Here ye, here y’all!
You know how you’ve had that authentic Renaissance garb in your closet for months with nowhere to wear it? Well, guess what? We found the perfect place. Grab your chainmail, your pals and your sense of adventure and head up to the Carolina Renaissance Festival this weekend for some turkey legs and memories.
1. ENTERTAINMENT at the festival is a real mixed bag. Between the music, glassblowing, jousting and dance, there’s something different to watch around every corner. Cheer on your knight as he hurtles toward his competitor in the jousting ring, then head over to one of the 11 stages of music, comedy and circus acts. You’ll laugh till you cry, scream till you croak and beg your friends to stay just one more hour so you can swing by the petting again.
2. SHOPPING for Christmas gifts may seem premature in October, but the artisan shops scattered around the village beg to differ. Pick up a handmade leather journal for your grandma, a wooden mug for dad, and why not treat yourself? There's an extensive selection of capes and walking sticks you could totally pull off this winter.
3. PEOPLE WATCHING isn’t just for the 21st century. Take it back a few hundred years and have a look at the kings, queens, jesters and knights trolling around the grounds. Strike up a conversation if you please, but be warned: you’re expected to gab with them in the appropriate tongue. Pro tip: brush up on ye olde Renaissance chatter before you go. And don’t be surprised if you get pulled on stage or made to walk the red carpet — the cast can’t wait to get you in on the joke.
4. FOOD is the lifeblood of the Renaissance Festival. Seriously, you can’t beat an event that will give you so many different foods on sticks. Steak, corn, macaroni and cheese — you name it, they’ll probably give it to you on a stick. And then there are the turkey legs, wrapped in a thin layer of wax paper to keep the dripping grease from scalding your skin. Tear into one while you walk across the village and pretend you’re a peasant. They also have waffles, which aren’t exactly on theme but will change your life, nonetheless.
Directions:
Start:
Russell House University Union
1400 Greene Street
Columbia, SC 29208
Head toward Bull Street and turn left onto Pickens Street
Turn left onto Lady Street and take the first right onto Bull Street
Continue straight on Bull Street and get onto SC-277 N
Take I-77 N exit on the left toward Charlotte
Merge onto I-77 and stay on I-77 for 97 miles
Take exit 25 for N Carolina 73 toward Concord/Huntersville
Turn right onto NC-73 E/Sam Furr Road
You should start seeing signs for the fair right about now
Turn right, then left and park in the grass — it’s a short walk through the field to the festival
End:
Carolina Renaissance Festival
16445 Poplar Tent Road
Huntersville, NC 28078
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