Fair food’s deep-fried reputation has gotten a makeover, thanks to culinary creations that highlight pride-of-state agriculture, regional foodways and local vendors. Fairgoers can sip California wine slushies in a wine garden, order a Nebraska beef Reuben burger from a chuck wagon or savor Vermont maple syrup soft serve in a sugar house. And yes, the fried goodies are here too, but even nostalgia-inducing carnival eats like funnel cake, burgers and candy get a gourmet glow-up. These are the most sought-after, favorite fair foods in every state.

The Greater Gulf State Fair in Mobile lays claim to being the largest midway on the Gulf Coast, allowing it to pack in an outsize amount of fair fun, including more than 50 rides, a two-day rodeo, nightly concerts, goat yoga and a corn dog eating contest. Even if you’re not a contender in the corn dog eating contest, you can sample a superlative version at fan-favorite vendor Phelps Concessions. The Conecuh corn dog stars Conecuh sausage, a brand of hickory smoked pork sausage made in Conecuh County according to the original family recipe. Owner Jeff Phelps takes what he calls Alabama’s favorite sausage, skewers it on a stick, then dips in a proprietary homemade corndog batter and deep-fries it to golden perfection.

For a taste of the Last Frontier State, seek out Fish On Camp Grill, an Alaska Native-owned company. Owners Buffy Meyer and Brayden Hayden started their business as a food booth at the Alaska State Fair and since then, it has grown into a catering, food truck and storefront. The booth is still an annual fair favorite, and fairgoers are especially fond of the Sockeye Slugger, a salmon bratwurst made with sustainably caught Alaskan salmon topped with pineapple-rhubarb-habanero mustard.

The Sunset State spares fairgoers from soaring summer temperatures by holding the Arizona State Fair in October, but you’ll still find plenty of sizzle at the food stands in the form of fry bread (aka Navajo bread). Typified by a texture that’s somewhere between a doughnut and a tortilla, this iconic treat features a simple dough made of flour and water. It’s fried in hot oil, then festooned with sweet toppings like powdered sugar and honey or a sundae-inspired medley of strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. Fry bread can also go savory with taco-inspired fillings, in which case it’s known as a Navajo taco. Score classic and creative renditions of both preparations at the following stands: Navajo Taco Stand, Stellar Foods Teepee Village, and Maile & Son Indian Frybread.

Take a sweet bite out of Arkansas at the Four States Fair in Texarkana, where Elve’s Candy peddles a special version of its peanut patties. Fans across all four states repped at the fair — Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana — make a beeline for the Elve’s booth to score this Southern specialty that looks like peanut brittle but eats like a praline. The confectioner has been making its peanut patties since 1956; while the ingredients are simple — sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and red-skinned Spanish peanuts — the recipe and time-tested technique are a closely kept secret. The diminutive confections are typically round, but for the Four States Fair they’re crafted into the shape of the Natural State. The candies are sold at fairs across Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, and also available online.

For more than 170 years, the California State Fair has highlighted the state’s deep agricultural roots — there’s even a three-and-a-half acre working farm where attendees can visit stations and talk to experts to learn about seasonal produce and earn a piece of farm-fresh fruit. For farm-to-glass refreshment, head to the Save Mart Wine Garden to sip on winning state wines from the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition. Anyone is welcome to enter the garden (though you must be 21 to consume) and it’s a particularly popular spot for its shade and cooling misters. The real refreshment, though, comes in the form of wine slushies, including red sangria, strawberry mango Moscato, blackberry and rosé.

Fair food is practically synonymous with fried fare, but none embody regional flavors and a sense of place quite like the deep-fried pueblo chiles served at the Colorado State Fair in the town of Pueblo. The pueblo chile (named for the town in which it grows) is a go-to ingredient across Southwestern Colorado, lending a zesty kick to dishes like eggs, burgers, pasta and salsa. But the regional staple gets star billing at the state fair, courtesy of the Chiles en Fuego booth, where local pueblo chiles are dipped in a signature batter created by the Giodone family, then fried until golden-crisp. The fiery chiles live up to the vendor’s name with a creeping, tangy heat, but you can counter the burn with a side of ranch or cheddar cheese dip.

The Durham Fair is not only Connecticut’s largest agricultural fair, it is also one of the largest all-volunteer fairs in the country. The members/volunteers of The United Churches of Durham may have the most-rewarding task of all, making and selling a sought-after treat for their annual fundraiser. They combine freshly squeezed lime juice, Avery Beverage Co. lime syrup and seltzer to create a tart, refreshing Lime Rickey mocktail. Each drink comes served in a custom 30-ounce cup that’s refilled at a discount year after year, a tradition that has turned the tumblers into collectors’ items — and kept the dollars pouring in. All proceeds have gone directly into supporting The United Churches of Durham since 1990.

Nestled between the Delaware shore and the capital city of Dover lies the quaint town of Harrington, where the Delaware State Fair draws more than 300,000 attendees annually. And the fair food that always attracts the biggest crowd is scrapple, a meatloaf-type dish made of pork and corn meal created by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Scrapple is commonly eaten for breakfast in many mid-Atlantic states, but in Delaware, it’s also a fixture on lunch and dinner menus, finding its way into tacos, burritos and sandwiches. (No wonder Delaware is the nation’s largest scrapple producer!) Seek out Kirby and Holloway Provision Co.’s scrapple sandwich, starring housemade scrapple that’s thinly sliced, fried and sandwiched between white bread slices. Customize it with condiments like mustard and mayo or sweet toppings like grape jelly and maple syrup.

Whimsical food creations are as common at fairs as oversized stuffed animals, but the Florida State Fair features a real showstopper from DeAnna's Steak Sundaes. Owners Ryan and Shawna Hagy, aka the Sundae Squad, put their food truck on the culinary map with their inventive savory creations served in sundae cups. But at the Florida State Fair, they switch it up with the Strawberry Lemonade Sweetcake Sundae inspired by Florida’s peak strawberry season that coincides with the fair’s February calendar date. Each one starts with a homemade sweetcake that hits the pastry trifecta: it’s made from a biscuit-style dough, then fried like a doughnut but it eats like a flaky croissant. The Hagys coat fried sweetcake pieces in cinnamon sugar and drizzle them with lemonade buttercream, then pile on fresh Florida strawberry slices and homemade whipped cream. Lemon zest and a squirt of lemon juice add a bright finish.

With a location close to the diverse culinary capital of Atlanta, The Gwinnett County Fair has a reputation for discerning foodie fair-goers. For an exciting and unexpected take on the classic burger, make a beeline to DeAnna’s Donut Burger. Owners and husband-wife-team Dustin and Sierra Hagy dream up all sorts of fantastical burger creations, but the one fans can’t get enough of is the campfire burger. A flame-grilled third-pound Angus beef patty is topped with baked beans, a slice of smoked Gouda and a halved hot dog, all piled onto a homemade bun. You’ll never look at a campfire cookout the same way again.

Every year at the 'Iolani Fair in Honolulu, organizers present a new theme with fantastical food creations to match. But the Okinawan Soba Noodles have been a staple since day one and fairgoers can’t get enough of the satisfyingly chewy texture and medley of supremely savory flavors. To make the dish, volunteers stir-fry soba noodles with luncheon meat, cabbage, uzumaki (steamed fishcake) and yakisoba sauce, then finish it with a flurry of green onions. Besides dishing up tasty treats, the 'Iolani Fair also serves as a fundraiser to support travel opportunities for students of ‘Iolani School.

With Idaho being one of the top-producing dairy states, ice cream is a no-brainer at summer fairs. But one booth at the Western Idaho Fair in Boise goes all out with a frozen treat inspired by the official state vegetable. The Idaho Ice Cream Potato is a sundae cleverly disguised as a baked potato: vanilla ice cream stands in for the potato, cocoa powder dusted on the outside mimics potato skin and a mound of whipped cream calls to mind sour cream. The ice cream potato comes perched on a slick of chocolate syrup and is festooned with nuts and crushed Oreos, plus more chocolate sauce. Though it’s a longstanding fair tradition, the dish has taken home top honors at a variety of crowd-voted and judged contests over the years. In addition to its annual appearance at the fair, this ice cream potato is available year-round at Westside Drive In.

Springfield, Illinois, may well be the original source of a beloved fair staple: the corn dog on a stick. The Cozy Dog Drive-In, along Route 66, claims to have served the first one in 1946, thus setting the trend in motion. It’s fitting, then, that Springfield is also home to the Illinois State Fair where long-time vendor Vose’s Korndogs serves its take on the classic. The stand has been owned by the same family for more than 50 years, with three generations learning the secret to frying up a perfectly crisp Korndog. It all starts with making sure the hot dog is completely dry before dipping it in the signature batter. Once coated, the dog is fried for exactly three minutes to ensure just the right amount of crunch. Fairgoers aren’t the only ones who can’t get enough of this coveted treat — performers including Montgomery Gentry and Willie Nelson have requested Vose’s Korndogs by name.

Located in the heart of the Corn Belt, Indiana produces nearly one billion bushels of corn annually, so it’s not surprising that corn on the cob is a common sight at the Indiana State Fair. Saying these ears are farm-fresh is no exaggeration, since most of the sweet corn served — to the tune of 100,000 ears — comes from a local farm that picks and delivers to the fair daily. Many of the vendors roast the corn in its husk to keep the kernels tender, then shuck the ears and dip them in butter while they’re still hot; fairgoers can customize them with garlic salt, lemon pepper, hot sauce, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese and more. Find these golden cobs at booths operated by Carousel Foods Inc., J. Wilson Group LLC and Wagner Food Service, among others.

Iowa may be nicknamed the Corn State, but grain isn’t its only game. Case in point: Iowa is the top pork producer in the country. Look no further than the Iowa State Fair’s Pork Tent, where local pork farmers show their chops, literally. The nine-ounce, Frenched bone-in chops are cooked on rotisserie grills, so that they slowly cook in their own juices to tender, juicy effect; optional salt, pepper and barbecue sauce are available for seasoning. The bone acts as a built-in stick, making for a portable porky snack that’s become as much a tradition as the fair itself — 50,000 to 60,000 pork chops on a stick are sold every year.

Every September, people from across the Sunflower State travel to Hutchinson, or Hutch as it’s locally known, to attend the Kansas State Fair. Head to the Pride of Kansas Building to find Kansas Kitchen & Bakery, a sit-down café that’s operated by the crew from local restaurant Wheatland Café and has been a fair fixture for more than 30 years. For a taste of Kansas’ culinary heritage, opt for the bierock. First introduced to the state by German and Eastern European immigrants, this baked meat pie comes crammed with savory fillings enveloped in a golden dough. At Kansas Kitchen, they stick close to tradition by stuffing the same sweet dough used for their signature cinnamon rolls with a mix of ground beef, cabbage, onions and carrots, but veer slightly from the standard by adding grated cheddar cheese before folding and sealing the dough. Other non-conventional additions include the option of nacho cheese on the side or a ladleful of gravy on top.

When it comes to craveworthy creations, the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville is spoiled for choice. But the donut burger offered by Sivori Catering has been a fair favorite for years. A juicy beef patty is sandwiched between two Krispy Kreme donuts, piled high with all the fixings. It’s already a best-of-both-worlds situation with its sweet-savory flavor punch, but gild the lily and add bacon while you’re at it. Fairs are synonymous with crazy food combinations, but this is one that’s wildly delicious.

In Louisiana, spring means two things for the season: crawfish and festivals. The two occasions collide at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, a 10-day cultural feast that has showcased the talents of thousands of musicians, craftspeople and cooks since 1970. For a taste of the festival that’s as popular as ever, seek out crawfish bread, a baked, cheesy hand-held delight. This beloved state delicacy was made famous by Panorama Foods at this very festival, and you can still get the real deal here today. The savory snack features crawfish tails cooked with sauteed holy trinity (celery, onions and bell peppers), Cajun seasoning, a splash of white wine, cream cheese and mozzarella. The savory, creamy mixture is then spread onto French bread dough, rolled up and baked until the bread is golden brown and the cheese melty within.

The small town of Fryeburg put itself on the festival map back in 1851 when it started hosting the Fryeburg Fair. It’s a long-standing tradition for many Maine natives, including Ashley Field, whose family has attended and shown livestock there for decades. Now, Field, who together with her husband run second-generation blueberry farm Fields Fields Blueberries, is making a name for herself with her wild blueberry crisp. This signature dish earned her food truck the nickname “The Crisp Cart” and features baked wild blueberries with oatmeal crumble topping, served with yogurt or ice cream on top. You’ll also find blueberry chips (like a tortilla chip but made solely with blueberries!), blueberry juice and blueberry leaf iced teas on offer.

Horse racing may be a major attraction at the Maryland State Fair, but we’d rather place our bets on the winners’ circle-destined culinary creations from the fair’s The Mallet New Fair Food Competition. Get a taste at the at the Maryland Turkey Stand in the Maryland Foods Pavilion which turns out a nostalgia-inducing dish of Turkey & Stuffing Waffles. This sweet-savory dish features a crisp stuffing waffle topped with shredded roasted turkey tossed in a ponzu pan sauce and finished with homemade maple-bourbon-cranberry sauce.

Every fall, the Topsfield Fair hosts the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, boasting winners that have weighed in at 2,000 pounds or more. Prefer a taste of fall tucked into a smaller package? Head to the cleverly named Whoopie Wagon, where local bakery Topsfield Bakeshop turns out a pumpkin-inspired treat so popular that it sells out daily. This pumpkin whoopie pie features a cream cheese-and-vanilla buttercream filling sandwiched by two pumpkin spiced cake rounds generously dusted with powdered sugar.

Since 1925, the National Cherry Festival has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors every summer to Traverse City, aka the cherry capital of the world. There is a wide variety of cherry-inspired delicacies to sample from local vendors, but one of the festival’s most iconic treats is Grand Traverse Pie Company’s cherry crumb pie. Thousands of slices are sold every year at the fair (look for it at the Ice Cream and Pie Pavilion) and fair-goers can’t get enough of the sweet-tangy filling, made with tart Michigan Montmorency cherries and a sweet, buttery crumble topping. The dish is so popular, it inspired festival organizers to create a sought-after frozen treat variation called the Cherry Pie Flurry, which features a slice of cherry crumb pie mixed with ice cream.

Nearly two million people visit the Minnesota State Fair annually, so it’s no wonder a staggering amount of food is served by the 300-plus vendors on the premises. Case in point: Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar. Owner Martha Rossini Olson and her team bake 2,000 cookies per minute (yes, minute) to keep up with demand. Her signature warm chocolate chip cookies can be ordered by the cone or bucket. Want to supplement your sweet snack with more sustenance? The fair offers more than 1,600 different dishes, ranging from the typical deep-fried and on-a-stick bites to gluten-free, vegetarian and global foods.

Get a free(!) taste of tradition at the Mississippi State Fair, which boasts bragging rights as one of the oldest fairs in the South. Founded in 1859, the fair kicks off in the capital city of Jackson every October. And since 1983, employees from the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and the Mississippi Fair Commission have been treating attendees to a Southern specialty at no charge. They knead, roll, cut and bake fluffy Southern-style biscuits, then drench them in sweet syrup and serve while still warm. An average of 100,000 biscuits are made and given away to fairgoers every year. Hundreds of gallons of buttermilk, pounds of shortening, cases of syrup and thousands of pounds of flour are donated every year so that the free treat can continue to be a fair tradition.

The Missouri State Fair prides itself on its deep agricultural roots and its commitment to Missouri-grown products. But perhaps the best-in-show blue ribbon should go to Tiger Stripe ice cream from Buck’s Ice Cream, located in the Mo-Ag Theatre. Tiger Stripe Ice Cream pays tribute to the University of Missouri-Columbia’s mascot, Truman the Tiger, by spinning ribbons of dark chocolate into a golden-hued French vanilla base. The fair is the only place you can score scoops of this frozen favorite besides on the University of Missouri campus.

Every year, more than 70,000 people descend on Great Falls to attend the Montana State Fair, and for many of them, a trip wouldn’t be complete without the Viking. This meatball on a stick draws the crowds to the Sons of Norway booth, which packs Nordic-inspired flavors into the deep-fried snack. It starts with a ball of ground beef that’s bound with egg and oatmeal, seasoned with onions and a signature Scandinavian spice blend, then dipped in batter and deep-fried. This portable snack has proven to be so popular that some fairgoers order the Viking by the dozen to take home.

Nebraska is known for its beef, so don’t miss out on the burgers at the Nebraska State Fair. Cactus Jack’s Chuck Wagon has earned a following for its roster of gourmet burgers, several of which deliver a double helping of beef. One standout is the Reuben Burger, which reimagines the Omaha-born sandwich as a seasoned steak burger topped with thickly-sliced smoked brisket, a gooey mound of white American cheese, a tangy heap of sauerkraut and a signature bistro sauce. First offered at the Nebraska State Fair in 2017, the top-selling dish has earned a permanent spot on Cactus Jack’s menu alongside another brisket-topped spin: the Cactus Jack Burger featuring melty smoked cheddar cheese, spicy jalapeños and sweet barbecue sauce.

Every year, more than 30,000 foodies come together at Desert Breeze Park in Las Vegas for a three-day feast called The Great American Foodie Fest. Festival goers are spoiled for choice with a stellar line-up of the most creative food vendors and sought-after gourmet food trucks from around the country, but one of the most popular dishes in recent history is ube funnel cake from Great American Funnel Cakes. To make this visually stunning and delicious dessert, funnel cake batter is infused with ube extract, giving it its slightly nutty, vanilla flavor and striking purple hue, then capped off with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of ube syrup and shower of coconut flakes.

For over a decade, Laconia, New Hampshire, has been home to an annual pumpkin festival and family-friendly gathering for thousands of eager attendees. The Laconia Pumpkin Festival celebrates pumpkins in all its glorious forms, including crafts from over 70 vendors, displays from various non-profits and a 34-foot-tall pumpkin tower that holds an estimated 2,000 pumpkins. There are plenty of pumpkin treats to sample too, such as pumpkin whoopie pies, pumpkin truffles and pumpkin donuts. For a perennially popular taste of pumpkin donuts, head to Laconia Village Bakery, a community staple that’s been around since 1993. Here you’ll find tender glazed pumpkin donuts and pumpkin donuts with cinnamon sugar — cover your bases and get one of each!

When it comes to sought-after sips, Tiki Turbo’s smoothies top the list of refreshments at the New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. The mobile tiki bar brings the festive vibes with its lineup of smoothies and island fare, inspired by owner William Barbosa’s Cape Verde family heritage. The move here is the pineapple smoothie, a frothy sweet drink that’s served in a pineapple vessel then topped with extra fruit, whipped cream and a drink umbrella. Serving delighted fairgoers and employees is a full-circle moment for Barbosa, who spent many years travelling with the carnival that set up at the New Jersey State Fair and fulfilling a variety of roles, from running water games to serving fried dough, all while dreaming up concession business plans. In need of nosh? Pair your smoothie with the made-to-order pineapple stir fry, served with veggies and your choice of protein — all presented in a hollowed out half pineapple, naturally.

The smoky scent of bonfires may mark the arrival of fall in other states, but in New Mexico, it’s the smell of roasting green chiles that heralds the change of season. Mounds of the freshly-roasted peppers beckon from roadside stands and grocery store parking lots, and they also get plenty of play at the New Mexico State Fair held in Albuquerque every September. For the quintessential New Mexico bite, opt for Navajo tacos topped with roasted, peeled and chopped green chiles. Made of Navajo fry bread, a fried round of dough that’s pillowy-soft inside and golden-crisp outside, the tacos come topped with seasoned ground beef, pinto beans, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomato and plenty of the spicy peppers. Look for Navajo fry bread and tacos in the Indian Village at vendors like Zina’s Blue Corn Café, Navajo Café, Native Café and Harvest Café.

Babcia's Pierogi makes nearly 1 million pierogi a year, spanning 24 traditional and signature filling flavors that range from hearty to spicy to creamy . Some of their most creative creations can be sampled at the Erie County Fair, including fan-favorites like crab-stuffed-mushroom, Guinness pot roast and poutine. For a New York-centric bite, opt for the Buffalo wing pierogi. The family’s traditional dough recipe is filled with seasoned chicken breasts, hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, crumbled blue cheese, celery and cream cheese, then simmered like pasta before being finished on the flattop grill. It all adds up to a pierogi that hits the flavor trifecta: hearty, spicy and creamy.

The North Carolina State Fair turned 150 in 2017, the same year that local soda Cheerwine marked its 100th anniversary. To celebrate, longtime fair vendors Beth and Nancy Tapp created the Cheerwine Funnel Cake for their Beaver Concessions booth, where they’ve been turning out funnel cakes and deep-fried pies since their father started the business in the 1950s. This celebratory funnel cake features, you guessed it, Cheerwine as its special ingredient. The soda imparts a double dose of cherry cola flavor and pink tint to both the funnel cake batter and the buttercream icing. The sweet treat proved so popular that it’s earned a permanent spot on the Beaver Concessions menu.

North Dakota may be known for its tater tot hotdish, but it’s a spud-centric dish of a different sort that has captured the spotlight at the North Dakota State Fair. Poutine, a Canadian dish of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and brown gravy, is a fitting addition to the fair’s food lineup, given that the fairground’s Minot location is just a little more than 50 miles away from the Canadian border. Seek out longtime fair vendor Hansen’s Festival Concessions, whose classic rendition has earned it a loyal following among fair attendees.

Ohio’s Buckeye State nickname is inspired by the state tree: the buckeye. The tree produces buckeye nuts, and though they’re inedible, they’ve inspired a namesake treat that’s made in chocolate shops and home kitchens statewide. To mimic the appearance of a buckeye nut, the confection’s peanut butter center is partially dipped in chocolate. And at the Ohio State Fair, this iconic treat gets the deep-fried treatment, thanks to the Bulk Candy Store. The buckeyes are battered, deep-fried, then drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with powdered sugar. It has become such a popular treat that the vendor travels to other state fairs to spread the buckeye love.

Oklahoma is home to The National Indian Taco Championships in Pawhuska, so it’s no surprise that Indian Tacos are one of the Oklahoma State Fair’s signature dishes — with an average of 45,000 to 50,000 sold annually. Indian tacos are made with fry bread, a traditional Native American staple used as the base of many meals. Typically, the fried round of dough is layered with standard taco toppings like seasoned ground beef, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese, though you can also find versions made with brisket, steak and grilled or shredded chicken, as well as less common add-ons like sliced black olives, jalapeños and serrano chiles. Look for Indian tacos at Dan’s Indian Taco, where you can also order fry bread with sweet toppings like honey and powdered sugar.

The Oregon State Fair welcomes more than 400,000 attendees to Salem yearly, but one fair food yields an equally impressive stat. Every year, the Oregon Dairy Women set up shop in a red barn and dish out over 10,000 marionberry sundaes every year. The refreshing fair treat features their cold and creamy soft serve with a marionberry topping, a sweet-tart berry that was created in the 1950s in Marion County, the same county the state fair is held. The non-profit’s fair food sales help provide funding to support programs such as 4-H and their Dairy Princess Ambassador Program.

Pennsylvania has more than 100 agricultural fairs, but arguably no treat as iconic as the Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake. Get a taste at The Great Allentown Fair. To make this traditional cake, a batter featuring a blend of flour, milk, eggs, sugar and baking powder is piped through a funnel into hot oil in a circular coil shape; the swirl is fried until golden-crisp, then served hot with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. The funnel cake earned its signature status thanks to a woman named Alice Reinert, who was a regular on the Eastern Pennsylvania fair circuit from the 1960s to the early ’90s. Known for her showmanship, she would narrate in her Pennsylvania Dutch accent while turning out her famous funnel cakes made from a family recipe. Many variations of funnel cakes are now served with chocolate, various fruit glazes and whipped cream.

Richmond’s Washington County Fair has a few claims to fame, among them being Rhode Island’s biggest agricultural event and home to New England’s largest traveling roller coaster. The fair’s food lineup is distinct in and of itself: all fair food booths are owned and operated by non-profit organizations, with proceeds benefiting their missions and community causes. For a taste of Rhode Island summer, head to the West Kingston Fire Department’s booth for an order of golden corn fritters. Fair-goers can’t get enough of their crispy crunch and pillowy interior, studded with sweet corn kernels. It all adds up to a must-have sweet-and-savory bite.

Ryan Hagy, co-owner of DeAnna's Steak Sundaes, was inspired to create his food truck’s signature dish so that he could enjoy two of his favorite offerings on the go. He loaded French fries and grilled sirloin steak into a sundae cup and a fair favorite was born — the dish has even been featured on Cooking Channel’s Carnival Eats. Hagy has given other classic meals this same treatment, even tackling that iconic Southern staple: shrimp and grits. Find his Shrimp n Grits Sundae at the South Carolina State Fair and the Coastal Carolina Fair. Hagy starts with local stone ground grits, which he soaks before cooking to ensure a creamy texture. He simmers them with crumbled bacon, cheddar, Gouda and cream cheese, then piles them in a sundae cup along with marinated white shrimp. As for the shrimp, Hagy sautees them with Cajun seasoning until the marinade reduces into a sauce. Order like a pro and ask for extra Cajun sauce, then add optional "sundae toppings" like garlic-butter mushrooms and grilled onions and peppers.

Not only is chislic one of the most popular dishes at the South Dakota State Fair, it’s also the state’s official snack food. Chislic typically features bite-size pieces of lamb or beef that are either deep-fried or grilled on the flat-top. At Kepp’s Foods, you’ll find what owner and third-generation sheep farmer Kerry Kepplinger describes as “the ribeye of chislic.” The tender cubes of lamb are so flavorful, Kepplinger skips the seasoning and then skewers and deep-fries them. If you want to add your own spice, reach for the fan-favorite option: a shaker of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.

Held every September in Knoxville, the Tennessee Valley Fair is one of the state’s largest multi-day fairs. The fair draws thousands of attendees daily to check out livestock shows, action sports, arts and crafts and of course, iconic fair food. Here, the humble apple pie is transformed into an irresistible frozen treat by the folks at Cruze Farm, who pop up at the fair every year with their locally lauded ice cream. The family-run Knoxville dairy spins its milk into handcrafted soft serve ice cream then anoints it with a warm, fruity apple-cinnamon topping made with locally grown apples, pie crust crumble and a drizzle of caramel sauce. This nostalgic nosh makes for a festive treat to mark the transition of seasons by closing out summer and ushering in the start of fall harvest season.

The "everything is bigger in Texas" motto rings true at the Lone Star State’s fair. Held for 24 consecutive days, the State Fair of Texas draws more than two million people annually and features a mascot known as Big Tex, a 55-foot talking cowboy who dons a 95-gallon cowboy hat and size 96 cowboy boots. The fair is also known for its outsize creativity, particularly showcased during the Big Tex Choice Awards food competition, which features such over-the-top treats as Injectable Great Balls of BBQ (a 2016 finalist). To make them, smoked-then-shredded beef brisket is mixed with bock barbecue sauce laced with a German-style lager. Once thoroughly drenched, the brisket is rolled in seasoned bread crumbs and deep-fried until golden, then served on a bed of coleslaw. The kicker? Each order comes with its own pipette of bock BBQ sauce to inject another blast of barbecue flavor.

At just 65 acres, the Utah State Fairpark is one of the most compact state fairgrounds in the country, making it easy to make a beeline to sample all the creative fare on offer. While many a concession stand operator embraces comfort food mash-ups, The Pie Pizzeria takes things next level with its Hot Beef Sundae, offered at the Utah State Fair. Two scoops of creamy mashed potatoes are topped with tender roast beef and rich gravy, then topped with sprinkles of shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a cherry tomato on top. Use the accompanying warm bread roll to mop up all that luscious gravy.

With Vermont being the country’s largest producer of maple syrup, you can bet this sweet staple gets plenty of play at the state fair held in Rutland. In fact, the Vermont State Fair is home to the world’s largest working sugar house on any fairgrounds. It’s operated by the Rutland County Maple Producers, who turn out maple confections like maple peanut brittle, maple cotton candy and maple cream-glazed donuts. You can even get your licks of it in a frozen treat that also showcases the state’s top-notch dairy. The Maple Creamee is a vanilla-based soft serve blended with dark-grade, pure Vermont maple syrup. It seems like a simple combination, but many hours of recipe testing went into ensuring that the syrup’s robust maple flavor just overtakes the vanilla. Want to keep the maple magic going? Buy a bottle of syrup to take home; a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Foley Cancer Center.

Virginia has a strong history of pork production, so it’s no wonder the prized meat is on prominent display at the state fair. Pork is a menu mainstay at various food booths sprawled throughout The Meadow Event Park, home to the annual State Fair of Virginia and a landmark in its own right as the birthplace of the Triple Crown-winning racehorse Secretariat. If shredded pork’s your thing, head to Hog Wild BBQ and order the Butt Fries. Hickory-smoked-then-shredded pork comes heaped on a pile of French fries, along with sour cream, cheese sauce, barbecue sauce and green onions. Fry toppings go beyond pork, with options that include the brisket-laden Bull Fries.

For a sweet taste of Washington tradition, look no further than the Washington State Fair. Commonly known as the Puyallup Fair after its namesake town, it is one of the largest state fairs in the country. But more importantly for food-minded attendees, it also happens to have scones on lock. Fisher Scones have been a fair staple for more than 100 years, with more than one million sold annually over the course of the 20-day festivities. Served hot from the oven, each scone comes slathered with whipped sweet honey butter spread and raspberry jam.

Fair traditions run deep in Lewisburg, which first stirred up carnival fever with the Greenbrier Industrial Exhibition back in the 1800s. Now known as the State Fair of West Virginia, the ten-day festival, celebrating its 100th year in 2025, features livestock exhibits, concerts, carnival rides, shopping and free grounds entertainment. On the fair food side, one of the fair’s most iconic dishes is the country ham sandwich. A quarter-inch-thick slice of ham is cooked on a grill, tucked into a warm hamburger bun and topped with lettuce and mayo. The sandwiches are prepared by volunteers to support the Greenbrier East High School chapter of the Future Farmers of America.

Food has become its own attraction at the Wisconsin State Fair, which draws more than one million attendees to West Allis every August. There are more than 200 food and drink vendors to choose from, but for a taste of Wisconsin’s best-known agricultural export, focus on dairy-inspired dishes like deep-fried cheese curds, grilled cheese sandwiches and buttery corn on the cob. An absolute must, though, is the Original Cream Puff. Created in 1924 by the Wisconsin Bakers Association to highlight the state’s wheat and dairy industries, the treat remains the longest continuously offered food item at the fair. Stop by the Original Cream Puff Pavilion to snag this pillowy pastry, which features a sweet, whipped cream center sandwiched between two pate a choux shells dusted with powdered sugar. The staff literally works 24/7 for two weeks to keep up with demand, dishing out 350,000-400,000 cream puffs annually.