The corn will still be green and growing in August. No harvesting going on. Probably wont find any corn maze.

The pulls are awesome. Since you didn't know what they are, be aware it is very, very loud. Maybe have ear plugs handy since you never been. Just in case. Have a great time and come hungry!! Lots of food.

I have not yet seen any corn mazes advertised yet this year, but in past years they have had them around the time of the state fair at Pumpkinville in Mitchellville (about 15 miles east of Des Moines). There also is a place south of Knoxville, IA (about 40 miles SE of Des Moines) that has had corn mazes. Hopefully there will be one for you to enjoy while you're here.

As the respondent from the tourism office said, I believe cost for attending the monster trucks and tractor pull is covered by buying a general admission ticket to the fair. One tip is that fair tickets can be purchased at a discount before the fair begins at many grocery stores (HyVee, Dahl's, Fareway, etc.) in the Des Moines area. Buying them in advance saves you a few dollars and time waiting in line on the day that you attend the fair.

Have a safe, smooth trip up over!

Admission to the Tractor and Truck Pull is $20 for adults and $10 kids age 6-11. This is in addition to the State Fair Gate admission.

Thanks everyone. Very helpful as usual. My son says we must see the 'Demolition derby' as well now so it looks like we'll be spending a lot of time at the fair.

I've just Googled corn mazes and found a few that open from mid August so hopefully there will be a good one nearby. The one we went to last time had a swing into a haystack in the barn and was not far out of DSM. If anyone knowns the name I'd appreciate it.

Now all I need to do is organise my rental car (hope the nice lady from Clive is still at the airport rental desk) and them I'm all set.

Hi AngelQ here again, I know that the fair is underway and that there may be no discounted fares - but can tickets still be purchased off site to avoid a long line at the gate? Also, we are staying in Urbandale and I would like to save money on the parking and take the $2.00 pp exact change roundtrip buses I have read about. Would we be coming in then to Gate 10 - the DART Shuttle Drop off? I printed off the half day tour of things to see and do based on which gate a person enters.

I'm not sure whether you can buy Fair admission tickets off-site during the Fair. I haven't experienced real long lines to get in, but then I usually go right when it opens in the morning.

I always take the shuttle bus from the Capitol. It drops off and picks up at gate 10. Note that you pay the roundtrip bus fare ($2) on the way to the Fair, and pay nothing on the return trip. There were helpers there at the Capitol making change for people in line if they didn't have it. The entire bus experience was very quick and efficient. I recommend it.