Scarborough Renaissance Festival began in 1981 and has blossomed into one of the largest in the country! The festival mimics a 16th-Century English village on 35 acres of land. The festival boasts more than 200 shops and more than 200 live performances each day! The festival continues for eight consecutive weekends each year starting the first weekend in April and ending the final weekend in May. Between the rides and the pubs, the mermaid lagoon and the Museum of Mythical Creatures, the festival features something for everyone in the family. And it's only a 40 minute drive from Arlington straight down highway 287!
Once you are through the front gates (adults are $28, kids are $13 and 4 and under are free, parking is complimentary), merriment awaits! Don't be shy in dressing up- many festival attendees do! We saw kids in pirate and princess costumes and adults in themed costumes, too! Everyone delights in stepping back in time.
We headed first to scout the rides and grab some food. Turkey legs are a favorite at the festival (according to the festival Website, more than 20 tons of turkey legs are consumed annually!), but my girls opted for sausage on a stick and chicken on a stick, both of which they loved! We topped it off with fries and an Italian Ice. The Italian Ice was our favorite- it was strawberry-flavored, served in an orange peel, and much creamier than we expected Italian Ice to be. And it was only $6!
After eating and posing for a few photos in the guillotine (they had SO many questions!), we decided to check out a few rides. The rides are man-powered, which makes them so cool! Not only did the girls enjoy watching the rides, they enjoyed going on a few! Rides are $3 per person each, so they each got to do two. They loved the Crow's Nest, a festival favorite, where they sit in- you guessed it, a crow's nest!- and are wound up a pole and then free-spin back down. They also opted to try the Barrel of Bedlam, where they sat in a barrel and spun forward and backward as well as side to side.
We paused during our day to check out the shops and admire the beautiful fairy wings and elaborate costumes and wooden swords. There were places to get Henna Body Art and face paint, and shops to get elf ears and flower crowns. We loved admiring it all!
We loved checking out the mermaid lagoon, a free exhibit where the girls get to see and take photos with mermaids (and mermen!). At the entrance to the lagoon is a sand pile, which kept my little two occupied while my oldest daughter and I caught the festival parade that happens at 1 pm. Everyone in the parade was in character and so fun! They interacted with us, handed us a few goodies and really seemed to enjoy themselves. We loved listening to the bagpipers and observing the parade.
After the mermaids we wandered to the petting zoo, which my kids loved. The petting zoo is $3 per person for an all-day pass, and the area has lots of animals! Alpacas, pigs, horses, goats, bulls and a zonkey (that's not a mistype- we saw a half donkey, half zebra!) kept the girls laughing and smiling for the better part of an hour! You can also buy food to feed the animals for an additional price.
Near the petting zoo is the jousting, our favorite show to watch. The purple knight asked my middle daughter to cheer for him, and she waved his colors proudly. Jousting is so neat (and a bit barbaric), and the show did not disappoint. It reminded us of Medieval Times, which prompted my girls to ask me how soon we can go back there! The theatrics and performance were well worth seeing and my girls stood still for the entire performance!
We also checked out the maze, another fun activity for the kids to try. It's also $3 per person, and kids (and adults) can hang out there as long as they like. It was actually a good opportunity for me to sit down while the kids run a bit wild! They loved it.
We spent about 4.5 hours at the festival and easily could have stayed longer! The festival is open on the weekends from 10 am until 7 pm. Definitely allow the full day to absolutely enjoy the festival to the fullest! Learn more about Scarborough Renaissance Festival here: www.srfestival.com
A few tips for a successful trip:
- Most places in the festival are cash only, including rides and food (and all rides are a la carte). While there are ATMs on-site, I recommend coming with lots of cash to avoid the extra fees.
- After a good rainfall, the festival is quite muddy. Wear waterproof shoes or bring rainboots- and maybe something to change into when you get back to the car! My kids were filthy after our day at the fair!
- No food or drinks are allowed into the festival, so plan accordingly. I did bring a refillable water bottle with me because there are water fountains at the restrooms so we didn't have to continually pay $3 for drinks.
- Many performers have tip jars set out. Factor this in to your spend.
- Dress up if that's your thing! My girls wish I would have packed them princess dresses. We saw several Rapunzel dresses and pirate costumes, both of which we own and will bring next time!
- Strollers and wagons are allowed, and wagons (with canopies) can be rented onsite. Bring something to wash the wheels off upon leaving if you bring your own, or lay old towels in your trunk to prevent mud (or dust/dirt if it's a dry weekend) from getting everywhere.
*Please note, I was given complimentary admission in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
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