Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect changes for the 2019 State Fair of Texas.
The State Fair of Texas means a whole lotta fun, but it also means spending a whole lotta loot. Don't fret, Texans: We scoured the fairgrounds in search of deals to make the trip easier on your wallet. With a little strategy, you can save big money. For info on discount fair admission tickets, see the facing page; to find out which of this year's new foods are worth your money, turn to Page 18.
Water for $1 or less
It's imperative to stay hydrated at the State Fair, and luckily several booths get that it shouldn't cost an entire sheet of coupons to do so. The Daughters of the American Revolution House, located right by the front entrance gate, sells water and soda for $1. The history lesson comes free.
Soda Refill Stations are located throughout the fairgrounds, and if you look closely, they offer another deal: water for two coupons, or $1. We know of several, including one on Lone Star Boulevard between the Centennial Building and the Chevrolet Main Stage, another on Nimitz Circle near the dog shows at Pan American Arena, one by the Old Mill Inn and one on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as you exit the Fun Way — but there are more, so keep your eyes peeled.
There are also stands at the fair dedicated to cheap water. Some are called Lil' Pardner's Bottled Water and others simply tout two-coupon water. They're usually near the Soda Refill Stations, but not always.
Stop by the Icehouse on the Midway or the Beer Barn at Cotton Bowl Plaza for two-coupon or $1 water, as well. (More on those locations below.)
Let's say you only have cash or a credit card and don't feel like exchanging for coupons. Duck into the Go Texan Pavilion, where the Pioneer Brand convenience store sells $1 bottled water.
Pro tip: You can take your own food and drink to the fair, as long as it's not alcohol, and you don't have metal forks or knives or glass. You can even take a cooler to keep it chilled.
Beer for $3
Perhaps you want to refresh with a cold beer. Folks looking for the bare necessities can grab a domestic or craft brew for six coupons (that's only $3) at the Icehouse on the Midway, near the Texas Star Ferris wheel.
If you're in Cotton Bowl Plaza, the Beer Barn also sells six-coupon beer. Options include Coors, Lone Star, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Shiner, Budweiser, Bud Light, Pudge Rodriguez 13 Gold, Michelob Ultra and Miller Lite. Both bars also offer water for $1 (two coupons).
Food for less than half-price
Thrifty Thursdays are your best bets for food deals at the State Fair. Concessionaires offer serious discounts on more than 100 items every Thursday, from pizza to nachos to funnel cakes -- and, of course, Fletcher's corny dogs. Even some former Big Tex Choice Awards finalists, such as Fried Chocolate Tres Leches and Fried Thanksgiving, are on sale. (Items can be purchased with coupons only.)
You'll see many of the stands with signs saying they offer the Thrifty Thursdays deal, but you can also find them with the Thrifty Thursday list and map printed in the fair's Visitor's Guide.
Compiled by Tiney Ricciardi, with additional reporting by Audrey Eads, Kim Oglethorpe, Dan Singer and Shannon Sutlief
