Here come Georgia’s fall fairs. No two are alike, and all present great travel opportunities from Crossing Creeks RV Resort & Spa in Blairsville.

Fairs start in early September, with at least one fair scheduled each week through mid-November. Some are regional, some local. The biggest of all is the Georgia National Fair.

At almost any fair you can expect entertainment for all ages: food, of course, livetock competitions, cooking and baking contests, rides, concerts and fireworks.

To find your own way, here’s a list of county fairs in Georgia. Here are some highlights:

Northwest Georgia Regional Fair

• Cherokee Capital Fairgrounds
• 1060 Liberty Road, Calhoun, GA 30701
• Sept. 7-15

One of the first agricultural fairs of the season is the Northwest Georgia Regional Fair. The Cherokee Capital fairgrounds in Calhoun are less than a 2-hour drive from Blairsville. This is pretty much an old-fashioned country fair, with livestock competitions, 4-H and FFA exhibits, clowns, puppets, rides and traditional fair food. Gates open at 5 p.m. weekdays and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5, age 5 and over. Parking is free.

Georgia State Fair

• Atlanta Motor Speedway
• 1500 Tara Pl, Hampton, GA 30228
• Sept. 28-Oct. 7

With just about every kind of family entertainment imaginable, the Georgia State Fair runs for 10 days. It’s staged inside the Atlanta Motor Speedway, so there’s plenty of parking, including limited RV parking (call 901-867-7007). The speedway is about two hours and 40 minutes from Blairsville.

Kids entertainment abounds: a petting zoo, the Puppetone Rockers audience participation show, a white tiger display, pig races, monkeys serving as jockeys and racing dogs, a circus, magic and motorcycle daredevils. There’s also a midway and a walk-through butterfly encounter. The $10 admission ($5 ages 5-12, seniors) includes all attractions, including music; rides are extra. Tuesday is ride all day for $10. Other days, ride all day is $25. Thursday, each ride is $1.

Tickets are available only at the gate.

Georgia National Fair

• 401 Larry Walker Pkwy, Perry, GA 31069
• Oct. 4-14

Sponsored by the state of Georgia, this is the biggest of the fairs. Traditional livestock shows are a Georgia National Fair highlight, with competition for cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, horses, rabbits and llamas. The Invitational Steer and Heifer Shows welcome 4-H and FFA exhibitors from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina and Mississippi.

Music includes Emmy winner Peabo Bryson; Neal McCoy; a College Night ticket shared by Aaron Tippin, Sammy Kershaw and Collin Raye; 1990s and Southern Rock revivals; and gospel and Latin music. Other entertainment: pig races, antique tractors, hypnotist Tammy Barton, magicians, midway exhibits and lots of rides.

The Georgia National fairgrounds are about a four-hour drive from Blairsville, just over two hours south of Atlanta. Online ticket sales begin Aug. 24.

Elberton 12-County Fair

• 350 N. Oliver St. Elberton GA 30635
• Oct. 12-23

The regional Elberton 12-County Fair in northeast Georgia is less than a 2½-hour drive east from Blairsville. Daily admission is $5, and all-morning or all-afternoon ride tickets are available. In addition to blue-ribbon livestock contests, time-honored competitions include vegetables, jellies, jams, crafts and art. Here’s a different contest: 4Hers vie for best scarecrow. Musical acts entertain nightly, and there’s even pro wrestling.

North Georgia Agricultural Fair

• 500 Legion Drive, Dalton, GA 30721
• Oct. 18-26

One of the final nearby fall fairs is the North Georgia Agricultural Fair in Dalton. Ribbons are awarded for pies, cakes, pickles, preserves, jams, jellies, Christmas ornaments, quilts and much more. Crops judged include string and lima beans, corn, honey, nuts, peppers, tomatoes and many more categories. Livestock also is judged. Oh, and there’s a contest for voices: Karaoke preliminaries are Oct. 19 and finals, Oct. 26. There are food and rides aplenty.

Dalton is to the west of Blairsville—an hour and a half away by U.S. 76, or an hour and 50 minutes by the scenic route through south Tennessee on U.S. 74.

*Photos courtesy of Wikipedia.