The Big E

Produced by the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, The Big E works as New England's shared state fair, the only six-state fair of its kind in the country. Its signature is the Avenue of States, where all six New England states have one-third-scale replicas of their original statehouses, each standing on land that state owns. Step inside for a loaded Maine baked potato, a block of Vermont cheddar or a cup of New Hampshire apple cider. Across the way, Storrowton Village Museum recreates 18th- and 19th-century New England, with costumed interpreters leading tours of historic buildings and daily demonstrations like blacksmithing and open-hearth cooking.