This year, we went to the Washington State Fair and after we got back into the car, I cried. It was the most chaotic morning of my life. See, we made the trip as if I was a neurotypical person with a neurotypical child, and that’s simply just not the case. I am autistic and my child is neurodivergent as well. It felt like I was lost in so many things pushing and pulling my attention. But after a little bit of retrospect, I realized it was a missed opportunity and we could have prepared a little better. Here’s how we did our trip and here’s what I’d do differently.
Wear comfy clothes you can move in all day to the Washington State Fair
Instead of remembering to put comfort first, I wore shorts that chaffed and irritated my skin (because they were cute and had cherries on them.) While I looked very cute, I was physically miserable and walking became painful by the end of the day. I should have worn some comfortable leggings and a breathable top.
Come in with a plan for the Washington State Fair
I should have looked at the map and marked which entrance we came in. Since we arrived early in the morning on a Saturday, we had no problem finding convenient parking nearby one of the entrances. Check out the hours here:
Post-Labor Day Hours (Sept. 2 – Sept. 21)
- Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (closed Wed., Sept. 3)
- Tuesdays: CLOSED
- Fridays: 10:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
- Saturdays: 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
- Sundays: 9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.
My son LOVED seeing all the animals, next year I want to make sure to consult the 4H calendar to decide which day we go. We love piggies the most and it would have been fun to make a point of seeing the pig 4H presentations.
We were also pretty tired so we didn’t get to go see all the exhibits for giant pumpkins, floral displays or any art displays. I personally really love getting to see the beautiful results of our communities labors of love. We did get to see the “farmer for a day” display, which my son wasn’t very interested in (given that the rides were nearby and much more exciting.)
Plus, I know I wanted to try a fair delicacy or two but when presented with the choices I was completely overwhelmed and we got food elsewhere after the fair. Turns out, there’s a list of vendors that I could select from and budgeted in.
Planning which rides we’d like to try
I had no idea there was a list of rides for the Washington State Fair and how many tickets they cost! This absolutely would have helped us budget and plan accordingly – we got to try a few things on the day but not everything I’d have liked to explore.
We did get to ride a pony at the Washington State Fair which was lovely. He loved riding the train that circles the section of the fair dedicated to rides, plus a wonderful Ferris wheel. As a mom, I spent our time on the Ferris wheel white knuckled, clenched in my seat (that featured no belts or securing methods.) Personally, I would never get on that ride again.
Throughout my visit I meant to get more photos, but I was so overstimulated I couldn’t take a moment to calm down and create really creative shots.
