State Fair?

I did a quick search to find several threads on the State Fair. My husband and I are form Corpus but we%26#39;ll coming from the West. We%26#39;ve never been to Dallas.

So I guess my question(s) are more of...

How many days do we need to see the Fair? Is one enough?

I%26#39;m reading about your DART system...but I%26#39;m not familar with mass transit. So is there a hotel we can stay at that%26#39;s near a DART station that would get us to the Fair? Or should we just suck it up and drive there and deal with the parking?

Thanks in advance if you can help.

State Fair?

One day is generally enough to see the highlights of the fair. However, if you have a particular interest, a second day won%26#39;t hurt! Keep in mind that weekends can be very busy, especially on Texas OU weekend (Ocotber 17 this year). Best to go on a weekday if you can swing it.

If at all possible, I would avoid driving/parking to the fair- it%26#39;s a zoo. The Green Line for the DART light rail is on schedule to open in September- this will be the line that goes to Fair Park.

You can stay anywhere downtown and have fairly easy access to the DART light rail lines that will interconnect and make tranfer to the Green Line easy. Some of the downtown hotels include the Adolphus, Fairmont, Sheraton, Hyatt Regency, Springhill Suites, Magnolia, Lawrence, Indigo, Joule.

However, since you have a car, you can stay in other areas that might better suit your trip plans, such as the Market center area, or the Best Western or La Quinta off of Central that are often mentioned when the Fair is discussed in this forum. You could park at a DART station such as Mockingbird Station, Union Station or Cityplace and connect to the Green Line for your ride to the Fair.

In years past there was a bus shuttle system to the fair but that has been retired in favor of the light rail.

State Fair?

We always drive ourselves and park in the lots off Fitzhugh. But...during TX-OU, you need a special pass to park there. I would avoid that particular weekend if you can.

On weekdays, there are entrance specials. Usually Tues is $3 w/ a Dr Pepper can. Wed is $1 or 2 with 3 cans of food. And Thurs is $4 with a certain Coke product.

Also, be aware that certain days are for students and High School day is pretty much to be avoided.

As far as I know DISD is the only school district in the country that gives students a day off to go to the fair. The fair gives all the students and teachers a pass, not just DISD, but apparently other surrounding school districts, too.

DISD used to get both the HS day and the elementary days so kids could go with their siblings on whatever day they wanted, but I think they quit that a few years ago.

I%26#39;ve never had trouble parking at the fair, but if I were a visitor I%26#39;d probably go the light rail option as suggested. We live down the street from the fair and this year I%26#39;m not sure if I%26#39;ll park as usual or try the rail option.

One day is normally good, but keep in mind it can be an extremely busy day and to see everything/do everything you need to get there when it opens and plan the day out so you get to see all the shows you want. When I do it in one day it%26#39;s a 12 hour day from 10AM to 10PM. The State Fair website has some neat tools for planning your visit. Or you can just show up at 1000, grab a program, and plan it out then and there.

You can also check the band schedule on the website as there might be someone you%26#39;d really like to see that you should plan your trip around being there on that day. The current year%26#39;s list isn%26#39;t up yet, but here%26#39;s some of who%26#39;s been here in the past. ';Headliners run the gamut of genres and have included the Jonas Brothers, Christina Aguilera, the Dixie Chicks, Jars of Clay, Destiny’s Child, Lucinda Williams, Los Lobos, Boyz II Men, Garth Brooks, Selena, the Mavericks, the Beach Boys, Lou Rawls, Willie Nelson and Jay Perez.'; http://www.bigtex.com/

Also, all the museums that are in Fair Park are included with your Fair entrance fee. If you%26#39;re interested in any of them, you might want to take two days, because the fair itself will definitely take up all of one day.

If you%26#39;re here on opening day weekend, the State Fair parade downtown is always fun to attend.

I love the State Fair! I hope you have a great time!

Dallas ISD high school day is also best avoided in the evening. I thought it wasn%26#39;t going to be a big deal...I don%26#39;t usually belive most of the stuff I hear, but this legendary day turned out to be true after witnessing a gang fight in the food court.