Do It. The Orange County Fair.

County fairs don't get much excitement out here in California, but that changes whenever the Orange County Fair rolls around.

That's because it's so much more than a simple fair--on top of all the usual sketchy carnival rides, strange attractions, and fairway games, there are major events like the concert series, which this year boasts performances by actual household names like Faith Hill, Adam Lambert, the B-52s, Weird Al Yankovic and Blondie.

And of course, there's the food, which is nearly an event in and of itself! You can't hit a fair without indulging in something ridiculous and fried, and the O.C. Fair is nearly the best in combining the two. Oh there are those bacon-wrapped hot dogs and boxes (yes boxes) of fries, but how about deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried Twinkies and--apparently this year's big one-- deep-fried butter? Oh yeah.

So escape the city for a bit and have some carefree fun! You might want to have some antacids ready, though.

The Orange County Fair is located at 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa and runs until Aug. 15. Tickets are $10 for adults.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: OC Fair