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The North Carolina State Fair is a celebration of home, history and culinary delight.
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We at The News & Observer are no stranger to the imaginative and simply delicious food that you can get on the fairgrounds every October. We tell our readers year after year which new foods are worth waiting in long lines for and share the stories of vendors who have been serving fair classics for generations.
These fair foods offer us lifelong memories with our loved ones and amaze us with how much cheesy, oozy, deep-fried goodness can sit on a single plate — or how good something so simple and affordable (looking at you, roasted corn) can be when eaten in the North Carolina sunshine.
Last year, we took a select group of readers on a tour through the fairgrounds to chow down at five of the most popular vendors. We ate deep-fried ribs and mac and cheese bowls, brown sugar-fried corn and chimney cakes with Oreo-topped scoops of ice cream.
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This year, we’re opening that experience to all with 10 self-guided foodie tours for your NC State Fair enjoyment. We asked our readers last month for their favorite vendors and put that to a vote, adding your 25 most-loved spots to our tour — plus a few more favorites that define fair food year after year.
Play with our interactive tool to map out your ultimate foodie day at the fairgrounds.
Sweet Tooth Tour
Cool-Off & Drinks Tour
Budget Bites Tour
BBQ & Smokehouse Tour
Global Flavors Tour
Dietary-Friendly Tour
Light(er) & Fresh(er) Tour
Sweet-and-Salty Tour
Ultimate Fair Sampler
This story was originally published October 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline “Use our 10 foodie tours to find the best foods at the 2026 NC State Fair.”
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