I am a Texas girl, proudly born and raised. If you’re from Texas or have visited, you know the joys the state can bring. I could go on about why we love it here, but I think I could sum it up in one simple phrase: Texans go big or go home. Because the Texas State Fair is coming up (Sept. 30-Oct. 23), I figured I would help the seasoned fair veterans and first timers alike get ready so you don’t miss the best stuff. Here’s a list of some of the most popular things at the fair:

1.The Deep Fried Oreos

You can obviously see my joy. Now you can get anything fried at the fair. Things like coca cola, cookie dough, bacon burgers, and yup, even bubble gum. But one will always hold a special place in my heart: Deep fried Oreos. They just make you feel good to be alive. (Eat them too much and they won’t help you stay alive, but I trust you can limit yourself).

2. Photos with Big Tex

He’s our 55-foot State Fair statue that you can’t miss going to see. I heard that this year his outfit is going to be decorated to honor the Dallas Policeman who lost their lives in the shooting. An even better reason to go snap a pic with Big Tex!

3 .The Animals

We live in Texas. You don’t think we’d have a fair without multiple horse shows, petting zoos, and races. Last year, my boyfriend and I went to the fair and fed some giraffes, kangaroos, and zebras. You don’t see those every day.

4. The Ferris Wheel

It’s the largest Ferris wheel in the U.S. so go get on that 212 ft ride of fun.

5. College Football

We have the Cotton Bowl that sits in the middle of the fairgrounds. So if you’re coming to the fair, might as well see a good ball game, right?

6. The Concerts

We love country music, so Texas had to make sure there would be 75 concerts within the State Fair season.

7. The Shopping
We have 18 shopping locations on the fairgrounds, so if “shop till’ you drop” is your motto, you’ll be set. It’s pretty easy to get sucked into buying the cool stuff. Last year, my boyfriend bought two home grills that he swore he couldn’t get anywhere else.

8.The Auto Shows

They have over 400 cars to show off. I’m a girl, so after about 30 cars, I’m good to go, but you better believe my dad and boyfriend will spend some time in there.

Now if you're feeling completely overwhelmed with excitement, that's a totally normal feeling. Just wait until you get there. There are way too many things I could list, but you can also go check out their website (http://bigtex.com). Hopefully, you’ll go check out the crazy, fun, fried filled Texas State Fair.