It’s your last weekend to go to the State Fair of Texas! The fair has over 100 daily shows, live music, a Midway, an auto show, livestock, family-friendly activities, more fried food than you could ever pack into a day, and the largest ferris wheel in Texas. (It’s 212 feet, to be exact!) Want to spend an evening at the Fair? There’s even a wine garden, beer garden, and fireworks!

Since 1886 Dallas has been the home of the State Fair of Texas but it’s only recently that the ambition to fry anything and everything drives the fair food scene. For instance, I sampled fried spaghetti and meatballs, fried cookie dough, and chicken and waffles on a stick on my recent fair day!

You may have noticed that I’m not big into fried food but the fried spaghetti and meatballs was pretty fun. Served in a marinara sauce with herbs and parmesan, this was one heavy basket that can easily be shared.

Chicken and waffles on a stick is basically fried chicken covered with powdered sugar and maple syrup. It’s very sweet and a little messy, so be careful!

Call me old fashioned but you can never go wrong with a sausage on a stick. It’s not the most Instagram-worthy snack but is still one of my favorite go-to food items at the fair.

One photo just wouldn’t have cut it. If you’re a cookie dough lover, you’ll be in heaven with this ooey, gooey, chocolate-y treat. My only qualm with this is that it’s hard to cut with a plastic fork. You may be tempted to pop the enormous fried ball in your mouth and I wouldn’t judge you one bit. This was my favorite thing I ate at the fair!

Fernie’s Fried Texas Sheet Cake is a new addition this year. Texas-sized slices of chocolate brownie cake are coated in ground cocoa puffs, panko, and cinnamon sugar and deep fried. The cake is then glazed with a chocolate Dr. Pepper icing and served with local pecans, whipped cream, and a fresh strawberry. You can find it across from the Old Mill restaurant near Big Tex. It actually travels pretty well if you want to take it home!

Close to the horse barn you’ll find the Texas Wine Garden, which I highly recommend visiting! It’s nice and shady thanks to the whimsical umbrellas. You can taste all sorts of Texas wines, including Lost Oak Winery, which I was member of when I lived in Fort Worth!  There are also wine popsicles if you’re into that sort of thing.

I’m going to level with you. I don’t like beer. I’ve never met a beer I would voluntarily drink but I might just choke one down to hang out in the State Fair’s charming beer garden. I mean, could this be any more festive? Adorned with twinkling lights and friendly pumpkins, this is the place to be before the fireworks!

Between sampling goodies, we toured the auto show and the horse barn. I was delighted to see that my own mount of choice, the Friesian, was one of the featured breeds! The horse barn has daily shows and events. Be sure to check the schedule of events before you go and don’t forget to ride the ferris wheel for me!

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Happy frying,

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