This past year we studied the Renaissance, Dark Ages, and Medieval times as a big part of our homeschool history. Therefore we decided to take the kids to the Renaissance fair when it came to town. We had a blast plus it was neat for the kids to see history come to life. It rained a good portion of the day, hence the ponchos, however we still had so much fun!
This gentleman was so very kind and helpful. He taught us how to tell who actually worked at the Renaissance fair and who was just there in costume. If you ask the workers questions they will respond to you in character and with an accent of where they are from, it was fun, not entirely accurate, but still fun!
The Best Renaissance Fair Activities
Jamieson and Caroline saw the sword fighting and had to try! They had so much fun and the worker was cheering them both on!
Caroline and Jamieson had just had a “sword” fight and Jonathan was giving her a pep talk because she lost. It was a sweet moment between them that I just had to capture! She’s telling Jonathan that she hit Jamieson two times with her sword.
Village life in Medieval times
The Renaissance Faire is set up like a 16th Century English village celebrating the visiting King Henry VIII. As you walk throughout the village there are different “plays” going on some of which include King Henry VIII and his royal court. Each player knows their English history well and it shows!
Visiting the Armory
Time to suit up! The Eternal Arms shop housed all the different pieces of armor including tunics, shields, pauldrons, faulds, chain mail and gauntlets. They also had a wall of swords, daggers and medieval tools. We were so glad we went in to see it all.
We spent far too much time in her looking at all the detail of each item. They were all so cool to see. Victoria really liked the Knights Templar cloak and the swords. Jonathan’s favorite piece here was the skull shaped visor, it was pretty menacing. Jamieson and Caroline were just mesmerized with all of it, they would have been happy to take any piece home.
The Village Armory was my favorite stop, we even had a Scott teach us how to blow things up! He was funny and engaging and fabulous with the kids. His presentation is a must see! My kids still talk about him and even remember what he taught them.
He gave each of the kids a job to do so that they each got to participate. It was fun for all of us and very entertaining.
Birds of prey at the Renaissance Fair
The Birds of prey show is a perfect break from all the walking you are doing.
Parade
Everyday at a specific time they have a parade. They have every class of person, from beggars to the King and Queen. The paupers were definitely the most entertaining and the boys really got a kick out of some of them. The girls loved the women’s costumes and accessories and of course the ponies. I will say that there are some women who play as shrews and belly dancers who are scantily clad, so be prepared for that. At one point in the parade a belly dancer danced up to Joe and Jonathan they both tried to back away. We all enjoyed the parade and seeing all of the costumes.
You can’t have a medieval festival without a jousting tournament! I believe they had 6 different Knights. The kids decided to choose rival knights in a boys against girls fight. If memory serves me correctly, the girls knight won, he was the good knight. I will warn you though, they do use fake blood and my littles kept asking if it was real. Who doesn’t love a good jousting tournament?
Knight and Ladies of the Realm
Jamieson, Victoria and Caroline became a knight and ladies of the realm. Jonathan had no interest in participating. The King is supposed to be Henry VIII and all of his Lords and Ladies are to be the Lords and Ladies from that time period. The kids really enjoyed becoming a Knight and Ladies, and it doesn’t cost a thing, except time.
Mermaid Lagoon
I am still not exactly sure how mermaids fall into medieval times, but it was fun to see them and the kids got to touch their tails. At least we can all say that we have met, talked to and touched an actual, live mermaid!
Renaissance dancing
Learning a medieval style dance.
The Petting Zoo
The medieval petting zoo, well not exactly, either way our kiddos wanted to pet all of the animals. Now, while the Birds of Prey show, cannon demonstration, dancing, knighting and jousting show are all free, the petting zoo is not. Who are we kidding, we paid for it all, nothing is really free, they just didn’t cost extra. We particularly loved seeing the Zonkey he was very cool!
Renaissance Belly Dancers
Axe Throwing at the Renaissance Fair
While the little kids were petting the animals Jonathan got in some axe throwing. I have to say, I was impressed but also a little scared that he did so good! I think he enjoyed this the most.
Jousting Tournament
The jousting tournament took place at the end of the day, which was perfect because it had finally stopped sprinkling. We enjoyed cheering for our chosen knights and watching the horses. At the end of the day we were exhausted and muddy but we had a fabulous day! I hope you enjoyed my post and if you have never been to the Renaissance Fair I hope this sparks your interest. Psalm 90:12
