How to Visit the Minnesota State Fair With Kids

Infants

Bringing your baby to the fair doesn’t need to be intimidating. One of the best strategies is to beat the crowds and the heat by starting your visit early. The fair opens daily at 7 a.m., with most food vendors and attractions opening by 9 a.m. Admission is also easy—it's free every day for children 4 years and under.

“The fair offers great resources and flexibility for guests of all ages,” says Minnesota State Fair spokesperson Maria Hayden. Strollers and wagons are welcome (if you’re taking transit, make sure yours is collapsible). Don’t want to bring gear? Strollers and wagons are available for rent from HomeTown Mobility, with five rental locations inside the fairgrounds.

Another perk: visitors can bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages, making it easy to keep your baby’s favorite snacks on hand. What better way to start a lifelong fair tradition?

For attractions, Hayden recommends heading to the fair’s north end to visit The Family Fair at Baldwin Park. “Baldwin Park offers kids-focused programming and live entertainment all day—music, dancing, puppets, magic, and more,” she says. “There’s usually less congestion here, so it’s easy to park your stroller in the shade and let your kids have fun.”

Other baby-friendly highlights include meeting baby farm animals at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center, where you’ll see newborn lambs, goats, calves, and piglets.

Bigger animals await in the Livestock Complex, where your little one can meet cows, horses, and more in the Cattle Barn, Horse Barn, and Sheep & Poultry Barn.

Still have energy? Check out the fair’s daily parade at 2 p.m. near the Kidway. The high school marching band competition shares the spotlight with floats and animals of all sorts.

When snack time hits, stop by the Agriculture-Horticulture Building for apple cider freeze pops made from Minnesota-grown apples.

Making memories can be tiring for both kids and caretakers. Luckily, changing stations and family restrooms are easy to find throughout the fair. Hayden also suggests visiting the KaiBi Mobile Family Care Center—an air-conditioned space for nursing, pumping, sensory comfort, and even charging devices.

Toddlers

The very first stop to make when you arrive at the State Fair with your toddler is the bathroom. The second is to pick up a free ID wristband at any information booth or Family & Baby Care. These are essential for reuniting kids who have been separated from their parents. It’s also a great idea to take a picture of your child and their outfit at the fair for the same reason.

As with infants, the Family Fair at Baldwin Park is an ideal destination for toddlers and their parents. Here, the Alphabet Forest offers books, letter-themed crafts, word games, photo ops, and daily meet-and-greets with authors and illustrators. 

Also at Baldwin Park, the Math-On-A-Stick attraction encourages kids and their grown-ups to get hands-on with geometric tiles, puzzles, and number games. You’ll count, identify patterns, and explore other fun math concepts.

“Smaller children love to visit the Little Farm Hands exhibit,” says Hayden. “This is where they learn how food gets to the table.” 

Tailored for children as young as 3 and all the way up to 10, this agricultural adventure invites kids to pitch in on farm chores, visit a makeshift farmers market, and buy real food from a grocery store. Along the way, kids will pick up tips for planting crops and taking care of animals.

Ferris Wheels, Merry-Go-Rounds, Tractor Rides, and more await at the Kidway, which opens daily at 9 a.m. and requires the purchase of additional tickets. Packed with over 30 carnival-style rides, loads of games, and iconic State Fair foods, the Kidway is where mild-mannered children start their journey toward becoming adrenaline-fueled thrillseekers. Make sure to check out any applicable height restrictions before visiting with your tot, as most rides require kids to be 36” or taller.

When hunger strikes your toddler, it just might happen near Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, Mouth Trap Cheese Curds, or one of the many Fresh French Fries counters. Your small child is bound to feel thirsty when you walk past Fresh Squeezed Lemonade or one of the 1919 Root Beer stands that’s shaped like a barrel. If you get yourself a Pronto Pup, your toddler will want a bite, and then another. Ditto with deep-fried chocolate bars, colorful cotton candy, and tall, twist ice cream cones from the Dairy Building. 

Say yes to all of it. Share your favorite treats freely with your budding gourmand. Because these sweet moments are fleeting – and if you say no, they’ll throw themselves on the ground kicking and screaming right there at the corner of Judson and Nelson.

For post-tantrum relief, catch your breath at the Fraser Sensory Building with weighted blankets, calming music, and interactive sensory activities.

Young Children

Heads up! Once your child turns 5, the fair is no longer free. Purchasing tickets before the fair begins is one way to save on admission; another tip to visit on discount days, of which there are four. Discount cards are also available in advance for the Kidway and Mighty Midway.

Hayden recommends starting your visit at the Education Building, where you and your school-aged youngster can browse entries from the State Fair K-12 competition. You’ll see ribbon-winning art projects, creative writing examples, and other crafts from students all across the state, not to mention robotics demonstrations led by middle and high schoolers.

The educational opportunities continue at the always popular Livestock Complex, where friendly chicken, llamas, alpacas, and rabbits are found. “While here, kids can watch milking demonstrations in the Cattle Barn, pick up a pig ear hand band at the Oink Booth, or visit with several goat breeds at the Goat Booth,” says Hayden. Does your child like horses? If so, do not miss the Horse Barn’s Equimania!™ exhibit, created in partnership with the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.

Animal lovers should also make time for the All-Star Stunt Dogs Splash over at the North Woods Stage. This show features stunt dogs of all sizes and breeds performing flips, jumps, tricks, and more. Stick around for human tricks at the Timberworks Lumberjack Show, where you’ll witness world-class lumberjacks as they compete at climbing, sawing, log rolling, and axe throwing.

If that’s not enough excitement, this is a great age to introduce your child to some of the fair’s most iconic rides and attractions, such as the Giant Slide, Haunted House, Ye Olde Mill, and the SkyRide. Don’t forget to play games for prizes at the Midway! Relive your childhood memories with your mini-me, and remember to stop for selfies and posed pics whenever you can. Wrap it all up with Rock N Roll Playhouse at the Grandstand, which is presenting the music of Taylor Swift for the 2025 State Fair.

At this age, kids can tell you exactly what they want to eat or drink. They may be old enough to have an annual fair favorite — footlong hot dogs or tater tots, perhaps — and they may be bold enough to try something strange and new. A recent addition popular with kiddos is the Cotton Candy Iced Tea at Loon Lake Iced Tea. Served in a color-changing class, it’s garnished with edible glitter and a rock candy swizzle stick.

Don’t forget to pick up a Blue Ribbon Bargain Book for great deals on fare at the fair. You can also cut down on your time spent chasing food by planning your stops with the official MN State Fair app; your tired legs will thank you.

Preteens

“The State Fair is full of opportunities for older kids to be independent even while parents roam nearby,” says the State Fair’s Maria Hayden. “The North End Event Center hosts museum-quality exhibits for free, and there’s great shopping both at the West End and the Grandstand.”

The West End Market is a great destination for food, beverages, and all sorts of Minnesota-themed merchandise for the stylish preteen. The History & Heritage Center and Schilling Amphitheater are also nearby.

Known as the historic heart of the fair, the Grandstand’s interior hosts over 200 vendors, plus a boutique-style setting with 20 more merchants in the veranda area for eating and refreshments.

All that shopping provides an opportunity to talk about budgeting with your mature, independent youngster. Have a conversation with them about what they’d like to buy, how much it costs, and how much money will be left for their customary Shaved Ice and Slice of Pizza. Set clear expectations around spending; a pocket filled with cash can cause clouded thinking.

This is also the age when kids may want to break away from the family to meet up with their friends. They might catch live music at one of the free stages, such as the Bandshell or in the International Bazaar. They might snack on deep-fried dill pickles and giant Coca-Colas. Or they might take a spin on the Great Big Wheel, reaching dizzying heights of 156 feet above the slow-moving crowd. If you’re ready to let your youngster roam around the fairgrounds on their own, make sure to schedule periodic check-ins and set a plan for meeting up at a specific time and place.

The rest of your time together is up to you! If you always visit the dogs at the Pet Pavilion together, don’t stop now. If your child has always wanted to see the top of the Space Tower but you’ve never had the time, let this year be the year. Find that balance between keeping tradition alive and making room for new foods, new rides, and new experiences. The next memory you make may be the best one yet.

Read more about the Minnesota State Fair.