Summertime equals Fair Season! Growing up in New England, one of the best parts of summer was going to all of the local fairs. While Middle Tennessee is a little more spread out than my small area of Connecticut, there are still multiple fairs happening over the next few months within a reasonable driving range. Middle Tennessee Fairs are a great opportunity for families to connect in different and meaningful ways.
Why families benefit from going to the fair
Fun for all ages! Whether you are a young child exploring the kid areas and animals, a teen hitting the Midway with your friends, or a senior enjoying the local craftsmanship, there is something fun for everyone at the fair! With tasty fair foods, fun vendors, exciting entertainment, and agricultural events like animal shows, tractor pulls, and other competitions, every member of the family can find something to get excited about at the fair!
Time together as a family away from electronics: Going to the fair provides families with an excellent opportunity to spend time together doing something different than the everyday activities typically on your schedule. Going to the fair is an interactive experience and is a great reason to put away the electronics and spend some time connecting with one another. Not only does the fair provide a chance to get out together, but it also includes exposure to activities that you would not typically experience. Whether that is seeing the animals, watching entertainment, checking out the competitions, or learning from local community organizations, the fair is full of new engaging activities!
Support agriculture: Attending a local fair is a wonderful opportunity for families to support their local agricultural community. Whether you are purchasing local honey, enjoying some roasted corn, checking out the animal barns, or walking through the award-winning produce, going to the fair demonstrates your support of agriculture. This provides a great opportunity for kids to learn about where their food comes from and the efforts that go into growing crops or raising animals.
Support 4H: Fairs are an excellent opportunity for 4H youth to exhibit their projects. Whether that be produce, animals, public speaking, or arts and crafts, fairs provide a space for 4H youth to show off their hard work and demonstrate the versatile skills they have learned. When you attend a fair with your family it is a chance to support those 4H kids and maybe even spark an interest in your own child!
Exposure to cultural arts: The fair is a great place for kids to be exposed to a wide variety of cultural arts. From quilts and knitting to fine art and photography, baking and canning to arts and crafts, there are so many homemade goods to see at the fair! Families can talk about which pieces are their favorites. Do they agree with the judges’ placings? How do they think something was made? What would they have done differently? Exposure to all the different cultural arts can inspire children, and maybe even yourself, to be creative and try something new!
Learn: 
One of the great things about the fair is there are always amazing learning opportunities. Families will find demonstrations being held, booths where you can talk to people about their goods and services, hands-on activities for kids, and posters or brochures that provide valuable knowledge about a variety of topics. Children can ask questions, and you can discover the answers together!
Participate: Expand your fun at the fair by participating in some of the competitions! While some are only open to residents of that county, you may find that plenty of competitions are open to anyone. Often children can participate for free, or at a low-cost entry fee. This not only sparks their creativity, but it is also fun to see their work displayed at the fairgrounds!
Participating in fair competitions also teach children a variety of important skills. Choosing what they want to do, participating, having their work judged by others, having their hard work be on display (either live through animal shows or kids baking, or set out for everyone to see), and learning how to be graceful about being disappointed or winning. Life skills that will serve them in many ways can be learned through various competitions at the fair.
As children age, they may choose to participate in other ways like volunteering to help at the fair. Many of these fairs rely on local participation to be successful and helping at the fair can be a great way to teach your children about giving back to the community!
Check out these local Middle Tennessee fairs!
All of the fairs listed below are within an hour and half drive from Nashville and are listed in order of when they occur.
Bedford County Fair in Shelbyville: July 14 – 19, 2025
Ticket Prices:
6 and Under: FREE
$5 per person July 14, 15, 18, and 19
$1 per person July 16
$10 per person July 17
*** $50 family pass for 4 people will get you into all of the fair dates!
Ride Bands:
$20 July 14th & 15th
$25 July 16th – 19th
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Husband/Wife Calling Contest – Tuesday
- Turkey Calling Contest – Thursday
- Backseat Driver Competition – Saturday
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Farmer Olympics – Tuesday 6pm
- Fun Dog Show (silly classes like “I look like my master”, “children costume”, etc) – Wednesday 7:30pm
- Horse, Draft and Mule Show – Friday 6pm
- Cruise-In – Saturday 9am -2pm
Special Days:
- Senior Day – Wednesday (includes Bingo, a provided lunch, and other ceremonies and awards)
- Special Needs Day – Thursday (includes a tour of the fairgrounds, carnival rides, and a provided lunch)
More Info at: www.bedfordcountytnfair.org
Putnam County A&I Fair in Cookeville: July 31 – August 9, 2025
Ticket Prices:
$5 per person daily
Ride Bands:
$15 July 31st
$20 Monday -Thursday
$25 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Retro Hair Contest – Mullet for men and 20’s style hair for women – Saturday August 2nd
- Scarecrow Contest
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Living History Demonstrations – Thursday July 31st and Friday August 1st
- Monster Trucks – Saturday August 2nd 7:30pm (meet the drivers 6-7pm)
- Demolition Derby – Sunday August 3rd 6pm and Saturday August 9th 7pm
- Putnam County Horse Show: Thursday August 7th 6:30pm
- Pet Show – Saturday August 9th 10am
- Grandma’s Barnyard – open daily and features antique tractors, petting zoo, knitting and weaving demonstrations, and more
More Info at: www.putnamcountyfair.org
Williamson County Fair in Franklin: August 1 – August 9, 2025
Ticket Prices:
5 and Under: FREE
$14 per Adult
$7 per Child 6-12 years
***Purchase tickets online in advance for a slight discount
Ride Bands:
Tickets can be purchased individually or in bundles to save.
Unlimited ride bands are available Monday – Friday for $25, Saturdays for $35 and Sundays for $30
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Sing Your Heart Out Contest – Thursday July 31st preliminaries, Tuesday August 5th competition
- Loveless Café Biscuit Contest – Sunday August 3rd
- GooGoo Cluster Contest – Sunday August 3rd
- Puckett’s Cobbler Contest – Tuesday August 5th
- Quilt Block Contest
- Hay Bale Decorating Contest
- Fair Themed Gingerbread House Contest
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Butterfly Garden
- The Chick Hatchery
- Little Ones Farming Experience (hands on experience of life as a farmer)
- Birthing Pig Exhibit
- Cornbread Sue’s Southern Frontier Chuckwagon
- Blacksmith Demonstrations
- AgriGolf
- “Doc” Johnson Traveling Medicine Show (magic, jokes and wild west fun) – Saturday and Sunday August 2nd and 3rd
- Sorghum Mill – watch step-by-step how sorghum syrup is made
- Fridays and Saturdays – Fireworks
- And more!
Special Days:
- Government Employee Day – Saturday August 2nd, Government Employees get in free with special ticket
- Senior Day – Sunday August 3rd, Seniors 55+ free admission
- Pay It Forward Day – Monday August 4th, free admission if you bring in 4 canned goods per person aged 6+
- School Spirit Night – Tuesday August 5th, wear a school shirt or hat and receive discounted admission
- #WilcoFair Bite Nite – Wednesday August 6th, receive $3 off at participating food vendors
- Pick TN Thursday – Thursday August 7th, $10 admission for adults and 2 children for $10
- Patriot Day – Saturday August 9th, free entry for all active and retired military with Military ID
More Info at: www.williamsoncountyfair.org
Tennessee State Fair in Lebanon: August 14 – 23, 2025
Ticket Prices:
5 and Under: FREE
$15 per adult
$6 per child
$45 Season Ticket (per person, for all 10 days of the fair)
***Discounted admission prices with online prepurchase before August 13th
Note: Clear plastic/vinyl bags only. See website for specifications.
Ride Bands:
$25 Monday – Thursday
$30 Fridays and Sunday
Saturdays: Individual tickets only, $1 per ticket
***Important note: No ride bands will be sold on Saturdays, must purchase these online via Mega Ticket in advance!
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Harmonica Competition- Saturday August 16th noon
- Pig Calling Contest – Saturday August 16th 1pm
- Pig Tail Hair Contest – Saturday August 16th 6pm
- Blacksmith Competition (Live) -Saturday August 16th noon – 6pm
- Husband Callin’ and Mom Callin’ Competition – Saturday August 16th
- The Great Bacon Toss – Sunday August 17th 6pm
- Rooster Crowing Competition – Sunday August 17th 3pm
- Fun on the Farm Competition – Children ages 4- 12, Tuesday August 19th
- Hare v Hair – Seniors compete to see who’s gray hair matches the rabbit’s best – Tuesday August 19th
- Horseshoe Pitchin’ Competition – Saturday August 23rd 1pm
- And More!
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Fiddler’s Grove – historic village featuring over 60 attractions!
- Bump and Run Derby – Monday and Tuesday August 18th and 19th
- Antique Car Show – Sunday August 17th 1pm
- Monster Truck Show – Saturday and Sunday August 22nd and 23rd
- Daily animal and livestock shows
- And more!
Special Days:
- Special Needs Day – Saturday August 16th, pre-registration required, free admission and rides
- Senior Day – Tuesday August 19th, $2 discount, music, fellowship, and fair fun
More Info at: www.wilsoncountytnstatefair.com
Maury County Fair in Columbia: August 28 – September 1, 2025
Ticket Prices:
12 and Under: FREE
$12 per adult
Note: Clear plastic/vinyl bags only. See website for specifications.
Ride Bands:
$30 Thursday August 28th (BOGO Free)
$35 Friday and Saturday
$30 Sunday
$25 Monday
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Hot Pepper Eating Contest – Sunday
- FFA/Youth Shop Work (featuring farm equipment that they make themselves)
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Kids Zone – live exotic animals and science shows
- Rodeo – Thursday
- Junk car jump and run – Saturday – Monday, Pit passes available for additional cost (6 & under free)
- Motocross Races – Saturday
Special Days:
- Special Needs “My Day” at the fair (for kids, adults and students with special needs.) – Friday August 29th 9:30am-noon. Free admission, rides, lunch, and t-shirt. Advanced registration by August 8th is required.
- Senior Day – Friday August 29th, Free admission for seniors aged 55+
More Info at: www.maurycountyfair.com
Nashville Fair in Nashville: September 5 – 14, 2025
Ticket Prices:
5 and Under: FREE
$10 per adult
$8 per child and Seniors 55+
*** Metro public schools students should receive a free admission ticket for Monday-Thursday
Note: Parking fee of $10
Note: Clear plastic/vinyl bags only. See website for specifications.
Ride Bands:
$35 per band or $1.50 per individual ticket (rides take more than one ticket)
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Cosplay Contest (categories for kids, teens, adults, and groups) – Sunday September 7th
- Giant Pumpkin and Watermelon Weigh-Offs – September 8th 6pm
- Hot Chicken Eating Contests – Saturdays 5:30pm
- Ice cream Eating Contests – Sundays 5:30pm
Noteworthy Attractions:
- BuckShee BrewFest – Wednesday night
- Celebrity Cow Milking Competition – Thursday night
- The Marketplace – a STEAM stage featuring science shows, aerial entertainment, ventriloquism, lego tables and more
- Skyliner Lounge and Bar
- The Festival of the Nations – both weekends of the fair
- El Jefe Day – early celebration of Mexican Independence Day, featuring games, snacks, exhibitions, Aztec dance, animals, folklore and more, on Sunday September 8th
- Live Butterflies Exhibit
- Selfie Scavenger Hunt
- Mr. Bond Science Guys
- Milk Bar and Milking Demonstrations
- And more!
Special Days:
- Sensory Day – Saturday September 6th, 11am -2pm. The lights and noises will be turned down or off to create a more sensory friendly environment. Expo building 3 will also have two soothing sensory spaces in corner booths 8 and 9.
- Senior Day – Wednesday (includes Bingo, a provided lunch, and other ceremonies and awards)
Special Needs Day – Thursday (includes a tour of the fairgrounds, carnival rides, and a provided lunch)
More Info at: www.nashfair.fun
