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 typically occur. Check websites for ticket pricing and dates.
Bedford County Fair in Shelbyville
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Husband/Wife Calling Contest
- Turkey Calling Contest
- Backseat Driver Competition
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Farmer Olympics
- Fun Dog Show (silly classes like “I look like my master”, “children costume”, etc)
- Horse, Draft and Mule Show
- Cruise-In
Special Days:
- Senior Day – includes Bingo, a provided lunch, and other ceremonies and awards
- Special Needs Day – 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
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Retro Hair Contest – Mullet for men and 20’s style hair for women
- Scarecrow Contest
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Living History Demonstrations
- Monster Trucks
- Demolition Derby
- Putnam County Horse Show
- Pet Show
- 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
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Sing Your Heart Out Contest
- Loveless Café Biscuit Contest
- GooGoo Cluster Contest
- Puckett’s Cobbler Contest
- 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)
- Sorghum Mill – watch step-by-step how sorghum syrup is made
- Fridays and Saturdays – Fireworks
- And more!
Special Days:
- Government Employee Day – Government Employees get in free with special ticket
- Senior Day – Seniors 55+ free admission
- Pay It Forward Day – free admission if you bring in 4 canned goods per person aged 6+
- School Spirit Night – wear a school shirt or hat and receive discounted admission
- #WilcoFair Bite Nite – receive $3 off at participating food vendors
- Pick TN Thursday – $10 admission for adults and 2 children for $10
- Patriot Day – free entry for all active and retired military with Military ID
More Info at: www.williamsoncountyfair.org
Tennessee State Fair in Lebanon
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Harmonica Competition
- Pig Calling Contest
- Pig Tail Hair Contest
- Blacksmith Competition (Live)
- Husband Callin’ and Mom Callin’ Competition
- The Great Bacon Toss
- Rooster Crowing Competition
- Fun on the Farm Competition
- Hare v Hair – Seniors compete to see who’s gray hair matches the rabbit’s best
- Horseshoe Pitchin’ Competition
- And More!
Noteworthy Attractions:
- Fiddler’s Grove – historic village featuring over 60 attractions!
- Bump and Run Derby
- Antique Car Show
- Monster Truck Show
- Daily animal and livestock shows
- And more!
Special Days:
- Special Needs Day – pre-registration required, free admission and rides
- Senior Day – $2 discount, music, fellowship, and fair fun
More Info at: www.wilsoncountytnstatefair.com
Maury County Fair in Columbia
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
- Junk car jump and run
- Motocross Races
Special Days:
- Special Needs “My Day” at the fair (for kids, adults and students with special needs.) – Free admission, rides, lunch, and t-shirt. Advanced registration is required.
- Senior Day – Free admission for seniors aged 55+
More Info at: www.maurycountyfair.com
Nashville Fair in Nashville
Fun & Unique Competitions:
- Cosplay Contest (categories for kids, teens, adults, and groups)
- Giant Pumpkin and Watermelon Weigh-Offs
- Hot Chicken Eating Contests
- Ice cream Eating Contests
Noteworthy Attractions:
- BuckShee BrewFest
- Celebrity Cow Milking Competition
- The Marketplace – a STEAM stage featuring science shows, aerial entertainment, ventriloquism, lego tables and more
- Skyliner Lounge and Bar
- The Festival of the Nations
- El Jefe Day – early celebration of Mexican Independence Day, featuring games, snacks, exhibitions, Aztec dance, animals, folklore and more
- Butterflies Exhibit
- Selfie Scavenger Hunt
- Mr. Bond Science Guys
- Milk Bar and Milking Demonstrations
- And more!
Special Days:
- Sensory Day – 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 – includes Bingo, a provided lunch, and other ceremonies and awards
Special Needs Day – includes a tour of the fairgrounds, carnival rides, and a provided lunch
More Info at: www.nashfair.fun
