The Big E 100 Years: Our Five Must-Sees and Top Tips for Families

In advance of The Big E's Centennial Season, New England Fall Events treats you to a taste of what this classic New England festival has in store for you and your family. Each of our posts leading up to their 100th year will feature a different section of the The Big E experience but if you want the whole enchilada at once, click to read our article "New England Fall Events' Complete Guide to The Big E."

Top Tips for Families Attending The Big E

Relaxing in the Farm-a-Rama Exhibit.

If your kids can fit, bring a stroller or a wagon to tow them. With so much physical ground to cover, little legs will wear out fast. Wagons and strollers can be rented for $10-15 but there are no advance reservations and they are rented first-come-first serve.

There is a drop-off area if you don’t plan to park or if you wish to drop off part of your group while your driver parks in a lot down the road.

Bring cash as the parking lots do not accept plastic.

Wear smart, comfortable, durable walking shoes. Leave the flip flops at home.

A detailed lion taming scene created
in miniature at the circus museum.

The crowds can be exhausting and overwhelming. Take breaks to rest in the calmer areas on the fairgrounds. We found the calmest areas to be Storrowton Village, the Mallary Complex, and the Coliseum. The Midway, the shopping complexes (the Young and Better Living buildings) the Avenue of the States Buildings, and Farm-o-Rama were the busiest on the Friday we attended. 

If you can attend on a weekday, do. Not only will the crowds and lines be more manageable but you can take advantage of the Midway Magic Pass which includes unlimited midway rides for a more affordable rate (and not available on the weekends).

You can enter the fairgrounds before the exhibits open. By arriving at the exhibits just before they open up at 10:00am you can be one of the first to see some of the more popular exhibits while there is still elbow room.

Painted squash entries at the veggie
display inside the Stroh building.

Popular shows like the Circus Spectacular and the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs can be enjoyed free of charge but there are limited seats (and viewing area) so unless you get there really early, you won’t get into the circus or be able to see the pigs’ tricks. Arriving 10 minutes before the show won’t cut the mustard on a busy day.

The amount of money you spend on food will add up fast. Consider snacking and sharing throughout the day to pace yourself financially and belly-wise.

There are gluten-free options but they may not be as healthful as you want. Plus, some gluten-free options like kettle corn and ice cream aren’t really lunch-worthy or nutritious (though kids won’t complain!). Other options like sirloin tips and salads may not be realistic “kid food”. There is a baked potato station near the food court and another in the Maine Building but Maine’s wildly popular loaded baked potato is also famous for its lines and could involve a 45-90 minute wait in line. Some tacos from the Crows’ Nest Mexican food vendor are gluten-safe and the BBQ pulled pork from the Pork Palace is made with gluten-free rub. In short, you may find gluten-free food for your child but you would be wise to pack a back-up lunch just to be confident.

A goat awaits his afternoon showing
inside the Mallary Complex.

If you don’t live nearby, consider staying overnight to attend over two days and spread out your entertainment. There is a lot to fit in and if your kids insist on midway rides that will eat up a couple hours of your time. The reasonable admission fee makes a two-day event do-able but all the extras—food, midway, purchases will add up.

The shopping extras will also tug at your wallet relentlessly and at nearly every corner of the fairgrounds—face-painting, jewelry, toys, games, etc. For kids who are learning about money, consider allotting each child an allowance for the day to spend how they wish to help you keep a lid on how much you are doling out.

Take advantage of the many interesting demonstrations and countless free exhibits. For kids, Farm-o-Rama is a must and don’t even think of skipping the Miniature Circus Museum. Allow time to browse the Mallary Complex and enjoy learning about and visiting the livestock.

Breathtaking quilts on display inside
the New England Center building.

Remind your children that the livestock are never to be touched or petted, no matter how cute.

The Mallary Complex has bathrooms with warm/hot water taps to get a good hand-washing in!

Kiddieland is the part of the Midway that hosts rides for smaller children—teacups, train rides, carousel, mini swings, etc.-- all for a fee.

There is a Mother’s Nursing Lounge inside the New England Center though we aren’t sure of the level of amenities or comfort you will find.

Sample award-winning local cheese.

You’ll find diaper changing stations in certain rest rooms around the grounds. Baby changing stations are in the ladies’ rooms inside the Young Building, Coliseum, Better Living Center, Visitors’ Center, Food Court, and the New England Center. There are diaper changing stations in the men’s rooms inside the Better Living Center, Visitors’ Center and Food Court. The Mallary Complex and the Moses Building host family bathrooms.

Make sure your family has a plan and knows what to do in the event that anyone is separated from your party. There is a “Lost People Center” at The Big E but it’s best to have a plan in place that your children understand and can follow.

Do yourself a favor by downloading the free Big E app. You can plan ahead, select events to populate your customized schedule, and if you enable the notification setting the app will alert you when events on your schedule are coming up! If there are vendors or attractions on your must-see list you can even customize your fairgrounds map to help you identify what you’d like to see. It’s a very flexible and super useful app. We suggest tinkering with it ahead of time to become familiar with how it can help you and to customize your fair experience.  Find it on iTunes and GooglePlay.

New England Fall Events TOP FIVE Must-Sees for Families

The Miniature Circus Museum… for wonder and charm. Read why.

The Mallary Complex… for interesting educational exhibits, animal demos, livestock showings, and an overall calmer environment. Read more.

Farm-o-Rama…for farm related displays, small live animals to observe, and interactive exhibits geared towards kids. Try the scavenger hunt! Details

The Coliseum… consult the schedule to check out the horse showmanship which will delight kids.

The Connecticut Building on the Avenue of the States…for the make-and-take Lego booth and the Dinosaur dig in the rear building. Read more.

Ready for more? Read our Complete Guide to New England's The Big E!

The Big E 100 Years: A Fascinating Look at Agriculture and the Arts

In advance of The Big E's Centennial Season, New England Fall Events treats you to a taste of what this classic New England festival has in store for you and your family. Each of our posts leading up to their 100th year will feature a different section of the The Big E experience but if you want the whole enchilada at once, click to read our article "New England Fall Events' Complete Guide to The Big E."

Agriculture

The Cabot butter sculpture encased
outside the Mallary Complex.

For us, one of the most fascinating parts of The Big E was the focus on agriculture. Not only did we find it immensely educational and interesting but it was also one of the more relaxed areas on the fairgrounds.

Outside the ginormous Mallary Complex, fairgoers can peer in at the 600 Lb. butter sculpture sponsored and donated by Cabot Creamery/Agrimark. Adjacent to the butter sculpture are the Christmas trees on exhibit by the New England Christmas Tree Alliance. The trees on display are entrants in a competition where the trees are judged by the quality of their taper, handle, stem, top, foliage, cleanliness, and overall appeal. These trees are displayed without decoration save for the award winners which sported a ribbon their quality.

Swift Swine Racing (and swimming) Pigs

Also outside of the complex is a cordoned off area where large crowds gather to cheer on the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs. This is a popular entertainment for families and the bleacher seating fills up quickly. Although there is room to stand, the crowds will be several people deep and would prove challenging for kids and shorter folks to see the show.

The Mallary Complex itself is where fairgoers can learn about animal showmanship, test their knowledge about cow trivia, watch animal care demonstrations, competitive livestock showings, and sheep shearing demos, and chat with farmers.

The local 4-H clubs provide well-organized and interesting educational facts at their Mallery Complex display.

Inside, the 4-H exhibits are thoughtful, interesting, and engaging. The display boards utilize interactive flaps, cut outs, pictures, charts, and trivia to highlight educational facts about cows and dairy. You can test your luck at naming the five most common beef breeds and learn to identify where to the pastern, poll, and dewlap are on a cow.  The information is well-organized, hand-made, and useful to know for kids and adults alike. We were impressed by the intelligent exhibit the 4-H clubs presented and we appreciated that it was included in our tour of the Mallary Complex.

The heifer showing inside the Mallary Complex. Steven Pampreen (center) preparing to show his Belted Galloway.

We enjoyed speaking with Steven Pampreen, a teen farmer from Connecticut, who was showing his Beltie cow Bubba later that night. He explained that his cow would be judged by the measure of how well it had been cared for, its health, size, grooming, and Steven’s skillfulness in raising it to be prepared for auction three days later. We later learned that Steven placed 2^nd in his class at the Junior Belted Galloway competition—nice job Steven!

Sheep shearing demos are terrific fun!

The sheep shearing demo is great fun. Entertaining and efficient, the host of the event manages to narrate, educate, and answer questions all while adeptly and safely shearing the wool from the sheep. This area offers a few benches from which to watch the demo (ahhh, so happy to rest our tired feet!) and the farmer also instructs how to spin wool into yarn using a simple method employing a stick and a compact disk.

As we wandered through the Mallary Complex we took in the sights and sounds of livestock. We couldn’t help but find it immensely funny to hear the cacophony of Baaaaaas emanating from hundreds of goats and sheep awaiting their showing and bleating with as much tonal variety and personality as a person could dream up. We were quite content observing the different breeds -- some resting in holding pens, others being primped and fussed over for their showing. We paused to take in the Tunis sheep showing which was held quite close to the holding pens and convenient for fair-goers to enjoy both.

The complex also houses the Fiber Nook which is a medium-sized store selling beautiful hand-crafted items ranging from alpaca slippers and gorgeous crocheted afghans to skeins of wool.

Primping and prepping for the sheep showing inside the Mallary Complex.

Wool samples outside the Fiber Nook.

A few things worth noting about the Mallary Complex:  It’s important to know guests are not permitted to touch the animals and unfortunately we saw quite a few fair guests who reached into the pens to pet the heads or scratch behind the ears of the unattended animals. For safety reasons, please do not disregard this policy, certainly without asking permission of the animal’s owner, and respect that they may wish to decline their permission.

As the Mallary Complex is filled with livestock—it’s the animals’ domain after all—you might be delighted to know that the bathrooms in the main hallway offer a hot water tap to wash your hands—yes, with actual hot water coming through which is quite the novelty and very appreciated!

Snuggled in and waiting for her showing.

There are livestock shows in different facilities on the fairgrounds with the majority held within areas of the Mallary Complex as well as inside the Coliseum—a larger arena with 360 degree seating.

We spent some time in the Coliseum watching the participants in the 4-H Horse Pleasure Class, who had competed earlier in the day, receive their awards and take a few “victory” laps for our collective appreciation. The gentleman on the microphone introduced each class of riders and explained the characteristics and technique that the horses and riders were judged by. Like other demonstrations we saw at The Big E, this is a casual setting for spectators to wander in, observe, learn something, cheer on the participants, and depart at their leisure. There are proper seats for the audience and plenty of seats for everyone. Due to the size of the facility, there isn’t much risk of not getting a seat if you were to arrive late or mid-show.

Scenes from the winners circle and presentation held inside the Coliseum.

With so many events and activities competing for attention at The Big E—the midway rides, food, shopping, etc--we fear that the livestock demos, shows, and education could easily be overlooked as an important and worthwhile way to spend your time at The Big E. It was one of our favorite parts of our visit and the many farmers we met were generous with their time and happy to talk about their animals. In every instance where we stopped to chat, it was gratifying to come away having learned something new. We insist you make time to explore what the Mallary Complex offers.

The Stroh Building and New England Center

The New England Center is located near the main entrance of The Big E's fairgrounds close to the Craft Common. It’s here that you’ll find creative areas exhibits and competition entries for needlework, quilting, hand weaving, crochet, rugs, knitting, and photography. The level of artistry was impressive particularly the stunning quilts which were hung on display to be admired in their full glory. Though not limited to New England crafters, most of the competitors did seem to drawn from the northeast which gave it a local feel.

The stunning entries in the quilt competition were on full display for our enjoyment. Incredible crafting talent! 

The New England Center also holds the distinction of being home to The Big E’s cream puff and éclair bakery. The wide counters for ordering your treats overlook the bakery itself, large enough to generate the volume of pastry needed to keep fair-goers happy with their creamy treats.
As befitting the official dessert of a fair the size of this one, these softball-sized puffs are filled fresh and busting with fluffy whipped cream. As anyone who loves pastry knows, a cream puff shouldn’t be filled too far in advance of eating lest the pastry become soggy. Here you can see The Big E bakers stuffing your puff while you wait.

The cream puff bakery has a small window kiosk outside the building where you can order your $4 puff or you can order from the sizable counter indoors which has more cashiers and where lines will likely move quickly.

The Stroh Building is a standalone building across from the Midway, sandwiched between the Young Building and the Coliseum. This building is home to the popular Farm-o-Rama which is a collection of agricultural exhibits featuring everything from giant pumpkins to gardening. There are milking demos, more sheep shearing demos, beekeeping exhibits, storytelling, and an animated, talking vegetable “puppet” show.

Kid-focused educational exhibits at Farm-A-Rama where children can learn about raising livestock.

A clever way for you or your kids to get more from the numerous exhibits is to participate in one of the scavenger hunts—easy or advanced—by grabbing a printed list of scavenger items posted in a wall folder nearby. There are challenges where you’ll be quizzed on identifying farming items such as horseshoe nails, pail clip, a hay net and a candler.

There are live animals in this building strictly intended for observation and educational purposes. We saw chinchilla rabbits, alpaca, fluffy chicks, and 3-week old piglets on display. The animal exhibits are typically accompanied by details on how the animals are raised, the food they eat, and other care-taking info. Stroh is also where the Clydesdales are housed in their stalls and where kids can try their hand at milking a (fiberglass) cow.

Children delighted in the livestock display held inside the Stroh Building's Farm-A-Rama exhibit.

If you’ve ever wondered of how manure is converted into fertilizer, soil, animal bedding, methane energy uses, every step of the “Basic Anaerobic Digester System” is detailed in a diagram flow chart and a large diorama that breaks down each step in the process—both fascinating and well done.

The pumpkin exhibit showcases painted and styled pumpkins--Lightning McQueen, New England Patriots, and Banana Split -- submitted by local children and adults for a decorating competition.

L to R: Pumpkin decorated as a chicken, pumpkin fun facts, the elaborate anaerobic digestion diorama.

Clydesdale horses await the start
of the afternoon parade festivities.

The exhibits inside the Stroh Building are geared toward young children and focuses on easy-to-follow, interactive agricultural displays. The colorful signs, displays, and activities hold great appeal for families and it’s a great way for children to see a wide variety of smaller animals.

As we exited the Stroh Building, we fortuitously happened across several majestic Clydesdales waiting on the side street in preparation for the daily 5:00pm parade through the center of the fairground. We stuck around to enjoy the parade through “town”—a collection of classic cars, local sponsored floats, several high school marching bands and color guard and—stars of the show—the aforementioned Clydesdales.

Ready for more? Read our Complete Guide to New England's The Big E!