Get to the Fair
- Bus & Train Info
- Driving Directions
- Maps
- Parking Info
Ride the bus! Take the train! Carpool with friends!
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One of the best options for getting to the State Fair is to take a bus or train. |
| From Charlotte - $27.50 | From Greensboro - $11.50 |
| From Kannapolis - $25.50 | From Burlington - $9.00 |
| From Salisbury- $22.50 | From Durham - $6 |
| From High Point - $15 | From Cary - $5.50 |
Discounts available for seniors, children, college students with
Student Advantage Card & active military.
*Note: Temporary State Fair stop is wheelchair accessible.
Driving Directions
Physical Address: |
The N.C. State Fairgrounds is easily accessible from the I-440 Beltline, I-40, as well as from Blue Ridge Road, N.C. Highway 54 (Hillsborough Street) and Edwards Mill Road. Free parking is available on State Fair and Carter-Finley Football Stadium property, except for recreational vehicles that park between the hours of midnight and 8:00 a.m. |
I-40 East into Raleigh
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
I-95 North to I-40 West
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
US 70 West to I-40 West
Exit #293, I-440 to Exit #289 Wade Avenue
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
US 64 / 264 West to Raleigh
Exit 419 - I-440 towards Wake Forest
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #4-B
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
I-40 West to Raleigh
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
US 264 West to 64 West to Raleigh
Exit 419 - I-440 towards Wake Forest
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #4-B
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
I-85 North to I-40 East to Raleigh
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #289
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
I-95 South to I-85 South to US 1 South to Raleigh
Take I-440 W Exit towards Sanford
Exit Wade Avenue, Exit #4-B
Exit Edwards Mill Road
Follow signs to State Fair parking
Parking Info
The best option for getting to the fair is to park in a Park & Ride lot and ride the bus. See the Bus & Train information for where these lots are located. Park & Ride buses drop off patrons just outside the Fairgrounds gates, eliminating the hassle of finding a parking spot. Convenient Park & Ride lots are available in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Chapel Hill and RTP.
Parking is free on state property
Free parking is available on State Fair, Carter-Finley Football Stadium and PNC Arena properties. Fairgoers are encouraged to take Wade Avenue to the Edwards Mill Extension to park in these lots. There may be exceptions if events are scheduled at Carter-Finley or the PNC Arena.
See a map of the Fairgrounds
Recreational vehicles are not allowed to remain in the parking spaces owned by the State Fair between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m.
Neighboring Private Lots: During the Fair, neighboring residents frequently convert parts of their property to small parking lots, and charge between $5 and $10 for space. This is not controlled by the State Fair.
Handicap parking lots
The parking lot at Gate 10 at the northeast corner of the fairgrounds, between Trinity Road and Blue Ridge Road is paved and designated for Handicap Parking only.
There are more than 100 parking spaces designated for use by handicapped or disabled visitors in this lot, but a valid handicap permit is required. Visitors can access the Fair through gates 9 and 10.
When handicap parking spaces at Gate 10 are filled, drivers with valid handicap permits will be directed to Carter Finley Stadium.
Buses and vehicles may unload disabled passengers in the paved parking lot near Gate 10, but may only park there if the vehicle displays a valid handicap permit and if space is available. The driver of the vehicle should inform a traffic patrol officer of the intention to simply drop off disabled passengers.
Click here for more information about handicap accessibility.
Exhibitor parking lots
Concessionaires and exhibitors park in the lot west of RV Parking past Gate 9 along Trinity Road. Another option for exhibitors is just south of the fairgrounds across from Hillsborough Street and Gate 2. Permits are required for these lots.
Don't park on the street!
In years past, fairgoers have been accustomed to parking alongside Wade Avenue, but both Wade Avenue and Edwards Mill Road are now designated as tow-away zones. The North Carolina Highway Patrol has implemented these areas for the safety and protection of pedestrians. Youth Center Road is also a tow-away zone.
On especially busy days, the Highway Patrol may shut down exits from Wade to Blue Ridge Road and from the inner beltline to Hillsborough -- starting as early as traffic demands it -- to encourage flow to Edwards Mill Road.
You parked the car where?
Tram services
For weary fairgoers who exit the gates only to discover that they are on the opposite side of the fairgrounds from where they parked, a tram service is available. A 25-passenger exterior perimeter tram will circle the fairgrounds outside of the gates, making stops at gates 2, 8 and 10.
A parking lot tram will shuttle passengers from Carter-Finley Stadium to the fairgrounds for free on days of heavy attendance.
A separate, inner perimeter tram operates inside the gates of the fairgrounds for a fee. This tram stops at Gate 1, the Folk Festival (near Gate 10), Dorton Arena and Gate 8. Ticket booths for purchasing tram tickets are located at each of these stops inside the fairgrounds. Tram tickets cannot be purchased in advance.
Unfortunately, neither the interior nor exterior tram services are wheelchair accessible.
