State Fair Preview

Courtesy: WRAL

The 2012 N.C. State Fair is quickly approaching so here's an insider look on my favorite places to go and a preview of what's to come at this year's fair!

You can begin by hanging out on the largest midway in North America, soaking in all the thrills of the rides.

According to a report on WRAL, the midway will add some glitz and glamor this year with two new rides. Rock Star is a guitar-shaped ride that is, actually, not all that extreme like its name implies but it's intriguing nonetheless.

The other ride, Genesis which is much like Rock Star, is bigger, faster and has a sick display. You should definitely try these out (I know I will).

If you're not the thrill seeking type, there's still plenty to do.

The Flower and Garden Show is always a popular attraction for fairgoers. According to Agricultural Commissioner, Steve Troxler, this year's show has over 9,000 entries.

There's also the Arts and Photography Competition in the Scott Building, located right at Blue Ridge Road. 

As you may or may not know, I've submitted some of my photography in the competition. I've never won anything but the great part about this competition is your artwork is displayed for the duration of the fair for over a million fairgoers to enjoy, win or lose.

When you're done checking out the artwork, pop over to the Got To Be N.C. tent, located right outside the Scott Building, and enjoy learning about all kinds of different foods and beverages made in North Carolina. The best part is this tent is taste test city! There are free samples of products at just about every table which is always a plus!

Another booth I love to go to is local news station, WRAL's. Located adjacent to Dorton Arena, you can meet your favorite news personalities from the station, get freebies, and enter contests for awesome prizes. Plus, if your timing is right, WRAL will do live news shots from outside the tent so you may even get on television!

Speaking of Dorton Arena, a must for me each year is going to one of the nightly concerts. This year's lineup is amazing! It includes Michael W. Smith, Matthew West and Sanctus Real, Scotty McCreery, Jason Michael Carroll and Brian McKnight, just to name a few. I'm going to the Hot Chelle Rae concert and I'm really excited. I normally go to a country concert but wanted to change it up this year.

Whew! You tired yet? Well, what about the food?

For lunch or dinner, my all time favorite place to go is the McBride's tent. You can't miss those big, red and white tents on the fairgrounds. McBride's is one of the oldest concession stands having been around for 80 years. They have everything from footlong hotdogs to my personal favorite, Italian sausage with peppers and onions. You've got to try it!

Now, how about a snack? I love to try new things when I go to the fair, especially the latest deep fried concoctions. This year, the fair is introducing deep fried Girl Scout Samoa cookies, deep fried cinnamon rolls sprinkled with bacon bits and deep fried cupcakes. Have the paramedics on standby! It all sounds so ridiculously good I may just try them all!

One final place to hit is the Smitty's Apples stand, located near the Grist Mill area of the fairgrounds (just follow the loud backfiring noise of the ice cream makers). They have everything from fresh apples to fritters and more. I normally get an apple dumpling with a warm apple drizzle on it. Trust me, it's to die for!

So, there you have it! A preview of this year's fair and a glimpse at my favorite things to do. If you go to the fair, you'll never be disappointed that's for sure!