County Fair Scavenger Hunt Ideas

How it works

A fair is five places in one: barns, an exhibit hall, a midway, a row of food stands and an arena. These county fair scavenger hunt ideas give each its own list, scored 1 to 3 points.

Read the full guide

Take the barns and the hall first

The barns and the hall are quietest early in the day. Choose Livestock barns or Exhibit hall in the menu and press Print this list. Save The midway for later: A Ferris wheel seen from underneath is easy at any hour.

Look, and touch nothing

Every find is scored with the eyes. The rules printed on the sheet say no animal and no exhibit is touched, and nothing is bought for the hunt.

Tips

Ask an exhibitor about one find: A sheep wearing a coat comes with a story.
Add up at the grandstand, where everyone can sit down.

Questions and answers

What can kids look for at a county fair?

A prize ribbon pinned to a stall, a rabbit in a show cage, the biggest pumpkin in the hall, a height stick at a ride gate and something to eat that comes on a stick. A ribbon marked Best of Show scores 3.

Does it work at a state fair?

Yes. Nothing names a fair. A big state fair has every list; a small county fair may have no grandstand, so leave Arena and grandstand out.

Is it the same as the farm hunt?

No. The farm hunt is for a visit to a working farm. Only the barns are alike, and no find appears on both lists.

All 60 finds

Livestock barns 12

A calf shorter than the child leading it 2 points. Judge it by eye as they walk past.
A fan pointed at an animal to keep it cool 2 points. Count the fans in one aisle.
A goat being walked on a lead 2 points. Stand back and let it pass.
A grooming box left open beside a stall 3 points. Brushes, combs and clippers. Look, and touch nothing.
A prize ribbon pinned to a stall 1 point. Fairs give ribbons and rosettes to winning entries. Write what this one says.
A rabbit in a show cage 1 point. Look for the card that names its breed.
A rooster you hear before you find it 2 points. Follow the sound to the poultry barn.
A sheep wearing a coat 3 points. Ask its owner why it wears one.
A sign that names the breed in a pen 2 points. Write the breed down. It is a new word for most people.
A stall card that tells you what an animal is called 1 point. Read the name out to your team.
An animal getting a bath or a brush 2 points. Watch from the aisle.
Fresh bedding being forked into a pen 1 point. Straw or wood shavings: say which.

Exhibit hall 12

A card with a judge's handwritten comment 3 points. Read one word of praise from it.
A decorated cake inside a glass case 1 point. Say what it is decorated to look like.
A jar of pickles with a prize card 2 points. Write the place it won.
A model or a project built by a student 2 points. Read the card to see what it does.
A photograph entered by somebody your age 2 points. Entry cards often give the age class.
A plate of vegetables that all match in size 1 point. Count how many are on the plate.
A quilt with a rosette pinned to it 2 points. Say what the pattern looks like to you.
A ribbon marked Best of Show 3 points. Read what it was given for.
A row of canning jars with one ribbon among them 1 point. Find the jar that won.
A vegetable that grew into a strange shape 2 points. Say what the shape reminds you of.
The biggest pumpkin in the hall 2 points. Write its weight if the card gives one.
Flowers arranged in something that is not a vase 3 points. A boot, a teapot, a watering can: say what it is.

The midway 12

A carousel animal that is not a horse 2 points. Say which animal.
A Ferris wheel seen from underneath 1 point. Stand outside the fence and look straight up.
A game where rings are tossed over bottles 1 point. Watched, not played, for the hunt.
A height stick at a ride gate 1 point. Stand beside it and see where you come to.
A prize bigger than the child carrying it 2 points. Ticked as they go by, not photographed.
A ride that spins and a ride that swings 2 points. Name one of each.
A row of ride lights with a dark gap in it 3 points. Easier to find as it gets dark.
A ticket booth with its prices posted 1 point. Write the price of one ticket.
A trailer that a ride folds onto 3 points. Look at the back of the midway, from the walkway.
A wavy mirror that changes your shape 2 points. Seen from outside the funhouse.
The booth where a ride operator stands 2 points. Find the lever or the buttons from where you are.
The longest queue for any ride 1 point. Count the people waiting.

Food row 12

A dish on a menu board that is new to you 2 points. Write it down and ask what it is.
A drink in a cup you get to keep 2 points. Lemonade or a soft drink in a souvenir cup.
A food stand run by a club or a church 2 points. The sign says who runs it.
A funnel cake being made 2 points. Watch from the counter and say what shape it makes.
A stand shaped like the thing it sells 3 points. A giant lemon that sells lemonade counts.
A whole pie with one slice already gone 2 points. Say what kind it is.
Benches under a big striped tent 1 point. Sit down there for a rest.
Corn on the cob being roasted 1 point. Look for the husks pulled back.
Cotton candy spun onto a paper cone 1 point. Watch it grow at the machine.
Kettle corn being scooped into a bag 1 point. Seen at the stand, from the walkway.
One plate being shared with three forks 3 points. Ticked, never photographed.
Something to eat that comes on a stick 1 point. Name it. Spotted, not bought, for the hunt.

Arena and grandstand 12

A demonstration of an old craft 3 points. Shearing, forging, churning or spinning: write which.
A fiddle, a banjo or a brass band heard across the grounds 2 points. Follow the sound and say which it was.
A flag carried on horseback 3 points. Usually at the start of a show.
A grandstand seat with a number on it 1 point. Sit in it if it is free.
A horse with a braided mane or tail 2 points. Say which is braided.
A judge at work in the show ring 2 points. At a livestock show the animals are judged against the standard for their breed.
A number pinned to a handler's back 1 point. Write the number.
A show ring raked smooth 1 point. Before the first animal walks in.
A table of trophies waiting to be won 2 points. Count them.
A tractor older than your grandparents 3 points. Look for a plate or a card with its year.
A winner holding up a ribbon for a photograph 2 points. Clap, then tick it.
The window where the show announcer sits 1 point. Follow the voice to find it.

How this list was compiled

Written for this site by its editors in September 2026: original finds for a child's day at a county or state fair with a grown-up, sorted into Livestock barns, Exhibit hall, The midway, Food row, and Arena and grandstand. Nothing was copied from another list, and no fair, youth organization, ride maker or food brand is named. None of the farm list's finds is reused. Every find is scored by looking: no animal or exhibit is touched, nothing is bought for the hunt, and children stay with their grown-up. The notes are judging rules except two facts, checked on 2026-09-30 against English Wikipedia: that fairs award ribbons and rosettes to winning entries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_show) and that animals at a livestock show are judged against the standard for their breed (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock_show). Points and levels are the editors' judgment. Licence: own work