{"id":2623230,"date":"2026-07-03T09:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-best-and-worst-pavilions-at-the-great-american-state-fair\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T10:01:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T14:01:46","slug":"the-best-and-worst-pavilions-at-the-great-american-state-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-best-and-worst-pavilions-at-the-great-american-state-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best And Worst Pavilions At The Great American State Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-best-and-worst-pavilions-at-the-great-american-state-fair%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2623230&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Great American State Fair in Washington D.C. showcases all 56 US states adn territories within about 600 square feet each, offering a unique mini-exhibition for visitors. The fair presents a variety of displays, from Florida\u2019s themed flow through the Everglades to Arizona\u2019s augmented reality hikes, and other states highlight local culture, history, and landmarks with creative or simple exhibits. Some states, like cape May County and Guam, stepped in due to official rejection or enthusiasm, resulting in memorable experiences. Notable highlights include Texas\u2019s moon and Alamo, Louisiana\u2019s Mardi Gras float, and Tennessee\u2019s music scene. Many pavilions had minimal efforts, relying on graphics or sparse displays, while others featured interactive elements like driving simulators or dinosaur digs. Several states appeared unenthusiastic or provided underwhelming exhibits, and some lacked representation of their cultural or historic significance. the fair serves as a colorful and varied showcase of regional identities, though it often felt more low-budget than grand, highlighting the potential for permanent pavilions to better honor each state\u2019s uniqueness.The event is the result of efforts from creative individuals, like Geoff Thatcher, who have extensive experience in theme park design and branding.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Forget the World\u2019s Expo, where every nation has a pavilion. The true genius of the Great American State Fair in Washington D.C., which runs through July 10, is that all 56 of our states and territories get about 600 square feet to show off what makes them special.<\/p>\n<p>There is a kernel of a much bigger idea here, as The Mall would be a much better place if each state and territory had its own permanent pavilion. This would balance the major attractions in our nation\u2019s capital politically and philosophically rather than Smithsonian offerings that all lean left.<\/p>\n<p>The word \u201cfair\u201d is the right descriptor for this experience, in more ways than one. Even though the temporary structures were dressed up with faux neoclassical columns and graphics to match DC\u2019s architecture, the exhibits inside are mostly low-budget affairs, even though some governors claimed it was \u201ctoo expensive\u201d to participate.<\/p>\n<p>After six hours touring all of the pavilions on July 1, here is my unofficial ranking from best to worst.<\/p>\n<h2>Florida<\/h2>\n<p>As you\u2019d expect from Florida, they understand attractions and know that moving thousands of people through a small space requires a prescribed linear flow. <\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<p>While its lines were the longest, people flowed through the themed everglades, smelled oranges in a small grove, and then picked up a free stuffed baby alligator before exiting.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Arizona<\/h2>\n<p>A clear second to Florida, as they were the only other state to embrace a linear flow. Arizona also deployed some nifty augmented reality technology to allow guests to hike through a Navajo slot canyon and stand in the forests of Northern Arizona. The highlight was standing under the bright stars of the desert!<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Cape May County (New Jersey)<\/h2>\n<p>You can\u2019t give The Garden State any credit here, because after state officials rejected any participation, a smart county tourism director by the name of Diane Wieland raised her hand and said, \u201cWe\u2019ll do it!\u201d The experience features a giant sand castle, big banners featuring an AI George Washington chilling on the beach, and free salt taffy.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>\n<div>\n<p>         <span>Image Credit<\/span>Image courtesy Geoff Thatcher       <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>North Dakota<\/h2>\n<p>Sunflowers, buffalo, nice people and a nifty architectural model of the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. The badlands are now officially on our bucket list!<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Mississippi<\/h2>\n<p>We had no idea Mississippi is the birthplace of American music. I\u2019m still not sure I believe \u2019em, but we had fun exploring the exhibits. <\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Pennsylvania<\/h2>\n<p>Another example of a Democrat governor opting out on celebrating America\u2019s 250th while others step up to make something empty appealing. In this pavilion, you see a replica of the Liberty Bell, along with other historical artifacts, including a large collection of American Flags. Apparently, it was a bipartisan effort led by the state\u2019s Republican and Democratic senators.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Oklahoma<\/h2>\n<p>People loved posing in front of the Route 66 sign while the staff insisted, \u201cHey, we\u2019re cool now. I mean, we even have an NBA team.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Texas<\/h2>\n<p>Orbit the moon and visit the Alamo while listening to honky tonk and posing with Big Tex, the iconic 55-foot tall cowboy at the State Fair in Dallas.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Louisiana<\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nutrition-myths-that-make-fitness-less-satisfying\/\" title=\"Nutrition Myths That Make Fitness Less Satisfying\">giant head<\/a> from a Mardi Gras float was on display and Gov. Jeff Landry was staffing the booth when we walked inside. Surprisingly, for SEC football fans, it didn\u2019t smell like corn dogs.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Guam<\/h2>\n<p>This island in the Pacific makes the Top 10 because they were having so much fun\u2014they even had two performers in grass skirts. This pavilion earned another spot on our bucket list. We wanna go to \u201cWhere America\u2019s Day Begins.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Utah<\/h2>\n<p>You can sit in a ski lift for a photo-op, but we were hoping for \u201cDirty Sodas\u201d and an expose on the famous Utah Cookie Wars. And yes, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/far-left-cheers-as-homeless-group-seizes-hotel-near-tacoma-city-leaders-negotiating-with-group-as-police-refuse-to-intervene\/\" title=\"Far Left Cheers As Homeless Group Seizes Hotel Near Tacoma; City Leaders Negotiating With Group As Police Refuse To Intervene\">people inside<\/a> the Pavilion were just as nice as advertised.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Tennessee<\/h2>\n<p>You got to stand at the Grand Ole Opry\u2019s microphone, eat free peanut brittle, and see video of the fun at Dollywood.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Missouri<\/h2>\n<p>A wall display of images and artifacts lined with neon made this pavilion one of the most colorful, but we were expecting to see more of Branson.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Montana<\/h2>\n<p>You could dig for dinosaur bones underneath BIG dino bones.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Puerto Rico<\/h2>\n<p>The staff were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stephen-kruiser-media-needs-to-stop-enabling-hillarys-continued-descent-into-crippling-delusion\/\" title=\"Stephen Kruiser: Media Needs to Stop Enabling Hillary\u2019s Continued Descent Into Crippling Delusion\">super nice<\/a> and dancing with guests, but I wasn\u2019t sure if this was because most of the pavilion seemed to be dominated by displays of booze\u2014especially rum!<\/p>\n<h2>West Virginia<\/h2>\n<p>Two racing simulators allowed you to actually race down the state\u2019s \u201cCountry Roads,\u201d but sadly the only John Denver we heard was at the World Cup fan fest down The Mall from the State Pavilions.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Arkansas<\/h2>\n<p>They were giving away a free $3,000 trip to anywhere inside The Natural State. We asked if that included Wal-Mart. They said \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Idaho<\/h2>\n<p>The high fashion dress made of potato sack burlap puts Idaho higher than it should be.<\/p>\n<h2>Nebraska<\/h2>\n<p>I got to drive a Union Pacific train. Enough said!<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Illinois<\/h2>\n<p>The kids loved playing with the CAT trucks in an interactive table full of corn while a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >giant holographic video screen allowed guests<\/a> to hear from Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Nevada<\/h2>\n<p>According to this pavilion, the only thing worth seeing in the state of Nevada is Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<h2>New Hampshire<\/h2>\n<p>They didn\u2019t do much, but we found the small exhibit on its \u201cFirst-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary Centennial from 1920 to 2020 interesting.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Kansas<\/h2>\n<p>They gave us a free \u201cWE LIKE IKE\u201d button because the 34th president was from Abilene, Kansas.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>New Mexico<\/h2>\n<p>They answered a very important question inside: \u201cCan you say you\u2019ve been to New Mexico if you only made it to the Four Corners?\u201d The answer: Yes!<\/p>\n<h2>Colorado<\/h2>\n<p>We saw a father and daughter eating their lunch, including one massive turkey leg, inside the pavilion\u2019s canoes.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>California<\/h2>\n<p>Considering how much Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump fight, I wasn\u2019t expecting much, but Visit California created a cool and colorful sculpture of the California Bear along with an interactive photo mosaic.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Michigan<\/h2>\n<p>My wife wouldn\u2019t come inside, as she grew up in Ohio (only true Ohio State fans will understand this), but I didn\u2019t grow up a Buckeye and they gave every guest a free box of cereal.<\/p>\n<h2>Ohio<\/h2>\n<p>How could you have not leaned into the Wright Brothers, astronauts like Neil Armstrong, or even the Buckeyes to make your pavilion better? Come on, Ohio, you could have done better!<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>North Carolina<\/h2>\n<p>About the only cool thing in this pavilion was the Bass ProShops NASCAR Chevy. And yes, my Ohio is showing, but stop claiming the whole \u201cFirst in Flight\u201d thing, when everyone knows where the airplane was really invented.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>District of Columbia<\/h2>\n<p>A giant mural allowed every guest the chance to leave his mark, including me drawing huge heart with an arrow through it featuring our initials: GMT -n- TNT.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Minnesota<\/h2>\n<p>Not much to like beyond crop art featuring Al\u2019s Breakfast Dinkytown Branch, which is advertised as the \u201cbest breakfast in Minneapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>South Dakota<\/h2>\n<p>All you had to do was beat North Dakota, and you failed! However, we did learn that the New England\u2019s Patriot\u2019s Adam Vinatieri went to South Dakota State.<\/p>\n<h2>Wyoming<\/h2>\n<p>Great advertising (\u201cMavericks Wanted\u201d). Silly tent.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Wisconsin<\/h2>\n<p>The only thing memorable was a Harley-Davidson, but considering the custom bikes on display in the American Innovates Pavilion, this one was rather depressing.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Virginia<\/h2>\n<p>I know Virginia is for lovers, but apparently it has something to do with peanuts, utensils, apples, tobacco, and corn. Yeah, I still don\u2019t get it!<\/p>\n<h2>New York<\/h2>\n<p>A big \u201cI Heart NY\u201d photo-op.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Iowa<\/h2>\n<p>A big graphic featuring wind turbines, cows, and the world\u2019s largest concrete garden gnome named Elwood. Who knew?<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Maryland<\/h2>\n<p>We got to meet a local artist named Matt Long even though the rest of the pavilion was uninspiring.<\/p>\n<h2>Indiana<\/h2>\n<p>Since I\u2019ve worked on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, I was sad not to see any race cars inside. Instead we got a small and poorly themed miniature golf course.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Alabama<\/h2>\n<p>At least no one yelled \u201cRoll Tide\u201d at us.<\/p>\n<h2>Georgia<\/h2>\n<p>When the coolest thing in the pavilion is fake Vidalia onions, you know you\u2019re in trouble.<\/p>\n<h2>Delaware<\/h2>\n<p>I went to Delaware and all I got to see was a lousy oversized postcard.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Rhode Island<\/h2>\n<p>Nothing more than two chairs and a graphic, but the long-shot Republican candidate for Rhode Island\u2019s 2nd Congressional District was there stamping and signing people\u2019s passports.<\/p>\n<h2>Kentucky<\/h2>\n<p>Yeah, they tried (and failed) to claim Abraham Lincoln. It felt like the state\u2019s Democrat governor didn\u2019t want to spend any money.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>South Carolina<\/h2>\n<p>We live in South Carolina and found this pavilion super sad. They should have at least put a sign up that said, \u201cHey, we started the Civil War!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>Vermont<\/h2>\n<p>Nothing but two chairs and a graphic, but what was funny about this graphic was Sen. Bernie Sanders. Yep, the socialist icon is now up there with cows, skiers and maple syrup.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<h2>U.S. Virgin Islands<\/h2>\n<p>One chair and a graphic provided by the organizers of the Great American State Fair.<\/p>\n<h2>Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Alaska, Maine, Connecticut, Oregon, and Washington<\/h2>\n<p>Same.<\/p>\n<h2>Massachusetts<\/h2>\n<p>Same, and lame because, you know, the state is the home to Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, and the whole midnight ride by Paul Revere that kicked-off the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n<h2>Hawaii<\/h2>\n<p>You got beat by Guam! I mean seriously, Hawaii, all you had to do was ask a few local Hawaiians living in Northern Virginia because they can\u2019t afford to live in the Aloha State to show up, play some music, and hand out leis.<\/p>\n<p>Based on my experience working in Hawaii, I know they would have loved to show up and \u201ctalk story.\u201d Instead, we get a haole stamping passport. We didn\u2019t even get a shaka.<\/p>\n<figure><\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Geoff Thatcher has flown more than 3 million miles on Delta designing theme parks, museums, and brand experiences around the world.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Great American State Fair showcases all 56 states in small pavilions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3755,"featured_media":2623231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/New-Jersey-George-Washington.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9595,3881,82155,3951],"class_list":["post-2623230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-fair","tag-family","tag-pavilions","tag-travel"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/New-Jersey-George-Washington.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3755"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2623230"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2623234,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623230\/revisions\/2623234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2623231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2623230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2623230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2623230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}