With smells of delicious fried foods in the air and excited screams coming from thrill rides, this can mean only one thing: Fall fair season is here. These events have become a tradition over the years as families and friends gather for fun.
“It’s just a good, clean, wholesome time to spend with your family,” said Mark Lovell, director of the Georgia State Fair in Hampton. “I think it’s a great time for people to make memories.”
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Before heading out to a fair, check online for daily admission prices. Many offer discount days for college students, seniors or other groups, buy-one-get-one-free admission days and deals on bracelets that let you enjoy unlimited rides for one price.
The following are some fall fairs in the metro Atlanta area or just a short drive away that you won’t want to miss.
Sept. 6-14, Clarkesville Fairgrounds, 4235 Toccoa Highway, Clarkesville, 706-969-1866. chattahoocheemountainfair.org
The Chattahoochee Mountain Fair includes several events and activities you might not expect, including a 1-mile Fun Run and 5K on Sept. 7. If you preregister, you’ll get a race T-shirt as well as free entry to the fair on that day. Hot air balloon rides also are available for $20 (weather permitting) to give you a unique view of all the festivities. And the Hayes Rodeo takes center stage on two nights, with bareback riding, saddle broncs, calf roping, barrel racing and more adding to the fair fun.
Credit: Courtesy of Gwinnett County Fair
Credit: Courtesy of Gwinnett County Fair
Sept. 12-22, Gwinnett County Fairgrounds, 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, 770-963-6522. gwinnettcountyfair.com
Head to the Gwinnett County Fair this year for an all-new exhibit hall that hosts arts, crafts and home-and-garden competitions as well a new exhibition that features border collies showing off their herding instincts with sheep and ducks. Oscar the Robot will roam the fairgrounds this year, so if you see him, expect some interactive fun. Other fair highlights include the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, which has taken its competitions — including log rolling, ax throwing and crosscut sawing — throughout the world. For some laughs and fun audience participation, make sure to attend the Captain Jim Is Magic Show.
Sept. 12-22, 275 Pine Road, Newnan, 770-254-2620. cowetacountyfair.net.
Rides, games, food and livestock are among the highlights of the Coweta County Fair, along with interesting and sometimes quirky entertainment. Guests can watch a chainsaw artist create amazing creatures, see a nightly show featuring popular kid-friendly characters and be entertained by calendar artist and one-man-band Pilliard Dickle. Plenty of livestock shows are planned, and an exotic petting zoo features reptiles, birds, a camel and other animals.
Credit: Courtesy of North Georgia State Fair
Credit: Courtesy of North Georgia State Fair
Sept. 19-29, Jim R. Miller Park & Event Center, 2245 Callaway Road, Marietta, 770-528-8989. northgeorgiastatefair.com.
The North Georgia State Fair will continue its 92-year tradition of bringing fun to Marietta with favorite activities as well as new ones. Look for daily shows by Atlanta puppeteer Peter Hart, who has performed at venues such as Walt Disney World/Epcot and the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, and Shane Hansen, who will perform daring acts such as a 65-foot dive into a small airbag. Traditional fair fun — including pig races, an exotic animal petting zoo and a petting barn — also is planned.
Sept. 27-Oct. 6, Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1500 Tara Place, Hampton, 901-867-7007. georgiastatefair.com.
Attractions at the Georgia State Fair this year include a dinosaur show called Jurassic Kingdom that’s especially popular with younger guests, fair director Mark Lovell said. He also said guests should look forward to a petting zoo with exotic animals such as zebras and kangaroos. A big top circus will take place two to three times daily, and pro wrestling also is on the calendar. If you’d like to become part of the show, check out performances by a comedy hypnotist or take the stage and show off your singing talent during nightly karaoke.
Credit: Courtesy of the Georgia National Fair / Nava Rawls
Credit: Courtesy of the Georgia National Fair / Nava Rawls
Oct. 3-13, 401 Larry Walker Parkway, Perry, 478-987-3247. georgianationalfair.com.
With some 500,000 guests attending the Georgia National Fair each year, Maggie Lane, the fair’s marketing director, says it’s one of the 20 largest fairs in the nation. And since the fairgrounds span a whopping 1,100 acres, she suggests wearing comfortable shoes. Music is one of the event’s big draws, and performances by acts such as the Bellamy Brothers, Warrant and Ginuwine are included in the price of admission. Animals also are a staple of the fair, including a Baby Barn (with live cow and pig births), sea lion performances, Frisbee dog demonstrations, livestock shows and a Georgia National Draft Horse Show. In addition, you can stock up on Georgia-grown items and end your visit with a nightly fireworks show.
Credit: Phil Skinner / AJC
Credit: Phil Skinner / AJC
Cumming Country Fair and Festival
Oct. 3-13, Cumming Fairgrounds, 235 Castleberry Road, Cumming, 770-781-3491. cummingfair.squarespace.com/cumming-country-fair-festival-3
Celebrating its 30th year, the Cumming Country Fair and Festival offers lots of shows and additional entertainment in addition to rides and fair food. The fair and festival boasts new attractions this year, including a juggling “fire guy” who roams through the crowd, an interactive Jurassic Kingdom show featuring lifelike dinosaurs and David “The Bullet” Smith, a human cannonball who soars over concert stages and Ferris wheels. Performing at the fair is country singer Mark Willis, and you also can catch two nights of monster truck shows and three nights of the American Bull Riders Tour.
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