Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds — Attraction in Berea

The Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds is a vibrant and iconic venue that captures the heart of community life in Northeast Ohio. Whether you’re attending the annual county fair or one of the many seasonal events held throughout the year, there’s always something exciting and memorable happening on these historic grounds.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the fairgrounds during the summer fair, and it was a truly enjoyable experience for all ages. The grounds are spacious, well-maintained, and thoughtfully organized, making it easy to navigate between the food vendors, exhibition barns, rides, and entertainment areas. There’s a nostalgic charm in the air — from the smell of kettle corn and funnel cakes to the sounds of laughter, live music, and tractor pulls.

One of the highlights of the visit was the impressive variety of activities. The livestock exhibits were both educational and fun, especially for children who rarely get to interact with farm animals. The 4-H and agricultural displays showcased the talent and hard work of local youth, and the arts and crafts exhibitions gave a great sense of community pride.

The food options were extensive — classic fair favorites like corn dogs, lemonade, barbecue, and ice cream were available at every turn. Most vendors were reasonably priced, and portions were generous. I especially appreciated the inclusion of some local food trucks offering more diverse options.

The midway offered a great selection of carnival rides and games, suitable for both kids and thrill-seeking teens. Lines moved quickly, and the staff were friendly and professional. Safety was clearly a priority, and I saw plenty of security and staff members throughout the grounds.

In addition to the fair, Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds hosts a wide range of events throughout the year — flea markets, car shows, seasonal festivals, and cultural gatherings. The venue is flexible and large enough to handle big crowds without feeling overwhelming.

Parking was free and easy to access, with plenty of space available even on busy days. Clean public restrooms and shaded seating areas made the visit more comfortable, especially during hot summer days.

Overall, the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds is much more than just a place to hold events — it’s a beloved community hub that brings people together to celebrate tradition, agriculture, entertainment, and local culture. Whether you’re a longtime resident or just visiting the area, it’s absolutely worth a visit. I look forward to returning again...

This has been a very interesting week weather wise. We originally planned to attend the Cuyahoga county fair at the fairgrounds on Saturday August 12, but the weather forecast was showing thunderstorms all day, so we changed and attended on the 11th. Unfortunately, we had several strong storms roll in on Friday evening.

During the first Torrent of rain, almost everyone in attendance ran for one of the buildings hosting the various events and just tried to wait it out. Once the rain relented, people started wandering out again, us included. Unfortunately mother nature wasn't done and there was another bout of very heavy rains and thunder that happened and sent everyone scrambling to shelters again. After that rain passed, they made an announcement that they were effective immediately, closing the fair and asked everyone to leave. All foods, rides, and buildings would be closed.

This was a total nightmare as one would expect, as you now have an entire Friday nights worth of fair goers all now trying to leave the fair grounds at the same exact time. The parking area was a total mud pit and cars were stuck all over the place. Add in the fact that people were arriving to pick up people while the rest of the cars were trying to leave, it was total chaos. No one from the fair or the police department was doing anything to try and direct traffic that we could see. It took us over 40 minutes to ultimately exit the parking lot. It was worse than some of the blossom concerts I have been to.

Granted the rain was not the fair's fault but they should have anticipated when they made the announcement to close, that they would need to at least try and facilitate the sheer amount of people trying to leave through a single exit to the road at once (there is usually a side road that would have helped but they had it blocked for some reason, so there was literally only one way out for the main parking area)

Thankfully the fair did honor all tickets purchased on Friday, for the Saturday fair. The weather was much better with a strong bout of rain for around an hour in the afternoon then clear skies the rest of the night.

The fair itself was fun but the experience from Friday left a lot...

I wouldn't give a star if I didnt have to. I am from out of state visiting family in town. First I arrived at the fair the last day Aug 10th at about the opening time 12 noon I drove in and saw that the row I had to go down was all the way back by the trees. Since I have a eldry Mom and she has a hard time walking I tried to turn around in the aisle I was in , which wasn't a problem accept it was for the flag girl that chased my car down. I rolled down my window and explained to the girl that I wasn't parking all the way down there ND that I was gonna leave the fair grounds and come back again hoping I would get a closer spot. The flag girl was not gonna have it, said I was being loud and rude and told me I was banned from the fair. She began taking photos of my car and plates with her personal cell phone and said " you are banned and cant come back, leave now!!" When I asked her to explain why she told me to leave!!! I never once cursed at her or got nasty just simple explained the situation Since when does a flagger have the right to kick someone out of the fair? I can see if i was a threat but I wasn't. Day before you let someone into the fair with a gun, and they got to go in. I want to park closer and and I'm told to leave the fair grounds. Now how horrible, I had pre purchased tickets as well and they became trash. All because this flag girl didnt like that I wanted to leave and come back to be closer. You need to re train your staff, on customer service and she needs to refund me for my tickets!!! I will never attend your fair in the...