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By Elizabeth Speer

The S.C. Upper State Fair is in town this week (officially the 24th - Labor Day), and Monday evening my husband and I took our four children and drove over to the Greenville-Pickens Speedway to get our fair on.

It happened to be Carload Day, which essentially meant all six of us got entrance into the fair itself, as well as unlimited rides wristbands, for $50. Given that the regular rate for fairgoers is an $8 per person entrance fee and $15-$20 for wristbands, this was a fantastic deal!

Fair gates open at 4:00pm on weekdays, and we drove into the parking area just after 5:30. We were handed a yellow voucher for the ticket gate and directed to a nearby grass parking spot. Surprisingly, even though this is a relatively inexpensive family evening out, there were very few people attending the fair, and it was nowhere near crowded. We traded in our voucher for six red wristbands and passed through the gate into the fair itself.

After a mandatory trip to the restrooms (very clean!) we spent the next five hours roaming the fairgrounds and enjoying everything. Now, if you are planning on going to the SCUSF, and you're thinking that it’s going to be directly out of a scene from “Charlotte’s Web”, you may need to lower your expectations. This is a small basic fair, and there are no pie making contests, no 4H competitions, and no examples of the local craftsperson’s latest handiwork. You aren't going to see any death defying motorcycle acts, and there aren't any baby tigers or troops of acrobats performing every 45 minutes. But don't let that get you down because what you do get is FUN.

First, of course, the things to ride. There are pretty much all the fair rides you'd have on your checklist; the swings, the bobsled, the bumper cars, the scrambler, a carousel, and of course a Ferris wheel, as well as several other spinning, stomach-turning choices. If you have little ones, they too have a variety of ride options, including a giant slide and a mini-bobsled ride.

Heads up readers: if you go to the fair and it’s not busy, the ladies and gentlemen who control the rides just might let them run about three times longer than they normally do, so keep that in mind before you get on the tiny roller coaster with your child, unless you want to go around in a seemingly endless loop of track. Your kids will love it. I know mine did. I also feel the need to mention that I’m pretty sure all the adult rides at the fair are set on “extra fast”, but if you don't feel at least a little terrified, what’s the point anyway, right? Half the thrill of fair rides is not knowing if you’ll survive, and I felt that way at least three times! There were no wait lines at all, and so with our unlimited wristbands in full view on our arms, we rode till we could ride no more. Literally. We were there until they started shutting things down, and it was awesome.

Now, there are other things to do if rides are not your cup of tea. There are several shows throughout the day. A magic show, dog show, and horse show are fun for all ages. We especially enjoyed the pig races, and not only are they super cute, but those pigs can run! There’s also a very well kept petting zoo, where you can purchase cups of animal food, and try your hand at feeding goats, cows, llamas, and even a baby camel. They have plenty of hand sanitizer for getting the goat spit cleaned off when you're done, and they do an excellent job of caring for their animals and keeping the petting zoo area clean. There’s also a little dinosaur exhibit, several classic midway games (win a goldfish, anyone?), and a dunking booth with a very annoying clown. A local church offers free face painting and balloon creations in the exhibition hall, which was a highlight for our four little ones. Spider-man, Superman, and a clown were still making an appearance on several faces the next morning, although the bunny did seem to have rubbed off during the night.

Of course, you can't have a fair without fair food. They have funnel cakes, corn dogs, fresh cut fries, nachos, fried Oreos, fried alligator, fried pickles, anything you look forward to tasting at a fair, it was there (including a donut burger, which I strongly considered, but since we had dinner before we left home, I went with a funnel cake). We also enjoyed some fresh squeezed lemonade, and the smell of popcorn, fried turkey legs, and giant pretzels followed us throughout the night. Right before we left, we even snagged a giant bag of cotton candy and four candy apples to enjoy at home.

All in all, we had a really fun evening at the fair. We are even considering making this a family tradition, and we definitely will be back for Carload Day next year! I’ve had my quota of spinning rides for a while, and I now have four children who, according to them, “love the fair”.

If you're looking for something fun to do with your family this week, head on over to the Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and give the SC Upper State Fair a try!

There isn't another Carload Day this year, but they always have the unlimited ride wristbands available for purchase, and you can find all the info you need about tickets and everything else on their website. Go check it out, and have fun!