CFM Selfie Stops – Look for the selfie stops across the grounds. #MyMSFSelfie for a chance to be the “Selfie Spot Selfie” of the day & win a free custom CFM 32 oz RTIC water bottle!
Art Stop – Fine Arts Building
- The Fine Arts Building was built in 1929 and displays art from artists all across Missouri.
- The Fine Arts Building features award-winning entries in Amateur & Professional divisions, Porcelain Art, Missouri Junior Top 50 & Missouri Top 50.
- The mural on the side of the Fine Arts Building, named “New American Grafitti” was painted in 2012 by Linda Hoover, an artist from Houstonia, MO.
Beef Stop – Beef House
- Where’s the beef? Right Here! The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Beef House serves steak, brisket, burgers and more.
- In 2023, nearly 10,000 pounds of beef were consumed by over 19,000 fairgoers who visited the Beef House during the Fair.
- Beef is a superfood providing the body with zinc, selenium, Vitamin B6 and protein!
Blue & Gold Stop – FFA Building
- The FFA Building showcases the hard work for Missouri FFA chapters across the State with entries in Ag Mechanics, Field Crops, Horticulture/ Floriculture, Fruits/Vegetables & more!
- The FFA emblem is one of the most iconic images in the agricultural industry and dates back nearly 100 years.
- The official FFA colors are National Blue and Corn Gold.
Cattle Stop – Coliseum
- The Coliseum was built in Four US presidents have spoken in this historic building.
- William Howard Taft 1911
- Harry S. Truman 1955
- Ronald Reagan 1984
- George W. Bush 2004
- The Coliseum hosts beef & dairy cattle shows during the annual State Fair as well as equine shows throughout the year.
- Over 2,700 head of cattle were shown at the Fair last year.
CFM Prize Stop – CFM Booth at the Grandstand Fence
- Founded in 1869, CFM is the oldest farm mutual in the State of Missouri.
- Their mission is to provide quality insurance at a competitive price & to offer personal, friendly & dependable service.
- CFM Insurance has been a sponsor of the State Fair for 6 years. Thank you, CFM, for your support of the Missouri State Fair!
Clydesdale Stop – East of the Mathewson Exhibition Center
- The Budweiser Clydesdales have been a symbol of Anheuser- Busch for more than 90 years. August A. Busch, Jr. & Adolphus Busch III presented a hitch of horses to their father to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition for beer on April 7, 1933.
- Clydesdale horseshoes measure more than 20 inches from end to end & weigh about 5 pounds.
- Each hitch horse will consume as much as 1 to 6 pounds of whole grains, minerals & vitamins, 50 to 60 pounds of hay & 30 gallons of water per day.
Chick & Bunny Stop – Poultry/Rabbit Barn
- Originally built in 1909 as an open-air structure for the exhibition of machinery, with the annex added in the 1920s, the building became the Poultry/Rabbit Building in 1949.
- COCK-A-DOODLE DOO! There were over 1,300 poultry entries at the Fair last year.
- DID SOME BUNNY SAY RABBITS? There were over 1,900 rabbit entries at the Fair last year.
Dairy Stop – Gerken Dairy Center
- The Gerken Dairy Center, sponsored & ran by Midwest Dairy, was built in 1999.
- It is home ot the famous “Butter Cow,” this year themed “Lost in a Dairy Tale.”
- The Gerken Dairy Center offers hand-dipped ice cream, shakes, & grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Watch the milking demos at 9:30 am and 6 pm daily with the exhibition herd in the milking parlor.
Fire Stop – State Fair Firehouse
- The MSF Firehouse was built in 1968.
- The MSF Fire Department is the only fully-operational fire department in the U.S. that operates for only 11 days a year.
- The MSF Fire Department is staffed with 75 dedicated volunteers 24 hours per day during the annual State Fair providing fire suppression & advance life support emergency medical services.
Head, Heart, Hands & Health Stop – 4-H Building
- The 4-H Building is home to projects from Missouri 4-H members across the state. From entomology & wildlife to foods & sewing to livestock & robotics – Missouri 4-Hers can do it all!
- 4-H is the largest nonformal education program for youth in the U.S. with over 6 million members & 600,000 adult volunteer leaders.
Largest Stop – Agriculture Building
- How do this year’s largest watermelon & largest pumpkin compare to last year’s winners?
- Last year’s largest watermelon weighed 147.5 pounds.
- Last year’s largest pumpkin weighed 751.5 pounds.
- An average watermelon weighs 20 pounds.
- An average pumpkin weighs 13 pounds.
Main Gate Stop – Centennial Gate Entrance
- The 16th Street Historic Main Gate was added to the Fairgrounds in 1939.
- The historic gate is made up of three ticket booths spanned by steel arch work.
- This one-third-scale made its debut at the 2017 Fair to give Fairgoers an opportunity to take their photo with this iconic piece of the Fair all year long.
Nature Stop – Conservation Building
- Featuring reptiles, amphibians & aquatic creatures native to Missouri, the Conservation Building showcases nature from the Ozarks to the Plains.
- Watch live demonstrations from live raptors, Conservation canines, campfire cooking, native grasslands and more daily.
- Be sure to get your picture taken with Smokey Bear and be sure to wish him a happy 80th birthday!
Otto Stop – MoDOT Highway Gardens
- Otto is a 1931 Model A Ford Roadster, one of original Missouri Highway Patrol vehicles.
- Otto made his first appearance at the Missouri State Fair in 1969.
- He greets Fairgoers, blows his horn, blinks his eyes, wipes his windshield & talks to fairgoers of all ages about vehicle safety.
Pork Stop – Pork Place
- Since 1979, the Missouri Pork Association has ran The Pork Place on the Missouri State Fairgrounds and have been serving hungry Fairgoers delicious pork meals.
- The Pork Place started out housed under a tent but took on a new look in 2009 when a brand new air-conditioned building was constructed.
- Over 23,000 Fairgoers were served at The Pork Place last year, serving over 7,000 pork burgers and over 1,100 slabs of ribs.
Pig Stop – Swine Barn
- The Swine Barn was built in 1922. It hosts swine & boer goat shows.
- The west portion was designed to be as elaborate as the east, but was never completed. In 1960 a metal building was added on the west side to help with the symmetry of the building.
- Over 2,600 head of swine & over 300 head of boer goats were shown at the Fair last year.
Ride Stop – Carnival Midway
- The Ferris Wheel was invented in 1893 for the Chicago World’s Fair by George W. Ferris.
- The first Ferris Wheel had two 1,000 horsepower reversible engines.
- The Giant Wheel is over 100’ tall. Each gondola can set 6/8 adults or children comfortably.
- Thank you, Wade Shows, for bringing the Giant Wheel to the MSF!
Shady Stop – MoDOT Highway Gardens
- The MoDOT Highway Gardens was built in the 1920s as a tribute to roadside parks all along Missouri highways.
- The gardens feature ponds with water lilies & goldfish, water fountains set into a rock, benches, picnic tables & a variety of native wildflowers.
- The gardens offer a nice shady spot for Fairgoers to rest in the shade & enjoy the landscape.
Sheep Stop – Sheep Pavilion
- The Sheep Pavilion was built in 1965 & renovated in 2020. It hosts sheep & dairy goat shows.
- You better BAAAA-lieve it! Both sheep & goats have rectangular pupils that allow them to have a 270 to 320 degree field of vision.
- Over 1,900 head of sheep & over 500 head of dairy goats were shown at the Fair last year.
Tiger Stop – MO-Ag Theatre
- Built in 1998, the MO-Ag Theatre is home to Mizzou Central, operated by the University of Missouri – Columbia.
- A Fairgoer favorite – Buck’s Ice Cream – is housed in Mizzou Central, featuring Tiger Stripe & other favorites created & scooped by College of Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources. Over 600 gallons of Buck’s Ice Cream was served to fairgoers last year.
- Exhibits by University of Missouri Extension are also housed in Mizzou Central.