Looking for fun activities at the 2022 State Fair of Texas that don't involve eating or drinking? We've got you covered for your next visit, whether you've already sampled all the famous Fair food, or you're trying to avoid fried food. The fair grounds are full of fun stuff to do!
1. go see the butter sculpture
Each year, local sculptors use butter as their medium to create a refrigerated display depicting the Fair’s current theme. This thousand pound-plus work of art is a quintessential part of your trip to the Creative Arts building, just north of the Cotton Bowl on Nimitz Circle.
2. watch the pig races
And they're off! The Fair Park Coliseum is home to the most-talked-about track in town; the pig races. Dressed in fetching racing silks, the wiggly piglets run the course four times a day. Don’t miss this fan favorite! Who will win? Chris P. Bacon? John Ham? The racing pig pictured above is a retired old-timer who now weighs in at around 950 pounds and makes special appearances between races.
3. ride the log flume ride
Got kids with you? Down to get a little wet? Then you cant go wrong at the Log Flume ride, a classic fair ride that is as as thrilling as it is soggy.
4. catch the best views from the top-o-texas tower
Some may say the views from the Texas Star ferris wheel are the best a the State Fair of Texas, but allow us to let you in on the views from the Top-o-Texas Tower ride, located in the Funway on the east end of Fair Park just north of the Midway. It's a concrete jungle down there, but the views are still pretty dang sweet.
5. go for a paddle on the swans
At just 7 tickets per rider, taking a leisurely paddle on Leonhardt Lagoon just south of the Cotton Bowl is one of the best kept State Fair secrets. It's the perfect activity if you bring a date to the State Fair, and it's especially pretty at dusk.
6. see the fattest pig at the fair
At close to 1,350 pounds, she's certainly a big girl. The biggest pig is a staple walk-by moment at the State Fair animal barns for us every year, and especially if the pig is up and about when you stroll by for a visit, consider your Fair day #blessed.
7. ride the texas star
At 212 and a half feet tall, the Texas Star is the biggest ferris wheel in Texas. Even when the line snakes down MLK Boulevard, it moves surprisingly fast to get in. It's an absolutely quintessential State Fair of Texas attraction — don't miss it.
8. take a selfie with big tex
Everyone's favorite 50-foot Texan has a new outfit for 2022, the 70th anniversary of the State Fair of Texas! It's one of the most popular stops at Fair Park, so watch out for groups taking photos and other selfie- and ussie-takers piled up around the centrally located State Fair icon.
9. ride the texas skyway cable cars
The starting point for this ride that spans the Midway at the State Fair is just east of Big Tex, and the cable cars take you all the way to Gate 9 on the far east end of Fair Park. It's another ride for SUPER views of all the activity going on below you.
10. take a stroll through discovery gardens
This is one of those great Fair Park attractions that is actually open for most of the year, not just when the State Fair is in town! It's on the southeast end of the park, in between gates 6 and 7. Beautiful scenery for the gram and a relaxing stroll to burn off a few of those State Fair calories — yes please!
11. meet a new friend in the animal barns
Cows, sheep, horses, pigs! The State Fair has ALL the livestock. Whether you're looking on the north end of Fair Park in the indoor barns or on the south side of the park at Big Tex's Farm Yard by Leonhard's Lagoon, there are plenty of barn yard critters to make friends with.
