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As part of last summer’s midwest USA road trip, I’ve already covered the livestock at the Iowa State Fair and the food at the fair as well.
Today, I’ll cover all the other miscellaneous things we saw at the Iowa State Fair.
Rides and Games at the Iowa State Fair
Ken and I walked around the rides area for quite a bit, but we didn’t actually ride anything. I used to be quite the roller coaster enthusiast in my younger days. But these days, I prefer tame rides.
Agriculture Building and the Iowa State Fair Butter Cow
The “Agriculture Building” at the fair was home to many fun displays, including the famous “butter cow.”
There was a line to see the butter cow, but it was pretty short. For reference, this was a weekday in the early afternoon.
There were fun little displays and infographics about butter while standing in line. And, there were other butter sculptures and ice sculptures on display before getting to the cow! (Forgive the glare in the photos, I didn’t pack a polarizing lens!)
I don’t know much about golf, but apparently the Solheim Cup was taking place in Des Moines the same time we were there. So, there was also a butter version of the Solheim Cup!
The Agriculture Building was also home to an orchid competition. I don’t know much about orchids either, but damn these are all so gorgeous!
And then there was a produce display area (not sure what specifically it was called). I loved these shots from above I managed to capture!
The Agriculture Building also had a few food stands and lots of vendor booths (like this Iowa Ostrich Association booth!) The things I never knew that existed!
Discovery Garden at Iowa State Fair
Another gorgeous spot at the Iowa State Fair was the Discovery Garden, which was like its own little botanical garden.
Tractor Displays
There were lots of tractor and agriculture-related displays throughout the fairgrounds too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen farm equipment up close like this!
I think that about covers it for our time at the Iowa State Fair. We went there three times over the course of two days, and I’d say that we managed to explore pretty much every part of it. However, there were still tons of yummy food options that went uneaten, mostly because I was always getting so full from what I was eating. Plus, there were big concerts going on while we were there, but we decided to skip seeing any of the events.
Have you ever been to the Iowa State Fair? What were your favorite parts?