The County Fair Guide
Southern Middle Tennessee · 2026
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Every fair south of Nashville and west of Chattanooga — dates, tickets, and drive times from Tullahoma. Eleven fairs. Three months. One very full funnel cake budget.
July – October 2026Admit OneAdmit One
Fair season is upon us, y'all — and if you're willing to drive a little, it stretches from mid-July clear through the first weekend of October. Funnel cakes, livestock barns, tractor pulls, ferris wheels at dusk, and that one goat who screams like a man. It's the best time of year and I will not be taking questions.
This guide covers every county fair in our part of Tennessee, in the order they happen, with the drive time from Tullahoma on each ticket. Bookmark it — I'll update as fairs release schedules and theme nights.
🚜 First up is Bedford County — and it starts Monday.
★ Free Printable ★
The TullaHomeschool Fair Mini Study
The fair is a free agriculture, economics, and local history lesson wearing a funnel cake disguise — and I made your kids a study to go with it. Six printable pages, grades K–3: fair vocabulary, a Fair Spotter's Checklist to bring along, a reporter page, drawing pages, a book & media list, and a shake-it-yourself butter experiment for after. Works at every fair in this guide.
Free · Grades K–3 · 6 pages · Straight to your inbox
Want to go deeper? Our full TullaHomeschool unit studies turn any local outing into a complete lesson — one session before the trip, one after, and the event itself is the classroom.
★July★
July13–18Admit All
Bedford County Fair
Shelbyville · ~25 min from Tullahoma
"Harvesting the American Dream" — livestock shows, ag exhibits, tractor pulls, carnival rides, and fair food at the Bedford County Agriculture Center (2119 Midland Rd). A classic small county fair you can do in one evening with littles. Schedule & tickets: bedfordcountytnfair.org
Starts MondayField Trip Worthy
★August★
Aug7–15Admit All
Williamson County Fair
Franklin · ~1 hr 15 min
One of the biggest and most polished fairs in the region, at the Williamson County Ag Expo Park (4215 Long Lane). Gates open evenings on weekdays, 10am on Saturdays. Rain or shine. Details: williamsoncountyfair.org
Day Trip
Aug15–24Admit All
Wilson County Fair – Tennessee State Fair
Lebanon · ~1 hr 15 min
The biggest fair in the state — the county fair experience turned up to eleven. Massive midway, livestock, exhibits, and entertainment at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center. Make a full day of it. Details: wilsoncountyfair.net
Day TripThe Big One
Aug17–22Admit All
Giles County Fair
Pulaski · ~1 hr
A true southern Middle Tennessee county fair — livestock, exhibits, midway rides, and small-town charm on the square-adjacent fairgrounds. Check the Giles County Fair Facebook page for the daily schedule as it's released.
★September★
Sep3–7Admit All
Maury County Fair
Columbia · ~1 hr 10 min
Labor Day weekend in the Mule Capital of the World. If your kids did our Mule Day unit study, this is the victory lap — same town, same mule heritage, plus a midway. Check the Maury County Fair pages for the schedule.
Mule CapitalDay Trip
★ Best in Show · The Hometown Fair ★
Coffee County Fair
September 4–12 · Manchester · ~15 min from Tullahoma 169th Annual
One hundred and sixty-nine years. Our fair has been running since before the light bulb existed, and it's still the highlight of late summer around here — nine full days of rides, fair food, pageants, livestock, and theme nights at the Coffee County Fairgrounds (99 Lakeview Dr).
💵 $30 per day at the gate · $25 if you buy online ahead. Unlimited-ride wristbands are sold through Modern Midways — buy online before Sept 4 at noon for the best pricing (4-packs available). Most rides have a 36" minimum height.
🌻 Tullamama Tip
Buy ride wristbands online before the fair opens — cheaper, and you skip the ticket line with impatient kids in tow. And check the theme night schedule before picking your day; some nights are far better for littles than others.
Sep11–19Admit All
Warren County A&L Fair
McMinnville · ~45 min
Just up the road from Manchester, the Warren County Agricultural & Livestock Fair overlaps with the tail end of Coffee County's — so if you somehow didn't get your fill of fair food the first week of September, here's round two. Schedule on their Facebook page as it's released.
Sep15–19Admit All
South Central Area Fair
Hohenwald · ~1 hr 45 min
The farthest flung fair in this guide — worth it if you're already headed west or want to pair it with a visit to the Elephant Sanctuary's Discovery Center in Hohenwald and make a proper adventure of it.
Adventure Territory
Sep19–26Admit All
Lincoln County Fair
Fayetteville · ~40 min
One of the bigger county fairs in southern Middle Tennessee, known for its livestock shows and full midway — and close enough for a school-night visit. Details on the Lincoln County Fair Facebook page as dates approach.
Field Trip Worthy
★The Finale★
Sep–Oct24–3Admit All
Middle Tennessee District Fair
Lawrenceburg · ~1 hr 20 min
The grand finale of fair season — a big district fair running Sept 24 through Oct 3, right as the weather finally turns. Ten days, cooler evenings, and the last funnel cake of the year. Check the Middle Tennessee District Fair pages for the full schedule.
🌻 New around here?
Every week I compile a free guide to family-friendly things happening within about 50 miles of Tullahoma — Coffee, Bedford, Franklin, and Rutherford Counties. Subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Saturday morning.
"Somewhere between the ferris wheel, the funnel cake, and the screaming goat, your kids are going to make a core memory this fair season. Probably the goat. It's always the goat. 🐐"
— Jennifer @ Tullamama 🧡
