This post is brought to you in partnership with the LA County Fair. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The first year of my daughter’s life is a blur to me. I remember everything, yet also, nothing. Everyone who had grown children told me to embrace it all…because in a blink, that tiny baby that refused to sleep, would be packing up to move out on their own. I’ve never taken that advice lightly. My daughter is 10 now and in her last year of elementary school. She no longer plays with princess dresses, stuffed animals and pink tutus. Now, this tween can recite the lyrics to all the Billboard Top 10. She likes to shop for her own clothes, and when her friends are around, us parents are simply chauffeurs and food-getters. Planning some family time for the three of us can be frustrating as wherever we go has to cater to three different food palattes, entertainment a tween and two Gen Xers, and be able to fall into our budget- which means stay local, and oh yea, be FUN.
For us the answer was clear: we headed to the LA County Fair.
Our goal was just to enjoy each other and have a little fun doing so. Sofia is an animal lover. There isn’t a single animal on this planet that my girl doesn’t love. So, first stop was The Farm area.
There- we got to visit and learn about farm animals like goats, sheep, cows and chickens. We hid every stop and ended by walking through the petting area. My girl was in heaven being surrounded by so many cute animals. As parents, we appreciated that The Farm was teaching about farm life and how to know where your food comes from. We’re animal lovers, but we are meat eaters and have always believed in knowing about your food, and it was great to see and hear it at the Fair.
We happened to go during Mexican Independence day, and loved that there was a special area dedicated to all things Mexican culture including hand crafted items, candies and special performances.
And that was just the start of the day!
The three of us walked and talked through the whole Fairplex, while jumping into places like “The Magical World of Dragons, Wizards, and Beasts.”
Dragons? OH YEAH!
Not to mention fun walk through tunnels, some games and a cool place to just relax a bit while enjoying the sights.
There were games…
and rides…
AND THE FOOD!!! A little something for every palatte and every person. There’s even a Vegan food stand! I didn’t try it, but love that it’s a part of the Fair.
Plus- butterflies, sloths, giraffes and more! All the animals are brought with someone to educate you about the animals and conservation efforts. Not to mention, you get to see some animals up close that you usually can’t.
AND, the LA County Fair has truly thought of it all. They have several special “add-on” experiences like “The Taylor Swift Experience” from The Grammy Museum for $5 each! Like I said, I have a tween…and she idolizes Taylor Swift so this was a huge deal for her.
Our day was full of memory making experiences and I cannot wait to go back next year. Someday, when my daughter is a mother herself, she’ll remember this day and take her own kids to create her own family memories. And for us parents, we’ll always have this day as a day we all put down the devices, and enjoyed our #DareToFair.
The LA County Fair ends this weekend, final day is Septemer 24th- and you can still get tickets here.
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