Staycation Recommendation: Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament {Giveaway}

Spring Break is approaching quickly (despite today’s snowstorm), and if you haven’t planned for a tropical vacation or some other trip outside the area, may I suggest you enjoy an afternoon or evening of your staycation at a tournament in the medieval age?

We had an opportunity to visit Medieval Times last week and even though we’ve visited a few times before (see my previous post for our earlier experience) it was still very exciting and entertaining. It’s best to arrive about an hour before the show to spend time exploring the castle. We like to browse the stands that sell medieval souvenirs, visit the horse stalls, and grab a few drinks (slushies!) to sip while we wait for dinner. You can also check out medieval torture devices (we usually pass on this opportunity), and get some cool photos taken.

Showtime begins in the lobby, where trumpets sound for an announcement. A performer warms up the crowd and leads everyone into the arena, where you sit in the area for your designated knight. Wenches and serfs appear to take drink orders and the show begins.

Although the highlight of the afternoon or evening is the show, the food is pretty amazing too. Your meal consists of tomato soup with garlic bread, roasted chicken, a potato, corn on the cob, and a dessert. The amount of food is considerable, so no one’s going home hungry. In fact, we always bring home yummy leftovers. In the past we’ve had an apple pastry for dessert; during our most recent visit it was lemon pound cake. Yummy! Also, for the first time we ordered a vegetarian meal. Cooper decided to be a vegetarian several months ago, so we requested a vegetarian meal for him. The waitress – no, “wench” – was very helpful and it wasn’t a problem at all. In addition to soup and garlic bread, Cooper also got a plate of pita, hummus, carrots, and celery.

When our entree was served, he got the potato and corn, but in place of the chicken he got a bean and rice stew. I tasted it and it was pretty yummy! Of course, Cooper got to cheat. Normally there are NO utensils at Medieval Times – you eat everything with your hands! – but Cooper did get to use a spoon for his stew.

The show itself is very entertaining. There’s a king and princess, lots of knights, and lots of horses. I won’t give away too much about the show, but expect to see some fancy footwork from the horses, impressive falconry, demonstrations of skillful riding, and lots and lots of dueling and combat with a variety of medieval weapons. The duels are impressively choreographed to have lots of action and be very exciting. Our most recent visit was a little different because during one of the duels we noticed one of the knights bleeding. We know from several previous visits that they don’t use stage blood, so I was concerned about the knight being injured. He continued his battle and I doubt that many people noticed that anything was awry. The same knight appeared later in the show and seemed to be doing just fine. I’m sure even with the best choreography there are missteps that happen, but I thought the performers were very professional – they didn’t miss a beat and I think most of the audience was unaware there was any problem at all (including our kids!).

Every trip to Medieveal Times – whether it’s your first or fiftieth – is an exciting and memorable experience. I encourage you to share it with your family.

Spring Break Savings are available for the months of March and April 2017. Use the code SB17 when ordering tickets online to receive the discounted price of $37.95 for adults and $29.95 for children and students. Visit the Medieval Times Plan Your Trip page for complete details, additional deals, and to book your tickets!

One family will get an even better deal – a family 4-pack of tickets to Medieval Times for free! This is a quick giveaway so enter right now and I’ll be contacting the winner soon. The winner will be able to choose the date and time of the show so it’s convenient for everyone.
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