Seven Sites for Learning at the Fair
Sure, the Fair is full of fun, food and rides – but it is also a place where education blends seamlessly into the experience. Here are the top seven ways to make sure your little fairgoer and entire family get an educational boost at our 360-acre classroom!
- Visit the barns – What better way to learn about animals than up close and personal? Grab an “Ag is Cool” passport at the Ohio Department of Agriculture tent inside the Cardinal Gate and go on an educational journey throughout the Fair. It will take you stop-by-stop to some of the numerous livestock facilities throughout the Fair. There, you can see the animals, and speak to a farmer who raises them to learn about their daily routine, the care the animal receives and how what they do on their farm impacts your daily life. Each day from noon to 4 p.m., you can also milk a real cow in the OVMA Veterinary Education Center!
- Show off your artistic side – Stop in the modern Cox Fine Arts Center presented by AstraZeneca for guided art tours from knowledgeable artists throughout the day. There, your family can learn about numerous art styles, the various media used and the impact of arts on Ohio. Kids can also make their own artistic mark on a giant Fair “Monster Mural” each day in Central Park (with washable paint, of course).
- Visit exotic animals – See animals from all over the world without having to leave Ohio! Our free petting zoo located in Kiddieland has a range of exotic animals including llamas, zebras, antelope, camels and kangaroos.
- Learn to farm – Learn about Ohio’s largest industry in fun, hands-on ways at the Ohio Farm Bureau Land and Living Exhibit in the Nationwide Donahey Ag & Hort Building. Kids can experience farming equipment from driving pedal tractors and planting corn in tractor simulators to harvesting wheat in combine simulators.
- Travel back in time – Visit an authentic 1800s log cabin in Natural Resources Park. You’ll leave 2015 behind as you step into 1800 and meet a cast of pioneer residents from Ohio’s early statehood days. Inside you’ll learn about the “public” houses which catered to early pioneers arriving in Ohio as well as sample authentic colonial food and games. Outside you’ll be treated to an array of artisans demonstrating the music and crafts of our distant past.
- Do an experiment or two – Swing by the Youth Center where you can take part in “Phun with Physics” for some extreme science. Take part in fun, hands-on science activities, including launching rockets, the spinning barf wheel of science and so much more. This series is a constantly changing exhibit with experiments in technology, science, engineering and math.
- Take in a little nature – The expansive eight-acre Natural Resources Park is an oasis of educational activities – whether you’re interested in seeing some real Ohio wildlife animals, a prairie of tall grass native to the buckeye state, or a geological walkway examining the ancient natural materials that have shaped our great state, this park has something for you. Want an even more concentrated educational experience? Stop by the pavilion, filled with informative exhibits on a variety of natural resource and recreation topics, such as geology, forestry, wildlife, coastal management, mining, conservation, tourism and more.