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| - Yesterday I went to opening weekend of Renfest for the first time actually. As I checked in on Yelp, I realized to my surprise and dismay that I had never written a review for the festival! In short, I really love this place. What better spot is there for us to let loose our inner nerd a bit and have a blast. Dress up, shoot a bow, play with some swords and watch grown men smash each other with lances on horseback.
Well that's just the tip of the iceberg here at the Carolina Renaissance Festival. I always make sure to visit at least once - and usually more often than that - every fall. I know people that save up a part of each paycheck in anticipation of spending $1,000+ here every year. I certainly am not far from that number. Beautiful hand-woven fabrics abound with leather work and even several blacksmiths, one of whom does work on-site. As a result of all of this custom work (which clearly harkens back to the ways of the era represented) you can get just about anything and literally adorn yourself with custom orders. Needless to say, I've bought a few of these custom fabrics and even a handmade sword and knife here.
While the above items are certainly my preference, I'll elaborate on more of the other things they have here. To include: Glass and pottery work including live glass making shows. Hand made pottery and ceramic ocarinas (like the one in Zelda of course). Pirate clothes, knight clothes, leatherwear from head to toe and some sprinklings of steam-punk-esque wear can also be found. Lots and lots of jewelry in all types including fine metals. Plenty of fairy items such as wings and flower crowns that your kids will certainly love. Speaking of kids, there are all kinds of wooden swords, spears, axes, bows, etc. for the kids to run around and break each others knuckles with....or your lamps with when they get home. And this list is far from exhaustive.
Another un-missable aspect is the presence of entertainers of all kinds throughout the festival. Walking up and down the path ways, suddenly pulling folks from the crowd. Each of them a character being played. A game and a draw to bring you in. The village drunk that lies on the ground all day playing violin (quite well actually). Some guy balancing around on a giant ball and dressed like a crow with a very realistic caw. That's only naming a few of the likely hundreds of characters to be found. Then there are the stages. Naturally, Fairhaven (the name of this beautiful land that takes you on a trip away from the real world) has its own king and queen and a joust is carried out in their favor with the most righteous, victorious knight to receive a crown to be carried until the next joust. Throughout Fairhaven though you can find several other stages with performances from the highly comedic Tortuga Twins, the acrobatic trio Barely Balanced, and many more talented acting and singing groups that have worked hard to make their way onto a stage here.
Am I missing something? I certainly am. So if you have any desire for a fun weekend that just completes that fall-time mood I recommend coming here and checking out all of the above. Heck, wear your period-appropriate Halloween costume. There's hardly a judging eye here and you'll have a blast.
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