This festival just continues to grow each year! I genuinely love checking out Festival in the Park…read moreevery single year, because there's always something new to see. There's probably hundreds of vendors at this point, from food, drinks, desserts, artists, charities, jewelry. I mean there's SO much to see at this festival! My favorite part about it is the live music. My friends and I always bring a blanket and just come lay out there and enjoy the live band. This year it was actually the same singer as last year and she was great!!! Love her voice and she always sings upbeat songs everyone knows. It's always a whole vibe. We grab food and bring our own cooler and just pick a spot up on the hill and enjoy. That's exactly what we did this year too. For food I couldn't decide what I wanted so I kinda settled for a gyro and it was pretty good, all things considered. The fries we great though! Nice to have so many food options available though. I'll continue to come to this festival year after year!! Definitely a lifetime fan.

I enjoy FITP every year. The variety of vendors lets me purchase items I can't find in my weekly…read morejourneys. It's great to find something I've never seen before. I stopped by a cookie vendor, deliciousness! However, the food lines are typically ridiculously long. Not my speed. There should be a vendor who sells water only for one price. Parking is a task and requires a lot of patience. It may help to catch a ride and skip parking altogether.

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.

I never thought we'd have so much fun at a corn maze, but we did! This maze cost $9 each (for…read moreadults), and it was worth every penny! We pulled up at 11:30am on a Saturday morning, and only a few cars were in the parking lot. We were greeted quickly, and they explained what your ticket gets you into (there are also activities for young kids to do as well). We took a quick look at the map, and then we set off! We quickly learned that the right path is most likely a dead end! Their corn was able to grow high this year, and it was a very well designed maze. There were loops that only seemed like loops and hidden paths at the end of what we thought were dead ends. There were also some questions along the way that you could use paper/pencil or scan a QR code, which gave you some help. At the half way point, they had a cooler with bottles of water, which was very nice. We truly had an amazing time. It took us a little longer than we wanted to, but we made sure to take every wrong turn there was! At the end, we talked to the owner for a bit about how the corn maze is designed, and we even played a few rounds of cornhole. Check out this corn maze this season-you won't want to miss it!

We go there every year for the corn maze. They also have other kids activities such as a bounce…read morepillow, corn hole, bike races, small concession stand, and a corn kernel pit

This little Yelp profile deserves an upgraded, & a recent review. This is one of the best beer…read morefestivals that Charlotte has to offer. The weather this year was perfect. Not terribly hot, but blue skies and plenty of beer. No, I don't think that beer is usually included in a weather forecast - but maybe it should be! Blue skies and 100% chance of local beer and swag. This festival seems to be very well organized and attended. You're able to camp, if that's your preference, all weekend! I did not, as I am very spoiled and like camping at home, in my house, with the A/C on - but I know that some people like it. TONS of local breweries come out for this festival and offer unlimited samples on Saturday, and you can vote for your favorite brewery! Food trucks were just up the hill, I don't know if this is the norm as this was my first time attending. A little out of the way, but not a pain. There are booths with local crafts and goodies too, if that's more your pace. Bring lots of sunscreen, as the festival takes place in an open field on Rural Hill grounds, and there's some (but not much shade). Or you can hide from the sun under one of the beer tents. Rural Hill is gorgeous, I'm glad this festival went so well this year as I know that they've been struggling with keeping events on track in the last year. This is definitely something to put on your calendar - local beers, friendly beer reps, food trucks, live music, local crafts and beautiful scenery! Win win win win win win.

Myself, some friends and several other thousands of people stopped by the 2nd annual North Carolina…read moreBrewers and Music Festival and it was a very well attended event for certain. The location of Rural Hill was a great selection for them because of all the open space it provided for people to move around. It's remote location and many acres let people pretty much have the run of the property and you didn't get that somewhat kettle'd in feeling that the Octoberfest can bring on. The food vendors they had were pretty limited with there only being a hot dog stand, hamburger stand and I believe a BBQ stand but amazingly enough they didn't seem to run out of food (while we were there) so if you wanted to grab a bite to eat there was at least food to be had. There was also the music/bands on the main stage but I'd say about 80% of the attendees were only there for the beer tasting. They seemed to do a very good job of representing a lot of North Carolina Brewers and there were probably about 12-14 tents up handing out the samples of sweet hoppy deliciousness. I gotta get on to the reason I only gave this event 3 stars though and that is because of the poor event planning that seemed to go into this with regards to being able to accommodate the large crowd they had. My friends had prepaid tickets and I decided I would just eat the additional 5$ charge and get my ticket at the gate for the beer tasting. We probably showed up at around 130 and the line for tickets was at least 150 people deep. They seemed to do a pretty good job of moving the line along but mid way through a woman came out and announced that they were no longer selling tickets for the beer sampling because they were afraid the beer vendors would run out of beer. Right then and there many people just peeled out of the line and went on their merry way to other probably anywhere else the could get a cold draft. With my friends already inside I was pretty much committed to the event or else I would have up and left myself but I figured what the hell. I'll just pay the 20$ and claim designated driver rights so my friends can have a good time. Once inside it was amazing to see the lines at the beer tents. They were probably at least 100 people in each line and moving rather slowly. I tagged along with my friends as they hit each of the tents in succession. The vendors would give you a small plastic cup and for your sample you'd have probably 4 ounces. Nothing unreasonable there or anything you wouldn't expect for a beer sampling but after you had hit one vendor you would have to immediately go to the next line and begin your wait all over again. From what I could tell they probably needed at least double the number of beer tents to support the number of people they had in attendance. We ended up leaving after the last of the free tastings came and went and by that time most of the beer vendors had packed up and left because they ran out of product to hand out. Oh yeah, and the first keg was kicked probably around 3pm and that just added to the other lines becoming longer. Overall, it is a great idea for a event (weather permitting as always) for people who like to get out for a beer tasting. I'm sure the promoters will rave about it being a roaring success but when you have people being turned away at the gate or having to spend 30$-35$ just to stand in line all day it comes off as kind of "ehh". Until they get a better handle on how many people will be in attendance and scale the event to suit everyone I'd say it's a flip of the coin on whether or not you should check it out. Lastly, mad props to the Lonerider folks. They seemed to have a endless supply of beer and their staff was keeping the cups topped off and line moving as fast as they possibly could.

The Charlotte Fair at ZMAX (on Bruton Smith Blvd) across the street from the Speedway was fantastic…read morethis year! I decided to get another notch on my champion's belt for auntie-of-the-year. After picking up my nephew's friends, we all headed to the fair. We went on a Saturday afternoon around 3pm. Parking wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. After I unloaded my car filled with 13-year-olds, we walked a very short distance to the front gate. I ordered everyone's ticket in advance online, so after their wristbands were put on, we breezed right in. The rides were super fun and appeared to be similar to Carowinds rides...meaning they were more sturdy than the average small-fair ride. There were lots of games, prizes, eating options, and a performance area. This fair left nothing on the table. It was worth the price. We will surely return next year!

Small but fun! Cute place to bring the kids! Everyone was friendly. Parking is $10 and adult…read moretickets was $12.

By far my favorite festival in Charlotte. I've been attending for years and for their 10 year…read moreAnniversary they pulled out all the stops. Whole roasted pigs every hour on the hour. Three types of bacon - the bourbon maple bacon was amazing. Amazing Beer and liquor vendors to satisfy anyone's tastes. A tasting theatre with food and drink classes. Live music all day. And that's just the things that come with the price of admission. Cigar vendors, artist and BBQ vendors from the best of NC and VA top off an amazing day in Sympathy park. Not going to lie the lines did seem a little longer this year but I'm thinking the beautiful weather contributed to a larger than normal crowd. Hope they cap attendance before the long lines become the norm.

This year VIP was a complete disappointment and a rip off compared to last year. All we got was one…read morecrappy plate of BBQ and a toilet while last year we got to sample all the BBQ vendors who brought unique dishes to try, a VIP area, and an entire bottle of wine! What a waste!

Only come if you want 2020 to feel even longer. We aged 10yrs while waiting in line for 4hrs. Too…read morebad there's no emergency exits, because we would've taken one. They do have bathrooms, but you can't park. This resulted in children and parents running through thousands of moving cars to get to the restroom and run for their family's car. Lights were cool. They just weren't worth the wait. I'm new to NC, and would highly recommend you don't attend this event. If you do, your last hour will be two hours unless you bought an express lane ticket. Good luck, and may the force be with you

I am from Ohio. I came into town to spend time with my parents and my son. Entering the Carolina…read morechristmas was... well now I know how it feels to be in the hunger games. I have considered suicide twice, almost died of starvation, felt like a holocaust survivor, and been thankful for only one thing, not being epileptic. I just did 8 years in prison and have done nothing to deserve to feel so incarcerated all over again. Dont do it. Go to the movies down the street.

I love going to Taste of Charlotte. It's a cool concept. I do think they should move it to the Fall…read morebecause it's too hot to wait in the long lines and be surrounded by so many people. I love the options they have. I do feel like some places cheat you on the number of coins though. Like one place was serving small cups of lemonade for 5 coins when its already hot outside. The cups were worth maybe 2 or 3, but not 5 for 2 gulps of lemonade. Will I be back? Yes, but I do wish they would move it to the fall.

Terrible execution this year!!…read more I was soo looking forward to going to the Taste of Charlotte this year and curious of how it would work with the new location being at the stadium. Sadly they had a pumpkin picking event in the middle of the field at the same time so it was EXTRA congested. The lines were long because there was limited space for people to stand, and traffic was congested because people were in line in the walk way. I gave it a 2 because we were able to sit and eat, and the food options were good. However bad idea to have that many people on close proximity with COVID going around. They didn't even require masks. No good this year

This was my first time here and it was super cute. I came with my fiance and we quickly realized…read morethis farm is a great place to bring kiddos so they can experience a fun fall festival environment. As for us adult kids it wasn't as exciting. There's lots of activities, photo opps and pumpkins to peruse. But in comparison to another spot we've been to we felt like there were some options missing for us personally. This isn't a knock to Hodges, just a personal preference. Now, if you have family in town and kiddos in tow this place is PERFECT! I would definitely recommend it for a fun fall time. Parking was easy, even on a super busy Saturday. There's plenty of signage so you know what's going on in all areas. The animals were pretty cool inside the barn too.

We went back this year around the same time but instead of a weekday we went on a Sunday. There was…read morea much bigger crowd but there lots of parking. Still lots of photo opps all around the farm. We were able to do participate in some new things since it was the weekend; like their Hayrides/Tractor Ride. The line was never not long but it was something to do. The ride itself is about 15 minutes and takes you around the farm. We grabbed some popcorn before getting on it though. It's freshly popped and so delicious! We also go to visit the petting area and feed some of the goats, sheep, cows and rabbits. Our toddlers had a blast! Good family fun for the fall season. && I got a funnel cake before we left (topping choices powder sugar, Carmel, chocolate, and strawberry syrup). The wind made it colder on the pumpkin side of the farm and unfortunately they didn't have warm apple cider. I expected them to have something warm that kids could drink (non coffee). Tips: Bring a blanket for inside the wagon. Don't wear your nice shoes. Bring a tripod or stand for photos.

Oh what memories! Back in the 1980's and early 1990's, this festival was called Stumptown Festival…read more Just before I was born (in the 1970's), my parents, older sister and brother lived mere blocks from here and would walk to the parade then the festival and walk through the booths. Eventually, they moved a few miles away, then my younger sister, and all 6 of us would come to the parade, then walk through the area with booths carefully avoiding the ride area as my parents could not afford to let us ride any of them, or buy the food. Fast forward to my teenage years in late 1980's, early 1990's, where we would come with friends, ride the rides, go through the booth area, buy all we wanted. My last actual time I was able to walk through the entire festival was back in 2003, when I came down to help my mother after a surgery. My last trip to Charlotte (Labor Day weekend 2018), I dragged my parents here on the Sunday. We were early-ish. We walked through some of it, but were unable to enjoy the full affect as they were still opening. This is a small town festival that is fairly inexpensive to do. Homemade items for sale. Some of the booths with items for sale are in the elementary school, which has been updated since the last time I was here. There are stages with live music, and other entertainment. A great time to be had by all. I did not get many pictures of my own as I was busy chatting with my parents, but check out the links below. Parking can be difficult at best. Crowds can be thick in places. For more information: https://www.matthewsalive.org/ https://www.facebook.com/MatthewsAlive

It was 7PM. I'd just gotten my car back (I have it on Turo, which is basically Airbnb, but with…read morecars). Having been in the house all day, I hadn't been able to keep my streak going on Pokémon Go! This being an inscrutable state of affairs, I decided that, instead of driving home, I'd head to one of my main Pokémoning sites: downtown Matthews. I arrived, parking as I do most often in the library/town hall parking lot (small town = multi-use public buildings. The court house in chapel hill is also the post office for example). I takedown all of the gyms in the area, set my guys in them, and then go Pokémon walking. To my pleasant surprise, the legendary gym I was walking to happened to fall smack-dab in the middle of a whole festival! I'm never one to turn down the opportunity at giant smoked turkey legs and deep fried Oreos - both of which are available at multiple vendors along the main walk - so I decide to stop Pokémoning for the moment and take in the event. Live music is a wonderful thing, and they have an entire soundstage set up just for it. The genre of choice seems to be bad country, which ain't my bag, baby, so I keep it moving. I recommend going at night. There are few things in life as immediately disarming as neon lights against an ebony sky, especially when those lights signal funnel cake and rides. Oh yeah, there are carnival rides in full effect. All the good hurlers, too. The ones that make your kids sick. The ones from which memories are built. Anywho, so there I am, hunting for the best giant smoked turkey leg, when I catch the Devine odor of cured pork fat. I know this can only mean one thing: bacon. There's a vendor that wraps everything in bacon. EVERYTHING. IN. BACON. I had bacon wrapped BBQ. That's right, I was in pigception. And it was glorious. I also had a pretty decent crabcake sammich (bun as set dressing only, I swear) and I cheated a bit, and got a refreshing frozen blueberry lemonade. I didn't stay long, but what I saw left a good taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively). Then I went back to catching all the Pokémon, so, you know, I was productive.