The Minnesota State Fair started today. Now I (Courtney) have to be honest here. Though I’m a Wisconsin girl — I’ve never been to the Wisconsin State Fair. Never. I don’t even know where it’s located — I’m guessing Milwaukee — but I don’t know for sure. Sorry Wisconsin. I’ve totally failed you. Please accept my apology.

This is the 10-day window in my life when I’m proud to say I live in Minnesota. I’ve only been a resident of this great state for three years, but I have to say, I’ve fallen in love.

However — just to clarify — I’ll always be partial to Wisconsin. Always.

Apparently, I’m all about the absolutes this evening.

The Minnesota State Fair is really special. It’s 320 acres of amazingness. The first fair was held in 1859 — the year after Minnesota was granted statehood. It found a permanent home, midway between the Twin Cities, in the early 1880s. Each year, nearly 1.8 million people attend the Fair. How’s that for Minnesota fun facts??!

We love it. And we’re going tomorrow, in case you were wondering.

All that to say, in honor of this joyous time of year, we thought we’d share with you our “Top 5 things to do/eat/see at the Fair.” Enjoy. 🙂

Erick:

1. Deep Fried Cheese Curds, from the Food Building (that is essential). This is a standard when I go to the fair, and I find myself always wanting another order of them … but I never go back for seconds.
2. Deep Fried Cheeseburger. This one was new for me last summer, and I’m really excited to get it again this year! It’s amazing, go get it. Axel’s Bonfire.
3. Sweet Martha’s Cookies & The Milk Tent. If you haven’t done this before at the fair … you NEED to this year! It’s brilliant!! Get the bucket of cookies, walk to the other end of the fair to the giant Milk tent where you can get unlimited milk — white or chocolate — for like $1. Find a patch of grass nearby and enjoy!
4. This Peach/Nectarine/Plum fruit-stand near the International Bazaar. They have the best fresh fruit, and it’s a GREAT refreshing flavor after all of the fried food :-P.
5. Strawberry Milkshake from the “Moo Booth” at the Cattle Barn. There are a few places to get a milkshake at the fair, to me, this is the best spot. It just seems to make sense … right?! I mean, it’s right where the cows are, and it’s called the ‘Moo Booth’.

Courtney:

1. Pronto pups. Not to be confused with a regular corn dog. Please when you go to the fair, get a pronto pup, not just a corn dog.
2. The Fine Arts Building. I love looking at the paintings, drawings, sculptures, quilts, etc. I’ve said this before, but my artistic abilities are less than nil. Therefore, I will always be incredibly amazed by those with more than nil.
3. Apple Cider freezie pop things. (I don’t actually know what they’re called.) These little guys are $1, are located by the Agriculture building, and are such a refreshing treat. These sweet little old men sell them, and you can buy cider and apples from them too.
4. Sweet Martha’s cookies and the Milk Tent. This is a staple for us. See Erick’s comments above. 🙂
5. The Miracle of Birth Center. This is where all the baby pigs, goats, cows, goats, chicks, rabbits, etc. are, as well as all the prego animals. They’re cute and sweet. And you can watch live births if you want. Though, I can never get Erick to stick around long enough to watch. He hadn’t stepped foot in this place until he started dating me. This is probably not surprising.