State Fairs, a comparison

We have now been to three state fairs--Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.  Here is a review.

The Michigan state fair is held at an Expo center in Novi.  It is what you would expect from a state fair being held in an expo center.  As state fairs go, it is very disappointing.  I doubt we'd have ever gone back if it weren't 10 minutes from our house.  They did have good parking, though.

We had heard the Minnesota state fair is the best in the US.  My assessment has the Minnesota and Wisconsin state fairs as equals.

What Minnesota does better: Wide streets/walking areas.  There were LOTS of people filling the streets throughout the fair, but the width of the streets made walking easy enough.  There were also lots of shade trees throughout the fair grounds.  It was not hard to find relief from direct sunlight.  Very nice!

What Wisconsin does better: Parking.  WAY better than Minnesota.  Maybe seasoned fair-goers would disagree, but as newbies, we found the parking to be lacking and the resultant backed-up traffic to be frustrating. I might also give Wisconsin a slight edge in the buildings and stages.

Next year, we will have to put Iowa's state fair to the test as some claim theirs to be the best in the US.

Minnesota and Wisconsin can hold their heads up high. Both fairs are outstanding.