Who has the shortest fair in California? It's a county known for wine production--the premier and best known wine region, as a matter of fact.

Napa County Fair in the city of Calistoga lasts exactly one day! Usually held on or around the 4th of July, the fair's emphasis on local farming and grape growing can't be denied. It's an exciting fair that may be short-lived, but not short on love.

There are three county fairs that tie for the longest run--San Diego County Fair, Los Angeles County Fair and Orange County Fair all enjoy a month of fair-going pleasure. The three biggest fairs are large, well orchestrated productions planned as to not overlap with each other.

The largest attendance of all three is Los Angeles County Fair. Its attendance routinely pushes around one million annually.

Our family hopped into a car and tried to attend the fair on the free admission day -- big mistake! Our only regret was driving the distance to the event as we never got in. However, when we looked over to the fairgrounds and saw the crowds, we decided it wouldn't have been a pleasant experience on that particular day. Week days are a better choice than weekends, and Labor Day Weekend (free day) is guaranteed to be packed.

The nicest fairgrounds of the three longest is San Diego. It is located within view of the Pacific Ocean and the those wonderful breezes make fair attendance a pleasurable experience. There's a chairlift ride that takes you over the fairgrounds and dangling above the Del Mar Race Track. It's a real treat.

Orange County Fair is probably our favorite of the three longest fairs because it has so many deals to get in free or cheap. It's important to have pocket money for food, games, rides and fun stuff at fairs, so getting in for less leaves more for entertainment. In a good year we'll attend the fair three or four times, thanks to those 30 day fairs in the urban environs.