Des Moines: Iowa State Fair

 


We attended the Iowa State Fair for the first time today.  My kids had a blast.  They enjoyed the $1.00 Fun Forest Carnival activities just as much as the crazy expensive rides.

I really like the four new murals painted by artist Jimmy Navarro who transformed a cinderblock building into a work of art.  The building is on the southwest side, near the little kids rides in Thrill Town.


We arrived at 8:45 am and I was surprised to see how full the parking area was on a Tuesday morning.  However, it didn't start getting crowded until closer to noon, which is when we left.


A photo of the little kid rides that I took from the ferris wheel, which is one of two rides in the Thrill Town area that my boys weren't tall enough to ride alone.  They loved the rides, but they were so expensive.  In Florida, we would get a ride wristband for $20 and they could ride as much as they wanted.






Tickets for the Fun Forest Carnival activities were $1 and each activity was 1 ticket, except spin art and face painting, which are 2 tickets.





They also enjoyed the playground area, especially the wooden train.  I was shocked at how long they spent climbing through, around and on top of the train.