School Tours

DATES: October 8-11, 2024

LOCATION: Live Music Stage, BASE, Kids Zone, Petting Zoo

The Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo invites all Pre-K through 4th Grade students to come experience our fair on a more personal level. This unique experience offers the students a fun way to learn all the ways the agricultural industry touches their lives. With up close and personal interactions with animals, rodeo contestants, and hands-on learning the students will leave with a whole new appreciation for the world around them.

1. Ag-Zoo-Cation
   • This sing-and-dance-along session will educate the students on some of our more exotic animals on the fairgrounds. They'll learn what the animals eat, where they live, and some of their likes and dislikes. In previous years we've seen tortoises, kangaroos, water buffalo, and even a Z-donk (that's a zebra/donkey hybrid, in case you didn't know).
2. Doorways to Agriculture, presented by Texas Farm Bureau
   • Through these “Doorways” students are provided with opportunities to learn about agriculture commodities grown in Texas through interactive exhibits and games. Past years have included state-of-the-art touchscreen kiosks, live miniature cotton gin demonstrations, and a theater with videos produced by TFB.
3. Dairy Discovery Zone, presented by Dairy MAX
   • At the Dairy Discovery Zone, families can enjoy learning how your favorite dairy foods go from the farm to your table. They discover where dairy comes from, how its 13 essential nutrients fuel your body, and how dairy farmers are working to protect people, their animals, and the planet for generations to come. Come play interactive (and educational) games, enter to win a dairy prize and even milk our animatronic cow, June!
4. The H-E-Buddy Barnyard plus Petting Zoo
   • The H-E-Buddy Barnyard is a chance for the students to interact with actual livestock one-on-one. They'll experience the petting zoo, Livestock Birthing Center and Nursery, and educational displays about all kinds of livestock species.
5. Rodeo 101
   • New for this year, the Heart O' Texas School Tours program will host a Rodeo 101 for the kids. This new program will teach the kids about some fan-favorite rodeo events. While also allowing them to interact with a variety of rodeo personalities from the clown to the bull fighters, contestants, and maybe a guest appearance from some of the livestock as well.