Absolutely loved this ballon fest! We only went on Saturday and tickets online were $25 but kids…read moreunder 6 were free! We got there at 7:30am so parking was super easy! Definitely get the parking pass ($15), totally worth it especially if you have a young kiddo like we did. Parking and the event is in a grassy field. We packed water, snacks, blankets and even clothes to change when it warmed up in the afternoon. We planned to stay for the morning balloons and the afternoon balloons so we were prepared. The balloons were so cool. And we were really close. They also did tethered balloon rides and balloon flights for purchase. There were plenty of food stands , drinks areas and vendors. There was also a kids area with shows, bounce houses and hay bails for chilling. They only had porta-potties but never had to wait in line. They also do a night glow and for $2 you could walk inside a balloon getting inflated. This was such a fun family-friendly event with great photo opps. There were a lot of people but never felt overly crowded. We will be making this a family tradition!

Phenomenal event, not too crowded, great for families and couples. Do not miss this annual event.read more

A true apple festival people! Well worth the drive here. Apple cider fried donuts, several several…read morecraft vendors, 3 music stages, and food vendors galore. We were pleasantly surprised by the vendor options and very impressed by this organized and fun festival.

Since moving to North Carolina we have gone to a number of fairs and festivals. I think the people…read moreof Taylorsville know how to do it because a Apple festival should be surrounding Apples....and it did. If you have the chance to go to this in the coming years, take the time and go. There is a lot of great food and craft items there for sure.

This was not at all organized…read more The lady who owned the property "Pioneer Point" had said she had 80 acres and the event could have been held there, but a contract was already signed prior. Parking was $10 and about 1.5 miles from the venue. There were 2 different areas you could park. They had NO bathrooms at the parking area and only 2-15 passenger vans, later they added a regular van. Mind you, they had over 10k people interested in this event since it was well advertised on social media. We waited in line for 1h 15min to get on the shuttle. Once you get to the venue, if you didn't buy your ticket online prior to the night before, you had to wait in another line for approximately an hour to get a ticket and go in. For the people who had a ticket, we still had to wait about 30 minutes juts to get in the venue. I had commented prior to the event asking if they would have turkey legs. I was told yes. So I was not happy that there was no turkey legs, let alone very few food trucks, maybe 3 or 4 and one being wetzels pretzels. Usually at Ren-Faires they have food that tailors to the event, not random crap like pretzels. There was 2 lemonade stands, and not much else. There was around 60 or so vendors, but I noticed a lot of them tripled or quadrupled prices, such as gems, rocks etc than you can buy anywhere else. They should have put porti-potties on both ends, but instead they put them in the middle , where you have to take tiny steps because it was extremely muddy. If you know red dirt... you know that you sink when it's wet. So everyone had caked on red dirt on their shoes or boots, slipping around, hoping you don't fall. This event is not handicap friendly at all. They have no handicap parking or seating for handicap when waiting for the shuttle..... one lady in a wheelchair kept getting stuck pretty deep in the mud so couldn't even move or see the event. Whoever puts on this event needs to be mindful of pricing ($30 for this event was ridiculous for what we got), parking (needs bathrooms and BUSES not a couple vans), more than one entrance to get in, MORE food and drink choices, had no security, people could walk through the bushes to get in, and a bigger/flatter location so people aren't getting stuck in the mud and having to climb up and down hills. I would not recommend this Ren-Fair, I have been to numerous different ones around the country and this one was by far the least prepared for this type of event.

Amazing faire it improves every year. There is something for everyone there from the shopping to…read morethe shows on 3 stages!

WHY DID I WAIT SO MANY YEARS TO COME HERE!!!!…read more Wow, I had TOO much fun this year at the Carolina Renaissance Festival with a group of friends. We went on a Saturday around 11am and there was light traffic getting in, but it moved quickly and flowed smoothly. The parking situation was very organized and quick. The lot is massive but they have staff every step of the way so it was seamless. We walked a little ways to the entrance but everyone is in costume so the people watching started immediately and that was so fun! Before you even enter the gates to the festival they have some cool vendors out front. There was even the Tardis from Doctor Who and I lost my mind with excitement!!! I couldn't believe it!!! That encounter really set the pace for the rest of the day because I was on cloud 9 before we even entered the park!!!! Once we entered it was really like stepping back in time. The festival grounds were clean and the buildings looked in great shape. All the staff I encountered were kind and helpful. There's so much to see and eat. I thoroughly enjoyed a turkey leg, loaded baked potato, roasted pecans and pumpkin ale! Honestly, this was such a great time!!!! I cannot wait to go back next year. We left about 2:30 pm because we really had so much fun in such a short time. This worked out too because we completely avoided the traffic leaving. It was really a perfect trip! Soooooooooo much fun!!!!

This was my first ever time making it to the Ren Fest and I was very pleased with the experience!…read more Be warned, it's extremely busy and they will sell out so buy your tickets in advance. The car line to get in and out was quite long, but overall it's a smooth experience. Free parking, but you will end up walking about a mile to the entrance so comfortable shoes are a MUST. The main thing I wanted to experience was a turkey leg, and they did not disappoint! The price is definitely steep at $16 each, but they are huge and delicious. Cash only but ATMS are all around. Expect to wait in line for anything and everything and arrive early to any shows you want to see because seats fill up fast. I enjoyed the Witch Trial comedy show where they actually chose one of my friends as a volunteer and it was hilarious! The Joust was fun and had some unexpected twists, but the bleacher seats are sooooo uncomfortable. The Falconry show was my favorite. We got to interact with the Raven and give him tips. The birds fly super close to you and might even touch your head when going over. I'd recommend anyone visiting at least once! It's a worthwhile experience. Expect to spend a chunk of change, and you should definitely dress up! Of course, you won't stand out if you don't, so don't worry about that. Anyone will fit in here and feel welcomed by the environment.

My review is based on a visit to the Appalachian Fair at the end of August 2023. It was packed!…read more The event is okay for Carnival rides and such. (Please take that with a little grain of salt because after living in Texas and experiencing the Texas State Fair - anything else, hmmm). There were livestock displayed which drew the attention and crowds of the youngest patrons. I didn't realize, but there was also a livestock competition that probably ended by the time I entered the grounds. I chose to purchase the pass for unlimited rides, not the wisest investment I've made. Lines were extremely long for the most popular rides that I probably would have waited at least an hour or more to experience. This is a fair, not an amusement park! I would have been better off purchasing a sheet of coupons for rides and entertainment. However, I do see the draw for friends and families to enjoy a summer day / evening of rides and fair food together. The grounds itself hosts different and various event throughout the year. There is a driving Christmas Light Show that starts the day before Thanksgiving and runs until the beginning of January. That might be an event considering to visit.

Love this fair! The concerts are great and the people are really nice. Always a fun time for the…read morewhole family.

What better way to get acquainted with your new life here in Beer City than to experience their…read more20th Annual Brewgrass Festival? That is correct- none better!!! Boyfriend and I both entered in a Yelp Instagram contest to score two free tickets (since moving has definitely wiped out a lot of our dough) and we were lucky enough to actually win! Yaaaaay thanks Yelp! Got to the stadium just a smidge after one and there was already a wrap around line! But I gotta hand it to the crew they had- that line was moving and we only waited maybe 10 minutes before we were checked in with our beer sampling glass in hand! ;) A friend of ours from Greenville (who we had the pleasure of meeting in Hawaii before we left) ended up coming out to the event with her friend so we set off as the Fantastic Drinking Four! There was such a variety of breweries there and each one had a few different beers to choose from so everyone is happy! Special shout out to Beer for Boobs and their award winning lanyard contraption that held our little beer cups for us! Adjustable so boyfriend can walk around at home with a pint readily available while his hands are free, haha! Overall it was a great day of drinking, eating (I got to try Alligator for the first time!!), meeting new friends (looking at you, Sarah Jane and the Richard Crew), enjoying great music and just overall having a spectacular time. I will be back next year, and this time armed with a pretzel necklace! ;)

Pretty let down with this year's festival. Beer selections were nothing special... I want limited…read morereleases and beers you can't get from the grocery store when paying $60+ for a beer festival. Several breweries were missing. Where was Burial, Wicked Weed, Fonta Flora, anyone from Charlotte (besides Unknown, who are gross)?? On top of that, they sold WAY too many tickets. And, last but not least, the AstroTurf on the fest field was gross, coating everything -- our feet, legs, blanket, chairs -- within minutes of being there. This was likely our last Brewgrass. I'm going to stick with Burial's awesome pay as you go ($4 for a glass, $2 for tasting tickets) festivals from here on out. Way better value and the beer is so much better than the run of the mill offerings Brewgrass had. A few other annoyances I forgot to note... Dump buckets were not emptied throughout the day and overflowing an hour into the day. The line to get in at 1:45pm was way too long considering gates had been open for almost an hour. Plastic "glasses" this year? Really, you guys? You couldn't spring for real glass?!? Tacky.

we had been making our rounds through the area mountains staying in a nice holiday inn in a central…read morelocation and proximity to the mountain state fair so we decided to book hotel again and take a weekend fair trip it was pretty cool i bought some nice pottery pieces and enjoyed the vendors but the food prices were out of this world like one turkey leg and one corn on the cob was $26 like whattt but any way the fair rides looked pretty cool but we dont do rides so arts and crafts and animals was nice too so i may go back next year with grands will see

Overall, my experience was amazing. The food was overwhelming fried but absolutely delicious, and…read morethere were plenty of things to do other than just riding rides. I had first arrived with my younger brother and my older sister around when the fair had just opened. We first hit the caterpillar kiddy-coaster, and it was absolutely thrilling and ran much smoother than the model they had at the Youth Fair in Miami-Dade. We then went on this odd barn ride that would elevate and slowly swirl you around. We then waited in line to go on the absolute fair classic; the bumper cars. I was a bit dissapointed, as the steering wheels on several of the cars did not work. They would steer in random directions, and it was pretty difficult. Next me and my older sister went on the Cyclops ride. If you enjoy that type of ride, good for you! I do NOT, so I was pretty scared, but it eventually ended. After that we explored the little sponsor stands they had and it was pretty cool. The rest of the day was amazing, if you plan on going, I recommend going on the Surfer and Auto Bahn (if you have the stomach)!

I recently attended the 15th annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival this month for a friend'a birthday…read more Located the Elkin Municipal Park, good directions were provided for the event. Handicapped parking was available. We got there a bit early. Lines were already formed. The longest line was the general will call. Whoa! We bought on site since that's the only way you can get military discount. $20. Advance tickets were $22. On site regular tickets were $30. VIP were $102. Crazy!!!! Included extras were VIP parking, festival Tshirt, and access the VIP tent. Not worth it in my opinion. Plenty of wine to try out. Over 25 vendors. You got free tastings (of various sizes) and could buy glasses. If you purchased bottles, you could have them held at will call until the end of the event. I'm not a big wine person but I bought the most out of my group. There were a number of fruity, sweet wines- my fave. :-) Music, food, and other vendors were available. I heard a bit of the Elvis music. And we all grabbed some small bites. Food wasn't too exciting but good enough to tide me over. Definitely bring chairs if you wanna hang out for a while. I felt like a noob without one. But luckily we found some open seats at some benches. Overall, a fun day!