Minnesota State Fair

One of my best friends is from the Twin Cities area, so this year I made it a point to go visit the Minnesota State Fair with her. This fair is the second largest in the country (just behind one in Texas, of course) and has a formidable ride lineup. There were two major clusters of amusement rides, along with some other notable standalone rides around the park

Spinning Coaster

Though not my first spinning wild mouse, it was my first actively portable model. Overall the experience was quite a bit more enjoyable than the standard garbage Zyklon layout that infects most large fairs in the US. The ride spun well during the second half, and the turns were quite intense in the first half. It would be cool if the pin was dropped before the lift hill, but I understand for nausea reasons why that doesn’t happen. The finale included a nice little bump that gave almost airtime, and overall was a great traveling coaster experience. 6/10

Iron Dragon

Speaking of shitty Zyklon coasters, this one was just across the midway. I think these are some of my least favorite coasters out there, as they are the “big” ride at fairs so operators charge a kidney for them. They have zero forces, awkward transitions and can have rough spots at times. I honestly prefer shitty Dragon Wagons to these things because at least those are ironically good. 2/10

Zipper

My parents never let me ride these as a kid because they were too janky for them and I can understand why. But, after seeing one at this fair, I figured I had to try it out. The motion was quite thrilling, with flips often chaining together and otherwise being remarkably comfortable. The restraints are delightfully spartan, and the ride makes a whole bunch of fun noise that freaked my friend out. Overall, great experience and one of the better traveling flat rides I’ve been on. 7/10

Giant Wheel

Another super expensive ride, but at least this wheel gave a long cycle and had a manageable weight. It blows my mind that something like this is portable at all. I love observation rides! 8/10

Space Tower

One permanent amusement attraction at the fair is a gigantic observation tower from Intamin. One of the rare double-decker models, I was really excited to ride this. I love Sky Trek Tower at my home park Great America, and I knew this one would have an incredible view. Unfortunately, post-pandemic the ride needed a few critical repairs (speculation, but likely related to the cables) so it was not open for this year. The family who owns the ride hopes to open the ride either next year or the following, so I am glad it is not going to bite the dust. I look forward to riding it in a future visit.

Ye Ole Mill

Another permanent attraction at the park is their tunnel of love, Ole Mill. After watching the Defunctland episode on these types of rides (and experiencing the one at Kennywood for myself) I knew I had to try this. Overall the experience was a pleasant boat ride in the pitch black, with a few cardboard cutout scenes placed here and there. I would love it if parks would try to make these have cohesive story lines, however I appreciate the rides for their classic, nostalgic value and am glad that a few are left. 6/10

The Fair

Overall I quite enjoyed the fair. It had all of my favorite aspects of a good Midwestern fair, like corn, unlimited milk, and weird foods. They had so much to offer, and I would love to go back with a more targeted game plan in mind to catch some more of the live events. It was a great time and I definitely could see myself returning some point in the future!