Month: October 2017
A FAIR-ly Amazing Day
I’m going to warn you right up front, this post is bursting with images. I was able to narrow down the 527 pictures I took to about 50. Give or take. Given the fact Fair Park is 277 acres, I think I did pretty well.
We have been planning our trip to the Texas State Fair for a couple weeks. We knew it wouldn’t be a cheap day, hence all of our recent freebie day trips. Fair Park is on the east side of Dallas and has been home to the Texas State Fair since 1886. You can read about all the history here.
We arrived just after the gates opened and scored a parking spot near the gate (all the empty spaces you see are reserved for the handicapped)…
We bought our tickets online, part of a package which included admission and 100 ride/food coupons. We first ran into using coupons at Grapefest. I’m not really a fan of the system, I’d rather pay for my food using cold hard cash. I think it is easier to plan using money than coupons, but I digress. Anyhow, our first stop was the cattle barn and judging arena…
Most of the cows were lazing around waiting their turn…
Others were being led to grooming stations…
Where shampooing and combing awaited them…
I’ve never seen a setup quite like this. Now, I’ve been to my share of fairs and always visit the livestock exhibits, but this really takes it to the next level! I was a bit disappointed there weren’t any longhorn cattle in the cow barn, afterall, this is Texas and longhorn are cattle. I wasn’t disappointed for very long! We stepped out of the building, on our way to the swine barn, and found this monster in a pen all his own…
Yes, you read the sign correctly, someone was brave enough to get a measurement of this behemoths horn width. He was even more magnificent when he stood up…
I absolutely loved his coloring. On to the swine. I love piggies, always have. Of course I love piglets even more…
Mama almost looks like she’s smiling. Cattle weren’t the only critters getting groomed for their showings…
And people were getting in some last minute runway practice…
Every time I look at this picture quickly, I think those pink spots on his snout are tusks. But if I wanted to see real tusks, I need not look any further than Borris…
Our next stop was the horse barn. All of the horses were in bar lined stalls and you couldn’t really get close enough to take any pictures, but I was able to sneak a picture of probably the largest horse I’ve ever seen. This is saying something because I’ve been up close and personal with the Budweiser Clydesdales! Meet Rossina, she is a Friesian. She is over 17 hands tall…
I thought we were through with livestock viewing until we came to the Children’s Health Barnyard. The squeals of delight could be heard long before we entered the building. Kids of all ages were having a grand time. It was more like a petting zoo than a barnyard, with animals from around the world…
This zebu was far more interested in getting her neck scratched than eating some handouts…
Just outside the exhibit was the little red barn I’ve been hoping to find. Barns here are the same as barns in the northeast. Most of the are pole barns, but this is the type of barn I love…
It was getting on towards lunch and the choices were so numerous I couldn’t decide. One thing I learned is Texans will deep-fry ANYTHING…
Or wrap it in bacon…
As we were walking past one of the many coupon booths, the reflection in the puddle caught my eye…
We still hadn’t decided on lunch, so we walked into the food court. Overwhelmed is an understatement!
Unfortunately, we stuck with something simple (but still expensive). We should have…
And how do you top off lunch? With an adult beverage of course…
So, I’ve covered livestock, cute animals and food. What else could there be? How about the art…
And the history…
Then…there are the shows! As we were walking along the esplanade, we happened to catch the Zu Zu African Acrobats. Their skill, flexibility and agility were astounding…
I kind of covered statues when I mentioned art, but there is one statue that literally can’t be missed…Big Tex himself…
If the size of the Wednesday crowds leave you feeling a bit on edge, not to worry! The Dallas PD has you covered…
Our final adventure of the day was a ride on the sky wheel…
There are 44 car on the wheel. I don’t know how tall it is but the views were stunning!
I haven’t come close to showing you all the things to do at the fair. We skipped the aquarium and the botanical gardens because, well, let’s face it, I’m not a kid anymore! It isn’t that I wouldn’t have enjoyed them, I’d have loved them, but I was pooped!!!!
We still had about an hour and a half drive back to Waldo and it was time to call it quits. The day had one more surprise in store for us…
A beautiful sunset to round out our trip.
What is your favorite thing to do at the fair?
Day Tripping
Striking a balance between work and play is something everyone strives for. And when it’s time to play, lots of things factor into how that time should be spent. I know I’ve repeatedly said how much I like free things to do. We’ve found, if you plan it right, you can get LOTS of fun for free. Our last 3 day trips are great examples of frugal fun!
DAY TRIP #1 – The Salt Palace – Grand Saline, Texas
Grand Saline, Texas is home to one of the largest salt mines in the US. The underground salt dome is 1 1/2 miles wide and over 4 miles deep, yes, I said MILES. In the late 1890’s, there were several salt producing companies. Around 1920 The Grand Saline Salt Company acquired them all and later became known as Morton Salt. By 1930, they were mining over 500 tons of salt daily. The building which houses the salt museum has the distinction of being the only building in the world built entirely of salt blocks…
Inside is a neat collection of Morton Salt memorabilia…
Morton stopped doing mine tours in the 1960’s. but there was a 20 minute movie showing some of the history and the mining operation. The cost to visit – nada! But donations are accepted.
DAY TRIP #2 – Grapefest, Grapevine, Texas
We chose to head over to Grapevine on Thursday because…wait for it…it was free admission day! Score!! There was free parking and a free shuttle. Every year Grapefest highlights different regions. This year it was wines from the Finger Lakes Region of New York and Canadian ice wines. Several years ago, Steve and I did the Seneca Lake wine tour, so we were already familiar with a few of the wineries. Of course that didn’t prevent me from sampling their goods.
Historic downtown Grapevine would have been worth the visit even without Grapefest, from the train depot…
To the arts…
But, it really was about the wine…
DAY TRIP #3 – The Eiffel Tower – Paris, Texas
You don’t have to travel to France to see the Eiffel Tower. You do, however, have to go to Paris. In our case, Paris, Texas. This was another cool Atlas Obscura find.
Right next to the tower is the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial…
The memorial is only partially completed, but it is really well done.
So, what are we gong to do with all the money we saved by finding free day trips? Well, you’ll find out next week!
The Wandering RVer 