Renaissance Faire
Lords and Ladies, we had a lot of family fun immersed in the world of knights, royalty, pirates, Leonardo da Vinci, and fairy folk for a day. I came home with very happy and tired children. Hip hip huzzah!
Our sweet son is into all things medieval—the weapons, armor, methodology, castles, etc. The more authentic the better. For Halloween he wanted to create his own chain mail for his costume, but he had to settle for this fabric Templar Knight one which was “close enough” haha!
For Fall Break I looked for special things we could do with each of our kids, and the Utah Renaissance Faire fit perfectly for our Medieval-obsessed kiddo. This year our Halloween costumes happen to also be Medieval Fantasy, so we got to wear them to the Faire. The kids unanimously voted to go for the immersive experience.
This Utah RenFaire is one of the largest in the region, according to my neighbor-friend who sold as a vendor here. The stunning outdoor setting at Mt Nebo Botanical Gardens in Mona helped us feel comfortable and surrounded by beauty. There was so much for us to see and enjoy with all the costumed people, decked out booths, and shows and events happening around the clock. I even ran into a few of my other friends here with their kids!
Just before the Fall Break, there was a medieval event at the boys’ school. The kids got to paint cardboard shields, so W excitedly brought some extras home for all of us to paint during Fall Break. We strung them together and hung them on the stroller for this RenFaire.
The RenFaire had a clothing museum, plenty of artisans, troubadours with ancient musical instruments and giant trumpets, old world textile crafting, weapon and armory forging, acrobatics, maypole dancing (like in the movie Tangled), food, and shows.
We most looked forward to seeing knights in armor with long swords and jousting. Our favorite event was the Armored Combat! They had melees, long sword events, poleaxes, last knight standing, samurai weapons, and even fights where ladies in armor tried to knock each other down. The kids got a kick out of the comedy.
Lunch was delicious at the food trucks!! The wait was long and we spent more than normally, but at least it made me happy haha 😆. We would have done the turkey legs, but Jer said they were $25 each 🤑, so we chose to try other places. Jer had a bratwurst, the boys ordered footlong corn dogs, and L and I got meat pies (chicken curry for her, beef and mushroom for me). That meat pie had a perfectly flaky outer pastry, and juicy saucy insides which all hit the spot for me. I enjoyed it so much while we watched the knights fight.
Baby was SO good for the 8 hours we were out, and basically stayed in his car seat. I was able to prepare his feedings and flush his feeding bags in a real restroom with warm running water. He lasted until right when the jousting event started so Jer had to leave with him for the actual thing unfortunately.
The jousting event was a hoot, and one of the main reasons we came, so we stayed and waited for them through location changes and delays. It was amazing to watch the Reigning world champion, from little old Eagle Mountain Utah, expertly compete in this combat sport brought back from 500 years ago. The show was funny and showed impressive skill with riding a horse while heavily armored and hitting a moving target with a giant lance. Crazy. A volunteer wore a helmet with an apple on it that the jousters sliced in half. I feel like I’ve got a taste of understanding how gladiator pits and boxing rings are a thing.
The boys were so excited to choose their souvenirs and use their date money. After checking all of the tents in the market, W came back to a weapons shop and took home a wooden crossbow with 6 bolts. He’s been wanting one for many years, and I’m glad he finally found one that’s perfect for him. F customized a toy retractable katana made from parts that were 3D printed, and now used it as a long sword in their play fights.
If I could do it over again I’d wear comfy shoes. By the end of the day my feet hurt from all the walking. I’d bring a foldable picnic blanket to sit on for lunch and waiting at a good spot for events to start. I’d pack water and some snacks / food. I’d bring a charging block since we stayed much longer than I planned to with the baby, and my phone died before the big Jousting event. I’m so glad we were able to take this family picture of everyone’s faces before then!
Jer finished the day by making seriously the best dinner when I got lost coming home without my phone’s directions 😅. Perfect potato wedges, air fried chicken pieces, and cheesy broccoli, then sliced pears for dessert.
Love, Kat
