[davis38]

You won't find any hotels near the fairgrounds, not that I would recommend staying there even if you did. Probably your best bet if you want to be on the Northside of town would be the hotels at the 86th St/Castleton exit off of I-69. There are quite a few and its a nice area with a lot of restaurants near by.
Then all you have to do is head south on I-69 which turns into Binford Blvd which then becomes Fall Creek Road. Fall Creek will take you straight to the fair grounds at 38th St.
Depending on where you're coming from, this might take you a little out of your way to get to the hotels, but its the easiest way to get from the hotel to the fairgrounds. Hope this helps and hope you enjoy yourselves. I enjoy going every year.