We took the kids (3- and 6-year old) to the renaissance Faire yesterday. They opened at 10am, but…read morewe ended up leaving SWFL around then, and arrived around 11:30am.
The traffic wasn't too bad at all for a Saturday, and the fair itself wasn't as packed as I expected it. The fair was behind the big Robarts building , in the back fields. Fortunately, a nice gentleman spotted the kids' costumes and pointed us in the right direction.
Parking was free, in the roped off fields. You walk towards the entrance, and they have bag checks. Then, there are the ticket booths, or you can go straight to the entrance with your emailed tickets, where they scan them with an iPad.
Upon entering, there was a character there who sung a song our kids, pertaining to their knight and princess costumes. This was a pleasant start to get our kids in the "mood."
Looking around, the site was very open and grassy (tennis shoes or comfy walking shoes recommended). There were many vendors selling clothing, handmade soaps, jewelry, etc. There were at least three food vendors (one with breakfast foods/coffee, one with steak tips/mashed potatoes/onions/peppers for $12, and one with chicken tenders, fries, etc. The turkey legs were $17. Lemonade were $6.)
There were at least two "pubs" that had festive characters playing music for entertainment under big white tents.
A pony ride was available for kids under 80lbs, for $7 a kid. An elephant ride was also available for $10/kid and $20/adult.
They had many shows at different sections and different times throughout the property. For example, jousting, archery, storybook telling for kids, a cat/rat "circus," singers, plays, etc.
There was also a Knight Training Class for kids, where the kids were paired up with trainers, then performed their skills for the prince. The prince then knighted them each, and even gave our daughter a little ring.
They had a royal court that mingled with us "commoners" and ate in the regular picnic table section amongst others, while still acting their characters out.
The jousting consisted of 2 rivals showing their skills catching rings and knocking over cans with their swords. They then tagged each other on their shields in a 3 round joust.
There was a really cool presentation of a man performing on his 35 bronze bells. He played many tunes along with the music from the GOT and Harry Potter Theme songs. He was amazing!
The last thing we did before leaving was watch the Colombian pirate show. It was going to be really cool with the acrobatics, but storm clouds rolled in and it started pouring rain, so it was postponed, while all fair goers ran under the cover of the tents.
We spent about 2.5 hours there, and didn't interact with every vendor and show, but I felt like we got a good taste of the fair overall. I feel like one day was good enough with the kids, and not too long to make them distracted and tired.
We enjoyed ourselves very much. I docked a star just because I felt like there could've been more food vendors, more interactive activities, and map/signs to point you in the direction of the specific shows you wanted to watch. It was a fun outing either way, and the kids liked seeing other people in costumes (not just the employees/actors).