The Big E

The Eastern States Exposition! Also known as The Big E. This is a fair that is put together every year for about 3-1/2 weeks in West Springfield, Massachusetts. They have everything you could possibly think of at the Big E…food, beer, crafts, shopping, rides, shows and entertainment, animals, and my personal favorite the State Buildings. If you click on the picture above it will take you to the website so you can see all the different attractions they have.

I mainly wanted to share the food with you because, well…this IS a food blog haha ;-). Like any usual fair there was of course the carnival food, the fried Oreos, the cotton candy, and ice cream. This fair has an ENORMOUS amount of food though and I just wanted to show you some of the places that were set up there very briefly.

I mean really, this is like carnival food on steroids at this place. You go to the Big E and all you do is end up eating! So let’s get to that portion of the fun shall we? 🙂

First stop was for fried dough, yes….friiiieeedddd dough. I do not ever eat things like this and I feel like I deserve it after working so hard at work and how much I work out on a daily basis. I wanted to treat myself and BOY did I! I go to the same place every year to get it called “Tootie’s”. The fried dough there is SO good I cannot even describe to you. You can get powdered sugar (my fav), cinnamon, regular sugar, even marinara sauce!

Then there are the State buildings. Now this is my favorite part. They have 6 states that have buildings at this fair. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. I am going to take you on a tour of each of the buildings and show you what I ate or what I got to take home. They have a little piece of each state in every building. Mostly the foods that they are famous for.

Rhode Island:

The apples are incredible in the Rhode Island building! Did you see those things?! I swear each one had to weigh at least 5 lbs. Sheeeesh! And the Clam fritters are something you cannot miss when you go there as well. DELISH!

Massachusetts:

I ALWAYS get the maple candy! And NO not because I am a Maple Leafs fan for all you Hockey player fans out there, I am a Bruins fan :-). I HAVE to get this candy because it is seriously the most heavenly maple candy on this earth. It just melts in your mouth it is so incredible! YUM!

Maine:

THIS was the main attraction for me and you will see why…

These are SERIOUSLY the best baked potato you have ever had in your ENTIRE life. No joke. No lies. It is the best! Check this baked babe out….

This baked potato is so creamy when you put it in your mouth. It is just absolutely cooked perfect. The skin is so good as well. I know a lot of people don’t like the skins of potatoes, but I love the skins. The skin on this potato is crisp but not too crunchy. The inside is so soft, smooth, and buttery! I cannot say enough about how good this potato is, I wait for it every year. 🙂

Vermont:

Yup, maple syrup, Ben&Jerry’s, and beer is about all that Vermont has, haha.

Connecticut:

The LEGO headquarters is actually only a few miles away from where I live in CT!

New Hampshire:

Is anyone else detecting the common theme in all states? Maple maybe?? Nah! That can’t be it! 😉

Now there are a few last things that I have to show you because they were important to my trip. The first thing being the CRAZ-E Burger. Now, this burger I did not have this year. Last year however…I did try this burger and honestly…I do not know if I am brave enough to try it again, haha! It is a hamburger with american cheese, bacon, and a Krispy Kreme Donut as the bun. Yes you heard right, the donut is the bun.

I don’t even want to think about what this does to your body when you eat it haha.

Next is the White Hut. The White Hut is a burger place that is located in West Springfield, MA. All the native Westsiders know about the White Hut. Their burgers with cheese and fried onions are a staple in the Westside.

All in All the Big E is something that you have to try if you are a New Englander or even a visitor during the time that they hold the fair. It normally starts in the middle of September and goes until the first week of October. I hope you enjoyed taking the trip with me and I know I will be going again next year! 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone!