Stella, May I know how was your first time at a Renaissance Faire?

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Of course you may! I will say it was a lot of fun! It's like part shopping and part entertainment, all set during a time where they talk with "ye." The employees are all very kind and constantly asking whether or not we were having fun. As you can see we didn't dress up (as this was pretty last minute decision), but it was very interesting to see those in full-on costumes. There are always a lot going on at every corner. 
 Shopping: Cat puppets that perch on your shoulder! This was really cool as you can control them in your hand and watch them move on your shoulder. There are also a lot of other different creatures and of course dragons!
  There are a lot of souvenir shopping to do and this is where it gets a little pricey. These are artisan pieces and they are priced that way. There are a lot of shops so I would suggest shopping around before making a purchase. A lot of the shops also hold your items to the end of the day, so if you didn't find something you don't need to lug is around everywhere.
 This is a puzzle ring unsolved. It was one of the few things we considered getting but we didn't end up finding one that we liked.
 Entertainment: Free juggling school! This is one of the few free activities to do. The others are Maypole Dancing, Knighting Ceremonies, and a Petting Farm!
The petting zoo has a UNICORN! Say hello to Kyra!
There are also rides that cost $2-5. What was interesting is that those are all human powered!
 Joust Show! We didn't get very good seats (as you can really see the dust kick up in this picture), but it was fun to cheer and watch horse riding tricks. The seats you see in the elevated section are premium $10 seats. Those you want buy ahead of time as they were sold out by the time we got there. It's a very short show (less than 30 minutes) so having great seats staked out beforehand wasn't worth sitting out in the sun.
Wheel of Death show was probably my favorite! It's a one man show and he does is all without talking. Kind of. I don't think we were a very cooperative audience so he called us out, but it was a lot of fun!
 There was also a live demonstration of glass blowing. He really goes into detail explaining each step. It was a fascinating and educational demonstration I would definitely recommend. Plus he does one at the top of every hour, each time making something different.
 How cool are these Wizard Orbs (walking sticks)? This was a separate walking stick booth, not made by the man in the previous photo.
 Fire eating shows. This is the Knotty Nauticals and they will go right up to you and eat fire!
Lots of fun masks and ears to try on. 
And become an elf for the day! 

Tips: 
Get there early! The street going into the festival only has only lane for each direction and traffic starts right before lunch. I suggest getting there before lunch to beat the traffic! 
 Come hungry! There are so many food choices and at reasonable prices. These are ribbon fries. They sounded cool, but they weren't super tasty.
The famed turkey leg was just $7! The one downside with the food is that the drinks are where it becomes expensive. Bring a water bottles. This is probable one of the few times where I suggest the disposable water bottles as there weren't any fountains to refill at. 
 Or buy a drinking horn! There are also a lot difference chalices to drink out of. 
Bring hand sanitizer, that is unless you really want to live it up like the Renaissance. The privies are all portable bathrooms without sinks. Be warned! It is kept pretty clean though. 
Bring sun protection! The festival is outdoors so stay protected! 
Good walking shoes. The festival isn't a big compound, but you will be walking back and forth a lot, especially if you are trying to catch a lot of shows. 
Pick up a free show schedule/map at the entrance. There is always something going on wherever you are. A lot of the shows have several showings each day so you don't feel like you are missing anything. (Jousting, Wheel of Death, Fire Eating, and the list goes on.) Just make sure you pick out your favorites and go during show times! Also a lot of stores have demonstrations you can watch that aren't listed in the show schedule. (glass blowing, coin minting, weaving, leather making, spinning) 
Leave a little early. Just like other theme parks exiting will be a slow moving process as the festival closes. We left about an hour early and avoided all the people leaving at the same time. I would say leave by 5PM to avoid the traffic. 

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I used the coupon code: smi to get the group rate and I wanted to share that with you. Georgia Renaissance Festival will be opened through Monday for Memorial Day! 

links: garenfest.com coupon code: smi

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