Since 1886, the State Fair of Texas takes place every fall in Dallas. With the largest attendance of any fair in the nation, it brings in a whopping $350 million annually. Similar to a carnival, the State Fair of Texas has all sorts of attractions. But what makes this fair unique, is that it doesn’t just offer rides and cotton candy. While it does have the largest Ferris wheel on the North American continent, it also offers a variety of other exhibits, including a complete auto show and test-drive track.

The fair originally exhibited a horse race track, racing stock, cattle and farm machinery. It wasn’t until gambling on horse racing was prohibited in 1903, that the State Fair of Texas (also called BigTex after the fair’s 52-foot tall cowboy icon) began to gain its modern identity.

The fair grounds were imaginatively redesigned during the 1920s. A musical auditorium was added and the racetrack was removed to create the Fair Park Stadium (later the Cotton Bowl), where now the Red River Shootout Texas-Oklahoma rival college football game coincides every year with the fair.

Today, the fair is made possible through corporate sponsorship. Various musical guests are invited each year. Among famous performers were the Jonas Brothers, Christina Aguilera and Garth Brooks.

In addition, a monorail takes guests to different locations within the park. While less traditional exhibitors like IKEA, L’Oreal and Chevrolet are on display, many traditions do remain.

Visitors can still enjoy ribbon winning in the creative arts, shopping for unusual crafts and trinkets and of course milking a cow. But no visitor can plan on attending the fair while on a diet. Specialty foods of the fair include barbecued meats and fried foods from everything from pork chops to cheesecake.