I’m a sucker for a fair. The farm animals remind me of my days growing up in rural southern Illinois, where I literally rode pigs with my friends and jumped off hay bales for fun. The people watching alone is worth the $7 admission price.

But this week, I’ve heard quite a few people say the N.C. State Fair isn’t worth the trip. I COMPLETLY diagree. It’s an incredible value (as long as you don’t ride the rides). Once you’re inside the gates, you can roam among hundreds of exhibits.

In one evening I saw: How a horseshoe is made, fun student art, a several-hundred pound pumpkin, chicks (baby chickens, not my girlfriends) under a heat lamp, a robot, tons of McCain/Palin stickers (I knew they had to be somewhere), a man cluck at a turkey to make it gobble back at him, composting worms, mock dream gardens and oh so much more.

Here are five reasons why you should go to the N.C State Fair:

1. Farm Animals

How often do you get to see goats play King of the Mountain or watch piglets suckle on their mom’s teat? Head over to the Jim Graham and Kelly Building to see this and more (for free).

2. The Food

OK, it’s not super cheap to eat at the fair, but it’s worth it for the novelty. I tried a deep-fried Twinkie, chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick, a bucket o’ cheese fries and some pizza. So tasty. There’s also deep fried pecan pie and deep fried mac and cheese. Check out my review of both here.

3. Games

Be careful which games you pick, because some are just aren’t winnable unless you have crazy-weird skills. But there are games that allow everyone to be a winner. I won a glass pane with a white horse in a field of yellow flowers etched on it by throwing a few darts at some balloons.

4. The Rides

OK, I didn’t actually ride any rides. And I know that some people worry that they’re not safe because they’re assembled so quickly. But life is about taking risks. And if the Zipper is a little too risky for you, then you can always stick with the classics like the super slide. If there’s a child in your life, it’s imperative for their development that you expose them to carnival rides.

5. People watching

This is by far the best reason to go to the fair. Just buy some cotton candy, plop yourself down on a bench and watch the passers by. You’ll see children beaming with pride as their parents tote around the biggest stuffed animal they’ll ever own. And there’s nothing like watching a city kid see farm animals for the first time. Even the travelling fair workers are interesting to watch. You can ponder what their transient lives must be like when the lights are shut off for the night.

And finally, if you’re completely broke, then Thursday, Oct. 24 is definitely the day to go. Thursday is Hunger Relief Day at the fair. Four cans of food waives your admission, with all the food going to Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

For more on what there is to do at the fair, check out Brandy’s blog. The Raleigh blogger has been documenting it in photo and video.

What’s your favorite part about the fair?