Renaissance Festival

Tim wanted to go to the Carolina Renaissance Festival for his birthday weekend, so we made the 2.5 hour trip to Concord, NC on Saturday. The boys were both really good on the drive there. Nathan slept for an hour of it and Tyler sat fairly quietly listening to his Backyardigans CDs, looking at a toy catalog and commenting on trucks and trains.

We arrived at the festival grounds around 11:00. It was kind of misting when we first pulled up, but by the time I fed Nathan, it had pretty much stopped. It had rained the night before and for most of the morning, so everywhere we walked the ground was pretty wet. Being a Renaissance festival, there wasn't any pavement in the "amusement park".

Hanging out on a swing

I had never been to a Renaissance festival, and Tim's only experience was at a field trip during grade school, so we didn't really know what to expect. At first it was a little strange seeing all the workers (and many of the other guests) dressed in their period garb. All social classes were represented from royalty to peasants to pirates. There was a shop near the front of the park where guests could rent a costume. Interesting, but not for us.

Tyler was not so psyched to meet this walking talking tree. He wouldn't say "hello" to the tree, but he did say "bye-bye" as we were walking away.

Highlights of our day included buying Tyler a pirate sword and handkerchief (to wear on his head) to complete his pirate costume, watching a jousting match (like in the movie "A Knight's Tale"), seeing a pirate show, feeding sheep at a petting zoo, and riding an elephant. Yes, Tyler and Tim actually rode an elephant. We let Tyler decide between riding a camel or an elephant and he chose the elephant.

Tyler and his new pirate sword

The jousting match

Feeding sheep at the petting zooThe elephant rideWaiting for the pirate show to begin

We were only there for 4 hours because we had to hit the road so we'd be home in time for dinner. Nathan was so tired from all the activity, so he fell asleep almost as soon as the car started moving. Tyler, on the other hand, was so wired after eating a sucker (we didn't even let him finish it), that he didn't fall asleep until an hour into the drive and only after he managed to wake up his brother. Typical.

I don't know if you can read it, but the bottom part of this sign says "sausage on a stick". Did they really have sausage on a stick during the Renaissance?

All in all, it was a fun time and we will probably try out the local Renaissance festival sometime, which takes place in the spring. And no, we won't be dressing up for that one either.