The Villages to Fairgrounds 
    81-mi, 1-hr 18-min
Ocala to Fairgrounds
    96-mi, 1-hr 25-min
Gainesville to Fairgrounds
    128-mi, 1-hr 55-min

floridastatefair.com

Who doesn't like a state fair, with big crowds, music, the scent of midway food in the air, and just about something for everyone? Florida’s annual State Fair began in 1904 and today sprawls over over 355 acres of screaming gravity-defying rides, exhibit halls, a Cracker Village, and a lakeside midway.
     Along with face painting, guess-your-weight barkers, and kids toting their stuffed animal prizes, exhibit halls hold arts and crafts competitions and science displays. Everything under the Florida sun is for sale in the marketplace halls and, like any State Fair, there are competitions and Blue Ribbon winners for pigs, chickens, ducks and cattle.
    Step back in Florida’s past at Cracker Country, a cluster of real historic buildings moved there from around the state and outfitted with exhibits in a park-like setting. Storytellers in authentic outfits perform the daily rituals of cracker life from working in the large scale garden to campfire sing-alongs for the kids. 

Watch the video below for scenes at The Florida State Fair, a great place to go with the kids or grandchildren.  

 
    Concerts and other scheduled events such as gun shows, tiny house expos, boat shows and a wedding and bridal fair occur on the fairgrounds throughout the year, but the annual fair is only in early February. For more info, go to www.floridastatefair.com