides, saying that they're too dangerous, that they were put together too quickly etc. That never stopped me, and frankly I've mostly always found these sorts of things much safer than they appear. I kept an eye on my son, and he had a blast riding every single ride and winning a Spider-Man doll from the hammer game. By the end of the day he was encouraging other kids who were afraid of the rides. There were food vendors everywhere, deep fried everything, of course. We gave them a miss because I value cardio health, but every time we saw someone else with food it looked delicious. We got rained on hard at the end, but that obviously isn't the fair's fault. Overall great experience, would recommend. read more

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Ok I can't compare this particular state fair to any other state fair because I have never been to any others, but I do get a seasons pass to this one every year, and it's well worth the money. I can spend every night of the week there and still never get bored. There are whole tents of livestock and fowl to browse through, and I've seen more than one fair visitor leave with a set of pigeons or a new pet rabbit. Not as many people leave with the earless goats, but they are cute to look at. And of course there is a baby animal tent where you can see baby piglets, and newborn calves. You can also adopt a puppy, as one of the rescues sets up shop there as well. Then there are other tents devoted to vegetables and farming. Last year there was a pool set up that you could fish in, provided you threw back anything you caught. The produce is judged in contests and then put on display, and it's cool to see the largest watermelon, etc. There are also huge tents of crafts and pie contests etc. You can see all the winners, runners up, etc. In this area there is also a lot of franchise-type booths- one candy shop sets up a booth and sells candy by the pound, and there was a guy demonstrating luxury cookware as well. Some of my favorite events at the fair are the piglet racing (which takes place on a regular schedule each evening, and is a sure crowd pleaser), the rodeo contests (I saw a girl go through an obstacle course and shoot balloons while riding a horse last year- pretty impressive), and the monster truck bashing (which you really only need to see once)... There are also shows where you can see dogs do tricks, play guitar hero in front of a live audience, and there are tents with beer and live bands where you can hang out... Ah, and then the food. I could eat here every night. Fried oreos and twinkies, you can't go wrong with either. Or fried cheesecake for that matter- the cheesecake is frozen and it thaws a bit when it gets fried, it's delicious. Don't waste your time on fried candy bars, they are too gooey and just a mess, in my opinion. But you do owe yourself a turkey leg (they sometimes run out late at night, so if you see one that looks good grab it) and there is a vendor selling freshly made kettle corn that is always amazing. Believe it or not, there is a vendor there every year selling goat (I've never tried it), and there is also a greek vendor doing really good gyros. But for me, I like the vendor that does fried mac and cheese... anything fried is my friend. I like going towards the end of the night, or in other off hours, to avoid the mobs of kids... although, I also really like the people-watching at the fair, so I do sometimes choose to go at busy times. With a season pass (which you can buy online) you can go in and out as much as you want, and come back as often as you like. Last year was the first year the fair was at it's new location, up by Kings Dominion. Before that it was at the Richmond Raceway, and I think it was much better there. For one thing it was way closer, and for another thing you didn't have to walk as far to get to the damn fair! At the new location you have to park across the street, walk through a tunnel, get your tickets, and then walk up a hill to get to the first part of the fair. And it's a big fair so its not like once you get in there you don't have to walk... it's a bit of a pain in the neck, and since it's a 20 min drive from my house now I only went once or twice last year, instead of every evening like I have in previous years. Oh and the only other thing I don't like is that while most of their freak show attractions are obviously fake, the littlest woman in the world exhibit is real. She is from Haiti, and she sits in a hot tent in a little dress and people pay money to look at her. Its demeaning and I didn't realize when I paid that it wasn't going to be fake, otherwise I would have never paid to see her. read more

My main objective at this fair (or any fair) was to take a bite of everything food-wise. I never knew I had so much in common with carcharodon carcharias. Chocolate-chip-covered caramel apple: chomp. Chocolate-covered strawberries: chomp. Honey? Chomparoo. Pizza (twice): chomp CHOMP. Corn dog: CHOMP. Pop corn: CHOMP. Twisty cone with jimmies: CHOMP!! I probably spent about $70 on food alone, none of which I finished (okay, I totally crushed the twisty cone). I was having a morsel ball--and there was so much more to try that I just couldn't handle. All kinds of BBQ, roasted corn on the cob, hamburgers, elephant ears, fried dough, french fries, fried pickles and FRIED SODA.* That's right! If you were the least bit surprised hearing on NPR that Richmond ranks third in the nation for junk food consumption like I was, let that fallacy fall silently to the ground like a wisp of cotton candy from a jumbo-sized bag. We saw pig races. There were duck races, but we missed them. I saw pretty horses, ugly hogs and cute sheep. There was a fish 'n' let 'em go pond, a "green" tent, a horse arena and supposedly chimps on horseback. But really that show consisted of a hoarse old crow professing her love for some chimp who after 15 minutes never got on a horse. So we went on the rides. It's $13 to get in to the fair, and an unlimited-ride bracelet will set you back $13. The people working the bracelet booths are mongs. I'm not going to go into it. The rides are fun, but not as fun as say 20 years ago when I could ride them endlessly. My favorite was the Tilt-a-whirl, and my sister made sure I knew I was old and lame for liking that one (see my pics). I almost hurled after the Scrambler. I got into it with some chickenheads--this place was crawling with unruly teen thugs. I never saw such mean muggin' in my life than after I told this one crew of kids to stop touching me and bumping me. I lost some hearing in my left ear due to standing in front of Shaquiqua and her girls in line. Other than that, it was a blast. *Fried soda consists of a jelly-like substance made from soda syrup wrapped in dough and drowned in frying substance. read more

I am ALWAYS a huge fan of state fairs and have had the fortune of attending many across the US. I wouldn't go so far as to say this was the BEST state fair...believe it or not we absolutely LOVED the Kansas State Fair and had the chance to see Evanescence for free when we went (granted back in 2004-ish), but it is a lot of fun! We go every year since we moved here except for last year because it was rained out. Be prepared to spend at LEAST $75 for a family of 4 --including 2 kids. We actually probably spent more than that, but I can see how you could have a great time chowing down, trying out a few things for that much. read more

So I may be a bit biased because I LOVE THE STATE FAIR! This is something I look forward to every year so even if it had a bad year, it is still full of awesome in my heart. This year (2013) you were allowed to carry your beer throughout the park except for the Midway and Kidway areas. TIP: the local beers are over by the new Triple Crown Amphitheater. I did not know this so I ended up starting with Shocktop, but ended up with Legend Oktoberfest. The local beers carry a $1 surcharge ($6 vs. $5) so make your plans accordingly. I am a sucker for fried pickles, which some of you might be aware of if you have read my other reviews. In fact, I love them so much I ate them TWICE! The 1st were cut into chips and came from the concession carrying the Krispy Kreme chili burger this year, right next to Porky's. The chips were nice, but the breading did not stay on very well. Still - I ate them all. My second order were spears that came from Porky's. I get these every year and they were just as good as ever. The breading stuck nicely to the pickles but wasn't so thick to overwhelm that dill flavor I love. Next we had some Fried Oreos. We got them from the Elephant Ear truck up by the Kidway. These were VERY doughy. In fact, I think they were dipped in the elephant ear batter and then fried. Still - even a doughy fried oreo is a pretty good thing. The order was large 5 or 6, not sure since I only had TWO OF THEM BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE WAS HOGGING THEM. One of the other things I have to eat every year is a softshell crab sandwich. I know, I know, who eats seafood at the State Fair? Well, I do. The truck is always over by the permanent building that houses all the vendors. In past years they have served two smaller softshells on a roll, but this year you only got one for your $10. Now it was on the larger size but I did experience a brief flash of disappointment when just one was on my bun. It was super tasty. I like mine with a dash of hot sauce that was HOT and made my lips tingle. I also have to recommend the Krispy Kreme burger from Porky's. Don't even question it, you know you want to try it. It is a great combination of salty/sweet that really works. I think I will buy the season pass next year. If you go twice it pays for itself and if I had one I would be going back after work tonight to see the draft horse pull. read more

I love fairs. State fairs are the best. Virginias is rather small. It was amazingly clean and the flow of foot traffic was excellent Parking is awful. The ground was wet and it got swampy. One SUV got stuck. VA doesn't do the "weird fair food" so it all seemed like normal greasy carnival food. These places need water fountains!!!! I never found one. There were not many exhibits and we never saw the 4H and other animals. Most of the fair seemed to be the Midway. That said, the quilting entries were amazing. I came to see the baby duck slide and was not disappointed. It was one of the cutest animal exhibits I ever saw. Not as many vendors as I would like. Not as many exhibits as I would like. Rides were overpriced. $4 for the merry go round?!?! Quality control could be strengthened. A baby pig died and no one noticed. A pie in the pie contest had massive mold growth I love fairs and enjoyed this one. I just felt like the organizers need to study how other big states do it. read more

The worst fair ever over crowded 1/2 mile walk to entrance because the wonderful idiots at RMC events are too f Ing stupid to park cars or get cars out of parking area. Food lines were 45-1 hr long. Just a big waste of time and money. read more

The Virginia state fair was great No I had just gotten my car washed and by the time I left there my silver car looked brown from the dirt I'll never do it again. Kind of tacky but I really do like my car to be clean read more

Going to the Virginia State Fair has been on my bucket list for a few years. But I mainly wanted to go to see the birthplace of Secretariat the greatest horse in American history. The big surprise was that Penny Chenery Tweedy's daughter Kate was there during the tour and told a few stories about "Big Red" as he was called and signed autographs and took pictures with the guests. It was an awesome experience !!!! The prices were reasonably (no more than going to a movie and buying drinks, popcorn and candy). There was a lot of food, things to see and rides to ride. A lot of local prepared items to buy and view. Competitions with animals, bands at night and people showing off their skills doing all kinds of things. Something for the whole family to enjoy. Anyone that is a local native to the state of Virginia should have this experience at least once in their lives. I plan to take my granddaughter next time. read more

If you have limited or value your time don't go to this year's circus. My group left about 15 mins in. There is much more to see and it does not compare to the circus that was on the midway two years ago. The bright spot of the show (or what I saw of it) was the hula hoop act - she was impressive. High five goes to the horse in the first animal act he/she was on point and kept on task even when the other animals were all over the place. read more

State Fair of Virginia - Best food here!!!! - Festivals Near Me - Doswell, Virginia

I just wanted to put this out there in hopes that the people that run and operate the state fair can be aware of my situation. I am a mother of 3 children 2 of them with special needs. We purchased all you can ride wristbands online through the homeschool program except one wristband for all you can ride rides which we purchased there at the ticket booth in the childrens section . Our day went rather smoothly for the most part until not once but twice my children were treated differently by the staff operating the rides in the kids section. The first was a woman who would not let my son nor another child ride the ride because they were a hair to tall but then turned around and let a little girl go that was much bigger on the ride then the both of them. The second was after riding the kids rides throughout the day my son went to go on the little apple worm ride and the man operating the ride was really rude and because my son is special needs and will not wear things like wristbands, watches, etc. So he would not let my son ride the ride because his band was on my arm. Now I explained to this man that my son was special needs that it is his bracelet I'm wearing that I am 4 months pregnant with a medicine machine hooked to me and he got mouthy and rude with me and told me I can just go talk to the ticket booth or just go. At this point I'm furious because of this man's actions and I went to the ticket booth only to be told that if he is special needs that will need to see my ID the receipt where I purchased the band and that he should have been given a lanyard. They asked me where I bought the wrist band from and I told them right there at that exact booth and I purchased from the lady standing beside her. I explained that I asked her when I purchased the wristband if I could wear it on my arm since he is special needs and she said "that's not a problem" but then when I mentioned what she said she said "o no you should have gotten a lanyard" So I asked her why she didn't give me one and she said "she would have given me one if she rung me up". Even though she is the one that rung me up. So needless to say I feel very discriminated against for my children's disabilities and I also feel that they need better help running this place and they should all be educated in special needs children and families. They shouldn't just hire anybody!!!! read more

The fair is always fun, but has gotten very pricey over the last few years. I think next year we will just go to Kings Dominion

I went with my family on the opening night of the Virginia State Fair. We drove for hours and were in heavy traffic and downpours. We thought it would be a bust. When we finally arrived - the weather gave us a break and we found great foods, attractions and lights and the aroma's of smoked meats and the sounds of animals and rides was awesome. We got there in time to hear Foghat play and they were fantastic. My feet are still moving the the beat of that great music. I tried the Sausage sub and the rib tips and my wife had the bratwurst and we all had plenty of great food. I saw a lot of other dishes I wanted to try. The motorcycles in the sphere where awesome - what a show. I have to say it was an awesome time and I'd like to go back before the end to see it in daylight. The grounds where well kept and we were surprised after the rains to not be in mud. I am ready for another trip to the State Fair. (I've posted some photos on here of the food and sights) read more

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After all the financial problems the Fair has had over the past few years, we weren't sure what to expect at this year's extravaganza --- but boy, were we pleasantly surprised. The location at the old Doswell farm home of Secretariat is unchanged, and all of the old brick-and-mortar buildings are still there and being used for the various exhibits and displays. But the Midway (and, this year, a new Kidway for the little guys) is all new and vastly improved, and it seemed to us the animal exhibits and activities --- including a new circus, fewer alpacas and the addition of many new animals for the kids to see and feed (this year carrots were available for feeding - a very nice touch), including a giraffe and musk ox --- made the entire Fair seem to us to be much improved and much better organized than over the past few years. The new Midway and Kidway concessionaire (out of Stuart, FL) is without a doubt the best and most organized of the travelling carnival companies I've seen --- the equipment all seemed to be in a very good state of repair, and the employees were all uniformed, and actually had some abilities in communication and customer service. There were even several Midway Customer Service kiosks for those that had questions or problems, which, for me, was a first among these companies. So, with three grandchildren in tow, what has, in past years, usually been a 6 or 7 PM departure turned into a visit where we closed the house down at 10 PM. After three or so hours enjoying the animals and agricultural exhibits, it was then around 9 hours of steady rides, occasionally interspersed with food and bathroom breaks. We had planned to catch one of the evening Bluegrass shows, but there was no way we were going to get the kids away from the Midway. And, as you might guess, it was a very quiet ride home. read more

I went to the fair every year when it was located in Richmond at Richmond International Raceway. This was my first time going to the fair at its new location in Doswell (down the street from Kings Dominion). Bring your walking shoes because the fair is more spaced out now. There are plenty of fair food favorites, games, animals, and rides. The entertainment schedule varies depending on the day. I thought the best part about the fair this year was the circus (free with admission).The State Fair of Virginia offer customer a mini version of the circus. All of the performers did a great job. Parking is free for all customers. You can wait for a shuttle to the entrance gate or walk. The shuttle runs randomly throughout the day. The parking is a lot better at this location. I personally like the Richmond International Raceway location better but its still fun enjoying the fair atmosphere. I give the State Fair of Virginia (Doswell,VA location) a 3.5 rating. read more

State Fair of Virginia - Festivals Near Me - Doswell, Virginia

State fair was great this year. My wife, daughter and my sister and I all went. We had a blast. Food was good, rides were awesome and the guys running the games this year were very nice to my daughter. We won 2 stuffed animals for my little one. One guy even upper her prize! My only complaint was it poured down rain for about an hour so we took cover under Porkys bbq tent. They kicked us out (even my 19 mo old daughter) in the pouring rain cause they said we weren't buying anything. Thank a lot. Now I will never buy anything from you ....ever. There were plenty of seating left too. The guy was just a jerk off. read more

Disappointed. I was really excited. Kids wanted to go to a "fair" for a couple of years but it seemed like this fair always slipped by us. Well the weather was fantastic that weekend, cool and mild. Too bad everyone in the state decided to come. Lines everywhere you turned. Line in traffic (also construction at the same time). Line to get on a shuttle to get in line to get tickets, even had sheriff's deputy walking through lines announcing that it was faster to get on our phones and buy tickets while we were standing there...ok, no signal though. Now... I "get" that there will be lines for rides, but no matter what sort of line there was, it stretched out into the walkways, every one!! Where is the organization or taped line/cones or something!! It was chaos trying to even walk the runway with no organization and people getting irritated. The "flavor" was a bit rough, heavy cop presence once nightfall came though. I'm still amazed how many parents allow their children to cut in front of others, acting as if its ok. WOW. I love trying to explain that to the 9 year old. Yes dear, some parents are jerks and their kids are exempt from waiting in line, smh. The food was fried and good...if that's your thing. Spent about $200 for an almost 3 hr visit, all the while wishing we were at Kings Dominion across the way. Nope. read more

Been going to this fair for many years (since the 70s) when it was located in Richmond and and outside of Richmond, but I have not been back since about the late 90s and was surprised that it moved once again. First of all it took forever to even get inside the gates, second I was surprised of the steep admission price of $15.00 for adults, which was not worth it at all! It seems like the fair has been downsized since it has moved to this location, and the fair does not have half the stuff and displays that it used to have. Food is so, so and there are a lot of repeat stands, nothing out of the ordinary. Don't know what has happened to the Virginia State Fair, but it is not at all the great fair it used to be! Sorry to say this will probably be my final trip here. read more

Rather disappointed this year. Food was repeat after expensive repeat. I would have paid $12 to have a giraffe eat out of my hand so it was worth it in that one tent. read more

I went this year after not going since elementary school. It was pretty great, I'm not gonna lie. We didn't ride the rides because we weren't looking to spend a heap of money, but we did walk around (saw the businesses in the indoors area and the goats). My boyfriend enjoyed the donut burger and the fried cheesecake. I had the fried peanut butter cups, which absolutely blew my mind. So delicious. We'll definitely hit it up next year. read more

Second time if have tried the ST Fair at its newer location. The first year I gave it a pass thinking it's a new spot and it will get better. I think for many it has gotten better. The grounds are open and flowing and it's nice out there in the more rural setting. It's mostly me not liking the new spot though because I grew up on the old fairgrounds on Laburnum ave before the races were the primary attraction. But I do understand the move. It was more a Richmond event back then versus now a true state event. Richmond crashed the hell out of the party every year and if you were from out of town I guess it was a little Like woah. But it's all rodeo, corn dogs and fried dough for real now with cakes and pies being judged with 1000 lb pumpkins to boot. No more candy apples to grab outside on laburnum on your way to the car from a street vendor or if you didn't eat enough, a two piece from Church's. Hell the vendors were out there days after the fair was over and you could still go grab candy apples and Cotten candy. No - that's all a thing of the past. Now you walk to your car with the last vision being the rodeo arena. The good ole days! read more

I wasn't too impressed with the fair this year. For some reason, it just felt smaller, with less vendors (excluding food). Of course, deep-fried everything was served all around. My boyfriend and I shared an order of deep-fried pickles. They were nothing to write home about- we should have gone all out and gotten a funnel cake or deep-fried Oreos! I did have a fantastic time watching the pig races, thanks to Rosaire's Royal Racers! The last time I saw a pig race I was probably around 4 or 5; it made me feel like a little kid again. They even had a geofilter for Snapchat. Very fun! The rides all seemed to be properly functioning, and the crowd wasn't too large on a Tuesday night. I would definitely suggest coming to the fair on a weeknight to avoid massive crowds and long lines for rides (mainly the ferris wheel). If you're a fan of deep-fried snacks, other sweets, "Chicken on a Stick," elaborately spray-painted t-shirts, rides that are bound to make your stomach turn, and games where you can win a huge stuffed animal to carry around on your back the entire time, check out the fair! read more