I did a local one (had to drive 90 minutes to the farthest) and didn't love it. It was nice to conquer my fears of highway driving and see parts of AZ I hadn't seen before, but I felt obligated to buy when I got there, since they were giving me free stuff. So I ended up buying a lot of things I have yet to use and only sort of wanted (and the comment I know I'm going to get is "you don't have to buy"... I just felt guilty).
I do the online FabShopHop and I like it. Easy to do from the comfort of my own home and no obligation/guilt to buy.