Americans on Vacation: County Fairs

County fairs are a favorite vacation destination for Americans and visitors from abroad.

Summer is the prime vacation time in the United States. The myriad ways Americans spend their vacations reflects the diversity of American culture, and many vacation activities provide a link to America’s history.

One such link to history is the county fair or state fair, both rooted in America’s agrarian past, with some state fairs dating back to the mid-1800s. All 50 states host county or state fairs. The original intent of these fairs was to expand on the goal of promoting agriculture and provide a place for farmers to share ideas and techniques by featuring competitions in such things as fine arts and handicrafts, food preparation and science.

County and state fairs attract large crowds of local residents and tourists ready to taste local delicacies and learn local history. They also attract politicians ready to take their message to the large crowds the events attract.

Above, a fairgoer eats a candy apple at the Yolo County Fair in California. First held in 1893, attendance at the fair was roughly 120 percent of the county population, according to a 2003 independent study by KPMG LLP. That same study also found “numerous groups engage in socially beneficial fundraising activities at the fair and interim events,” with more than $330,000 raised in 2002, the latest year for which such data were available.

A November 2010 report from the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Division of Fairs and Expositions found that the Yolo County Fair generated approximately $6,874,000 in spending activity alone in 2009.

For more information on vacation destinations in the United States, see 50 States in 50 Days.