Have you ever been to a Renaissance Festival? There is one held annually in Ohio and in other parts of the country annually. Not really sure what happens there? Check out the details below.
The hubby is a bit of a geek. Or maybe dork is a better word. No, I’ll stick with geek. I have to admit some of his interests are out there. Japanese animation, Lego, Star Trek, etc. Okay, so maybe those aren’t really “out there,” they’re just not my thing. I’m a Gilmore Girls, Angel, Buffy kinda gal. So I have to admit that the first time I went to the Renaissance Festival was with the hubby, I was a bit unsure what to expect. To be perfectly honest, until I went with him, I had never actually heard of the Renaissance Festival. That was many years ago, and no, don’t ask how many and it started a fun annual tradition with us that heralded in fall, my favorite season. But as with so many other things, the arrival of our child put a bit of a hold on getting to the Renaissance Festival every year, until now.
2015 marked the return of our family to our local Renaissance Festival, and while some things have changed, many of our old favorites have remained true. Even better, this year we got to share it with our daughter!
Pardon the shadow, we were so excited to be there as a family!
A word of advice to those of you with a little one or two, start early and plan your trip. The website contains a trove of listings of the craftspeople, entertainment, rides, etc. Figure out what you definitely want to see (like the Mud Show) and then mark it on the festival map when you get there.
So what is there to do? A LOT! In fact there is so much that there have been many years we went more than once. There is Jousting. Yes, Jousting like in the movies. Big Horses, Full Armor, Broken Lances, Toppled Knights. Get to the arena for a good seat. Do you like comedy? How about the Mud Show. There are almost always good seats if you aren’t too worried about getting muddy (and if you sit in the front row, you WILL get covered), but there aren’t really any bad seats and it is hilarious. Do you like arts and crafts? The festival abounds with handmade crafts of all varieties. From the glassworker creating hummingbirds right in front of you to blacksmiths repairing armor (from the joust) or making real swords that cut through cinder blocks (It’s a pretty impressive display) or someone making chainmail (the hubby owns a chainmail hacky sack) to beautiful earrings and necklaces and window prisms. Do you like rides and games of chance (looks at 6 year old daughter in tow)? Believe it or not they have thrill rides, human powered and all. My daughter’s favorite was a free swinging barrel ride pushed and spun like a top. You could hear her screaming in delight. And last but not least is the food. There are turkey legs and bread bowls and roasted nuts and some absolutely yummy Bourbon Chicken. Are you hungry yet? I’m getting hungry all over again. And all of this is topped by tons and tons of people, performers and regular guests alike, dressed in full period costume. My daughter had a blast seeing all the fun costumes and the funny shows and looking at all the sparkly pretty stuff as she put it. I recommend you go and make some fun renaissance memories of you own.
To learn more about the Renaissance Festival, check out their social media links below!
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
Disclaimer: This post is written in conjunction with the Ohio Renaissance Festival. I received complimentary entry passes in exchange for my unbiased review. Regardless, all opinions expressed are always 100% my own.
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