If you’ve ever driven to the State Fair, then you know that traffic can become congested the closer you get to the fairgrounds. While there are parking lots available at Carter-Finley Stadium and surrounding privately-owned locations, you’ll likely wait in line to get into a parking lot, and then spend more time searching for a spot to park.
Sounds like a hassle, doesn’t it? Well, we’ve got the solution for you: take the Deep Fried Bus Ride!
Leave your car at one of several park-and-ride lots and take the bus to the fair
By riding the bus, you can leave your car in one the conveniently located park-and-ride lots around the Triangle, take a relaxing ride to the fair and get dropped off right at the gate. Here’s a list of Deep Fried Bus Ride locations:
Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses, daily:
- North Raleigh: CAT bus park-and-ride shuttle from the ITB Holdings Building at 2912 Wake Forest Road
- Cary: CAT bus park-and-ride shuttle from the WakeMed Soccer Park
- Downtown Raleigh: CAT bus stops along Wilmington, Morgan, Edenton and Hillsborough streets (look for the blue State Fair signs)
All CAT buses operate daily, and drop off/pick up outside Gate 1. Regular fare is $4 round trip. Click here for more details.
Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) buses, daily:
- NEW in Durham: DATA bus park-and-ride lot at the Durham Heritage Square Shopping Center, 401 East Lakewood Ave.
- Downtown Durham: DATA bus park-and-ride lot from the Downtown Durham Station
All DATA buses operate daily and drop off/pick up outside Gate 10. Regular fare is $2 round trip. Click here for more details.
Triangle Transit buses, weekends only:
- NEW in Chapel Hill: Triangle Transit park-and-ride lot at University Mall, 201 South Estes Drive.
- RTP: Triangle Transit park-and-ride at the Regional Transit Center, 901 Slater Rd near the Sheraton Imperial Hotel
Triangle Transit buses operate on Saturdays and Sundays only and drop off/pick up outside Gate 10. Regular fare is $5 round trip. Click here for more details.
McLaurin Parking Company buses, weekends only:
- Garner: McLaurin park-and-ride lot at 500 Chapanoake Road, located off of Hwy. 70 East/401 South, South Wilmington Street
Garner buses operate on Saturdays and Sundays only and drop off/pick up outside Gate 12. Regular fare is $4 round trip. Click here for more details.
Give the Deep Fried Bus Ride a try this year, and you’ll see why it’s the easiest way to get to the fair.
We might give the Garner option a try on Sunday morning. What time do the buses start? That will determine if it’s do-able or not. Even still THANK YOU for providing an option from Garner!!