For the third year in a row, I had a blast at the Tennessee State Fair! I didn't know so many things could be deep fried - and taste that good! I highly recommend trying to ribbon fries, the dilldog (pickle & corndog combo), the friend pb&j, walking taco and/or the fried Oreos or oatmeal pies! You can purchase tickets in advance online or at the gate. Make sure you bring a clear bag - or they won't let you in! Also, the games are wickedly expensive - typically $10 - so be prepared if you have kids that want to play all the games! read more

See all

I absolutely love fairs... but this was a disappointment. It costs 15 dollars per person for an overrated carnival (it's extra if you purchase your ticket online). I was looking forward learning about TN history/agriculture and to seeing all of the livestock, instead I walked around a large carnival. I'm giving this an extra star because I did go on a Sunday instead of Saturday, but the only livestock there were a few goats and the remainder of the fair was a carnival. read more

Came to Nashville for a mini vacay all the way from California. Growing up state fairs use to be all the rave and I have so many fond memories as a child but so many things in California have changed and state fairs are hard to find in my area and the prices to attend are so expensive. On a fluke we saw that this state fair was going on so decided why not go. To say that this was the most organized and lovely fairs would be an understatement. The parking was organized and done so quickly. Ticket prices were $10 bucks a person! Right?! You cannot get into anything in California for that cheap. The live music, the petting farm, all the rides, the food and drinks and so many other activities it was so well done and the area it was at was breathtaking for photos. If your ever in Tennessee and want to experience something fun definitely check out the state fair! read more

See all

Definitely not what I was expecting ..the only saving grace I can give it is they had some cool chickens and birds for sale and a rabbit contest. Very very small...and parking is 10 Dollars (in a apartment building at that...) and a good 3/4 mile from the fairgrounds. told on website there would be a beer tent for the adults as well as live entertainment so asked a few attendants where I could find it and/or any adult beverages and the first two were extremely rude and told me that they didn't have alcohol, Made me seem crazy for asking and gave me a dirty look (it's a football Sunday at 3 pm But ok lol...) the last told me they stopped it yesterday and added "you gotta bring your own booze" well..they search your bag so unless you're trying to really be sneaky and crotch it or such I wouldn't advise that... The exhibits inside were tiny and smelled awful...some poor little baby ducklings stuffed in a poopy slide and cows and goats that you can't pet or get near because they are part of the show . They had a milk bar...yes the barn animals milk ... where you can taste different animals milk...in 90 degree weather ( I am sorry but no thank you ..) Was also told there would be music and at 3 pm in the afternoon there was none . The exhibits or vendors didn't sell anything either ..just overall kinda disappointing . Being new to Nashville I was hoping for a fun day. Our Michigan state fair and many Others I've been to are better! Just skip it! read more

Had a great time at the Tennessee State Fair....if you love animals, then this is the place for you. The food cart was good, and the homemade ice cream spot I forgot the name was A+++++ As a traveler from NYC, I would definitely go back. read more

See all

Very nice event, specially enjoyable having beautiful late fall weather day. A lot of choices to shop for upcoming holiday season. A music was right and wasn't to loud to take ove event. It's nice to see so many creative craft people and so many visitors to support them. Vintage Market Days are for sure worth to visit. On downside it's on moments to crowded. Some alleys are to narrow. Either limit the number of booths or use more available space. read more

See all

We were running out of things to do so thought what the heck, let's check out the state fair. You have to pay for entry, not a fan of that since you still have to pay for everything else. They had a monster truck rally which would have been cool to see, being we are from NYC, but that was a separate charge, admission should have came with the entry fee but whatever, we snuck a peak standing on some wood looking through a fence lol. This was a small state fair, they had a little barn are with a petting zoo which was cute didnt have to pay extra for that. There weren't many fun rides, besides the ferris wheel, every ride was for the kids. We played a game of skeeball (a carnival classic). Then had some grilled corn which was very good. The rest of the food there was pretty much all fried, sugary crap like most carnivals. It was a small fair, we managed to walk around the whole thing and be in and out within an hour 20 mins. Definitely a food thing to do with small kids, but parents you will be dishing out dollars without having much fun of your own. read more

Tennessee State Fair - Festivals Near Me - Nashville, Tennessee

I really love fairs and was hoping to get my fix at the TN state fair. Unfortunately we went on the last day (a Sunday) and they had already begun removing livestock and exhibits so there was maybe only 1/4 still there for us to see. So disappointing! Not sure why they couldn't have made it clear online things would end early. They didn't seem to have very many ride options for adults, they were mostly kiddie rides or mild adult rides. Plus, admission doesn't buy ride tickets and I didn't want to spend any more money after already missing out on a lot of the farm exhibits. It's a much smaller fairground than I expected it to be, and wasn't as well laid out as it could've been. I doubt we will go again mostly for geographic reasons but it wasn't anything too special. read more

We happen to be in town when the fair started so we figured why not check it out, $8 dollars to get in not bad. Walking in u are a bit confused since it seems like there isn't much there? as u make your way inside the whole area expands. Typical fair in the sense, cheesy rides , terrible fair games & food that will clog your arteries just by looking at it, lordd so much fried food it's insane. Food I just had a grill corn, safest option since I wasn't looking to get a terrible stomach ache from the fried food, corn was very good. Cute area with the animals for petting them, sad that they had such a small space. The Butterfly exhibit? if u can call it that was disappointing it was a small area with a net around it. This fair was pretty boring u can go through it in about an hour or less, we did it in an hour not a lot of entertainment aside from stuffing your face, they didn't seem to even have adult drinks or at least I didn't see any. overall not the best fair I've come across, only gave it the 2 stars because the corn was great. read more

See all

Going to the State fair always brings back memories of being a kid. For starters, in comparison to the Wilson County fair, the state fair was just okay. Parking is around$5 and then there is also an admission fee. Food and games are the usual steep pricing and exhibits are at a minimum. Walking around the entire fair took around 45min. There are the usual impossible to win carnival games and the standard fried foods. No fancy frills or thrills for myself. Overall, it was a fun activity to partake in, but not sure I'll be returning next year. read more

See all

WORST STATE FAIR in the history of state fairs!!! Seriously, I can't believe I paid $5 for parking and $8 entry fee. There was nothing to see there!!! Only carnies running their traveling carnival rides and the same company selling their carnival food. No interesting booths to shop in. No music. I've never been to a fair and not want to eat anything!!! There were just a small handful of vendors, besides the carnies, selling food but nothing worth buying except for Prince's Hot Chicken which I was not in the mood for on a 90 degree evening. It's no wonder they turned off the reviews on their Facebook page!!! I wish I could go back in time and NOT GO to this joke of a fair. Seriously, if you're going to put on such a lame event, DON'T BOTHER. I wish I had read the yelp reviews before wasting my time and money there. read more

they moved to Wilson County, but it is just a horrible as when it was in Nashville! bought the mega band included rides and Entrance. Don't follow your GPS because you will be going around in circles due to all the closed road and no right or left turns at locations they would take you into the fairgrounds. Once you finally get to a parking destination, we parked so far back they didn't even charge us for parking, it will take you 30 minutes to hike up to the entrance. We bought our bracelets online so we were able to go pretty quickly through the gate. However lines are ridiculous! We were at the kiddie rides and most lines were 30 minute wait. The few locations for food that we stood in line for 45 minutes to get food or is out of bottled water and the only other option was to stand in another line for 30 minutes to get a lemonade. They do not allow you to bring a camelbak in because they are not clear. however they do not make sure that there is enough water to go around. Especially with the horrible hours you were going at the heat of the day, they did not open Sunday until noon! The only thing that you don't have to wait 30 to 45 minutes to do is play games which of course you will drop 100 bucks in five minutes! Overall this is a horrible event and if you want to depart with 600 bucks (not including the $185 online for tickets before you hit the gates) in four hours to ride four rides, get four stuffed animals, two corndogs and chicken fingers and ended up in the garbage bucket of fries and three lemonades then this place is for you! NEVER AGAIN read more

We have been coming here for the flea market for a couple of years and it has always been fun. This year was better, they have built new buildings and larger spaces for more vendors. The grounds where clean and people where friendly. They have even added an in house cafe that has breakfast and lunch and to be honest, the breakfast was pretty good. Try it out every last weekend of the month. read more

This is by far the worst State Fair I ever attended. I've been to Neighborhood Carnival's with better attractions. Food: Nothing but cheap carnival vendors. There was nothing to show off the local flavors of the area. How about a Nashville Hot Chicken Truck for starters? Attractions: Other than some Wrestling show from a cheap, local circuit and a display of quilts there was nothing to see. The majority of buildings were empty. My Wife and I walked the entire grounds in 30 minutes. Here's the bottom line: I knew we were in trouble when I saw a traffic Cop and a bunch of empty parking lots when we drove up. This fair offers nothing to the good people of Nashville. No wonder it was a barren wasteland. Don't get me wrong. I love Nashville. Great food, great music and wonderful people make it one of my favorite Cities. This fair could be a big money maker for the local economy if they stepped up their game. Right now its a joke. read more

Well, if you are looking for something along the lines of a county fair, where you have some questionably safe carnival rides, greasy food wagons and a half a dozen animals, then hey, this might be for you. But so far as a state fair goes, Tennessee, you have some work to do. Might want to study up on other states' fairs, such as Minnesota, Indiana, or California. Because when you compare it to these, it is almost a joke. Come on now, I know y'all can do better than this. read more

I've been able to attend twice in the last several years, and it really is a neat experience. There's more to see and do on the weekends, but it's also much more crowded, so there's a trade-off. In 2009, I showed up at 3:30pm, and I felt like I had the Whole Place to myself. No waits for my son to get on the rides, no crowds anywhere. Plenty of seating for all of the shows. Son loved the rides, he enjoyed the kids play area. He also liked the shows, which were pretty corny, or preachy. I enjoyed sampling fair cuisine. I had the famous funnel cake for the first time, and got a 32oz. tea, both unsurprisingly overpriced. However, later in the day, I found a place in the fair that sold homemade ice cream at a relatively lower price, and considered it a steal, as it was excellent. Metro water also provided a cask of water for free, while BP was handing out bicycle bottles for filling up with said water, also for free. Usual carny rip-off games, generic carny food booths, and the predictable slew of carny games were to be found, as were the petting zoos and farm animal displays. I suppose the people watching would have been a lot better over the weekend, but it was a very fun experience, as well as an opportunity to spend quality time with my son. Everyone should visit the Tennessee State Fair every couple of years. read more

Great for kids, but much much smaller than I remember. I used to go every year for my birthday. The 'fresh squeezed' lemonade... please, just don't get it. Waste of money. I love the lemonade and was disappointed. Funnel cake was amazing, I have to say. Plus I love that a lot of the people working at the fair this year were from overseas. And they are also equal opp. employer - kudos in that respect. Not many rides for adults. I'm a big kid, so I was excited. Oh well, it was something different to do. Also, if you buy your tickets ahead of time - at kroger - they are a few bucks cheaper. And I think they have other events too, like demolition derby - which I wish I would have made it too. Animals... ya know... all that stuff. read more

The worst state fair I have ever been to. There is just nothing to do unless you want to ride rides. Pretty slim pickings for food as well. The animal barns aren't really accessible for spectators either. The people in charge should check out some other state fairs they'd figure out how sad there's is...totally not what we were expecting or hoping for for the nashville area. read more

I came once on the Saturday of the final weekend with my mom and 5-year-old cousin. A complete waste of 40$ (parking, entrance, and ride coupons) just to ride 3 rides and go home. I went back the next day (final day of the fair) with my boyfriend. We got there about 40 minutes before the fair opened, and once inside, we had a blast on the rides! Being the first people there meant there were NO lines! We went ahead and got wristbands because coupons are expensive (the night before, I paid 20$ for 16 tickets, and those lasted me and my cousin 2 rides). The concession workers aren't the happiest people on earth, and I don't know if I'm ok with that. I don't really expect carnies to be overly friendly (in my experience, they aren't), but I always think you should at least smile when dealing with customers. But whatever. Didn't ruin my fun. After a few extreme rides, I felt a little queasy and really just wanted a place to sit down, but benches were nowhere to be found. My boyfriend and I did find shelter in the air conditioned exhibit hall, though. All in all, it was a decent experience. Being a Nashville native, I've been coming to the fair ever since I was a little kid. I have to agree with some of the people giving low rankings; it HAS gotten worse since I was a kid. But I'll probably still attend a day or 2 every year just because I want that carny experience. I just won't be too happy with it as I could be. read more

See all

No beer, no horses, almost no hawkers selling wares, no music worth one's time. What's the point? To the directors of TN 'State Fair', if you want some advice on how to take this from the worst of the county fairs to a REAL State Fair like WI or MN, let me know! read more

Can't believe I actually said, "sure I'll go to the fair with you." $8 to get in then $1.25 per ride ticket. You'll need 3 of them bad boys to get on the ferris wheel. Take a trip to six flags and spend about the same amount. Although the cow milking station was pretty cool... read more

my husband and i went the last weekend it was open, and had fun. we didn't ride any rides (i've seen too many final destination movies), but did enjoy the exhibits and red velvet funnel cake. "the buildings are dirty"?!!!! seriously? they're filled with cows, chickens, goats and vegetation, what do you want? custom bamboo wooden floors? chandelier light fixtures? gates carved out of pearl? carnies are supposed to yell out at you. it's loud, get over it. when you go to a fair, expect carnies to holler and shout (just like when you go to opry mills mall, expect to be accosted by those annoying people in the kiosk). there's all the other typical fair food with newer traditions made famous by food network (fried oreos! fried twinkies! red velvet funnel cake!) and the classics: turkey legs, roasted corn ears, corn dogs, footlong hotdogs, etc. read more

Ouch. My very first one star review. Can't say that I've been to the fair, but I have been to the fairgrounds and I was very, very disappointed. First of all, any event held at the fairgrounds has $5 parking. You'd think with all of that money they're raking in that they could do some updates on the buildings. They are essentially a series of warehouses that aren't laid out very well. I've come to a couple of sales here, recently, and while it did function as a space for an event like that (I bought a lot of excellent herbs for my garden most recently), mostly I view the fairgrounds as a great idea desperately in need of some love. Tennessee strikes me as a state that should have a kick-ass state fair, and the grounds should be at a level that reflects that. read more

I'm so sad for the state of the state fair of TN. Seriously the fair needs a complete renovation, from the ground up. The buildings are dirty, dark and appear to be 900 years old. We did only walk around for a little bit and on opening night after we had enough at the Taste of Tennessee Craft Brewers Festival inaugural event. It just seemed trashy and sad and lacked any of the warmth that other fairs I've been to have. I've also heard through the rumor mill that it's not exactly the safest fair ever either. We did see a bazillion private security guards on the premises while we were there however. I would like to come back to see a llama but for no other reason. read more

Sorry Tennessee but this is a terrible fair. Hardly anyone there and the big attraction for Sunday afternoon appeared to be the couple golf carts that drove by with some sad looking clowns. The clowns probably look depressed because there is no beer served either! Save your $8 bucks and go to your local Walmart for a better carnie experience. read more

Late on giving the fair it's review, but I have to say that I am amazed that all the low scores below for a fair. First off, they had tons of fair rides, tons of food vendors, tons of carnie games and all the exhibit rooms were filled with either animals or exhibits. The food is exactly what I expected from a fair, as we're the rides and games, so it makes me sad to see people give it 1 star and 2 star because they expected more. Next year I plan to go again and watch people, have a red velvet funnel cake and a corn dog, and enjoy myself. read more

Definitely had a great time! We went early and had no wait for rides! We got corndogs and nachos, both were delicious! The chainsaw demos were pretty cool to watch, and the music was good too! It was too expensive for the wristbands but I'd go back next year and get the bands at Kroger next time! I'm not sure why there is so much negativity in the other reviews, one mentioned they don't serve beer and I for one found it nice not to be around drunks the whole night! There were at least 10 good rides, tons of animals, and at least 2-3 good shows a night! It's a fun night out! read more

You have GOT to be kidding me. I realize you don't know me, but you must understand; I LOVE good ol' fashioned down home fairs and festivals. I've been to the Mermaid Festival in North Webster, Indiana and that garbage festival, which was essentially a garage sale with a few food trucks, had more to see than the TN State Fair. The radio ad promised fried Goo Goo Clusters, which after several laps around the vast estate, were never found. No interesting artisans or vendors. No exciting food variety. No reason to spend the $8 admission. There were several big food carts all selling the same 3-4 items, all coincidentally owned by the same company. Again, I LOVE this kind of crap. But out of every county fair I've been to, of which there have been many, this was my greatest disappointment. My big highlight was paying a dollar to see a mini horse and I couldn't even take a picture with it. Do yourself a favor and walk the aisles of your local Costco instead. You'll spend the same amount of money and at least get the thrill of buying a 3 gallon bottle of ketchup. read more

I'm giving this one star because my daughter had a blast at the carnival area of the fair. Having said that though, I find myself at a loss of what else to review. What else is even at this fair? The dirty, empty cavernous buildings with little to no exhibits? The standard overpriced frozen pizza slices & "homemade" lemonade? The piddly one table of prize winning flower arrangements? This fair has NOTHING that any other county fair doesn't have, and Tennessee should be ashamed of itself if this is a representation of what the entire state has to offer. The foreign concession stand employees were anything but friendly, the popcorn stale & the five vendors present were predictable. This fair is ridiculous. It's a carnival held at a fairgrounds - plain & simple. read more

I think if I could give a 0 star I would. This fair is terrible. I don't do fair rides because of all the stories I hear about people getting injured. There was really nothing to do. The animal area was so small and stunk really bad. The food trucks had no real appeal to them so my wife and I went to Edleys instead. We walked the fair in less than 40 minutes. There was nothing for my wife and I to stop at and look. The carni games were typical and I noticed on one of the basketball games the ball was bigger than the hoop. Not worth the drive and I'm surprised it has lasted over 100 years. I will not be going back. Also, they had a special with Kroger that if I bought the ticket at Kroger it was $5 instead of $8 at the gate. Well, Kroger did not have the special anymore and I tried buying the ticket on 9/12 and the fair ended on 9/15. When I got to the fair they said that you have to buy the tickets before the fair starts. They didn't honor the deal. But, if you look at the fair website it still has that promotion on their website and the Kroger had the promotion at their registers. Another reason why I won't be going back. read more

Do this google, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois and Texas State Fairs for 2016. Look at their lineups for concerts. Compare them to Tennessee, its laughable. Recently moved to Tennessee from Texas and was excited to visited the state fair. NEVER AGAIN!!!!! read more

If I could sum up this state fair in a word, that word would be "sucks"... I have been to about 11 different state fairs and they are far reaching - vast stretches with tons to do, tons to see, and tons of rides. This, is NOT any of those things. Do not waste your time or your money. This was the worst excuse of a state fair..I can assure you that the Williamson County Fair had more rides and more .food vendors than this State fair... A lot of people have been fighting over "saving the fairgrounds" and I agreed with them (until I actually went to the fair tonight and saw what a waste of space this whole thing is)... Now... I get it...I genuinely hope they do something useful with this space. read more

I don't even know where to start with Tennessee State Fair. Along with the usual rides and accompanying carnies, the Tennessee State Fair is bar none the best place to people watch. If anyone has ever wanted to gander at how many amazing mullets they could spot in one day, the State Fair will definitely put any other place to shame. Aside from the carnival type rides the Tennessee State fair also offers, livestock shows, arts and crafts exhibits, and lots of fun and random performances (I had a great time watching an African tumbling show as a ate a funnel cake). Also if you ever wanted to watch someone catch themselves on fire and high dive into a small pool of water, YAY, you can do that here. I was even able to catch a Siberian Tiger Refuge show and a BMX stuntcase that all the surrounding kids were simply amazed by. BAR NONE, the best part of the Tennessee State Fair is their amateur wrestling show, I seriously have never laughed so hard; not only was a amused by the tights wearing ridiculous wrestlers themselves, but even more amused by the toothless half drunk woman that was throwing popcorn and verbally abusing the aforementioned wrestlers. read more

This is the worst state fair I've EVER been too! Cost $5 to get in...that should have told me something!! Was there with my grandbabies on opening day!! No one was there which was good if you don't like crowds, but opening day?? Bought ride tickets and they didn't even take them? Seems odd since they (the ride tickets) are so expensive good thing was NO lines? I think people in Tennessee know it's a terrible fair so they must depend on people to come from outta town (which I did) excited to take my grandchildren to the fair but seriously it was a joke also waited for concessions to open first in line first corn dog sold on opening day...! And they were out of ketchup the bottle was on the counter EMPTY? Like really you just opened your first day, and empty condiments jars?? I would save myself the trouble go to the museum it's AWESOME sorry I wasted my time, energy, and $.doesnt deserve 1-star either read more

By far the worst state fair I have ever been to. First we got there at noon and they told us to come back at 5 because that's when they opened. Then you have to pay to get in for parking, which I understand but then to pay an 8 dollar admission fee for each person which makes no sense. Then we get in try to buy wristbands, but the wristbands are not being sold here which makes absolutely no sense either. THEN when we leave we have to pay admission again because they give is no kind of recognition to make sure that we paid, and we will have to pay parking again which makes no sense and the ATM didn't work. Also the fact that there was no kind of signs or ads or commercials or anything to let us know that we had to buy the wristbands previous to entering the state fair grounds. They could've told us when we got there first at noon but they didn't even mention it. We had to pay $37 once and then come back and pay 8 more dollars for four people and parking again. In all $120 for NOTHING. They don't have anything and they weren't very helpful with information. They are so disorganized and don't even know what's going on, you try to ask them for help or assistance or some kind of advice to what's going on or what can be done and they just smile in your face and tell you they don't know how to help you. I would rate it no stars but I can't do that. The rides seem pretty cool, but all I'm saying is make sure you do your research and know what they want before coming here and wasting three hours of your life and $120 of your hard earned money. read more

I mean it's not the greatest fair I've ever been to, but I have alot of memories attached to the place. I love the funnel cakes, turkey legs, and all the farm animals and look forward to going every year :) read more