Renaissance Festivities!

This weekend we went to the Renaissance Festival. Surely every town has them? I love the renaissance festival. What's not to love when it comes to fair-like qualities dressed up in Renaissance clothing?
The area they hold this festival in definitely lends itself to the era-making you feel like you're in Sherwood Forest.

 They also did neat things by painting all the knots with eyes. Creepy but cool.

First thing we did when we entered the festival was get a turkey leg. The Renaissance festival just isn't complete without munching on a big ol' turkey leg while browsing the festival.

 There were lots of gypsies, fairies, and the like clad in Era clothing.

 What I find funny is the confusion of Renaissance=Pirates. I guess cuz it is the Tampa area (Buccaneers) and they already have the whole Gasparilla thing going on (which is a parade held every year in Tampa where a bunch of "marauding buccaneers invade Tampa Bay" and everyone dresses up like pirates and has a party/parade) so the confusion is there I suppose because of that. But there are lots of Jack Sparrows running around at the Renaissance Festival here (as opposed to Oklahoma's Ren. Fest).

Lets not even mention to these pirates that they are a whole century off from the Renaissance era.

 I love going booth to booth and seeing all the crafts-y stuff they have at these festivals.From fairy get-ups:

To swords and armor:

Even camo kilts (really???):

I have to say they really commit to the era because when they talk it's all, "Thee, thy, hither...godspeed" Even their signs are like that:

They have lots of animals, and rides, and even a little play area for kiddos.

(the sign under "Frogwartz Magic School" says-Prithee...stay with thy children. LOL)


One cool thing my husband went on and on about was this:

It's Sauron's helmet from Lord of the Rings. Pretty cool. It was $300.00 (Holy smokes!)


To top off the experience we saw the "King" knighting a little girl:

It was cute. He told her (in his little english renaissance voice), "Now should anyone not call you m'lady from here on out you send them to me."


It was a very magical afternoon in a different era (if you ignored all the gawking people with cell phones).