Here ye, here ye! Lords and ladies of the land, come one, come all to Carvershire to visit the mystical realm of King Richard's Faire! New England's largest and longest running Renaissance Faire is currently open for the season, and we got the chance to visit yesterday! I haven't been here since I was a child, and my non-theatre, non-Dungeons and Dragons friendly parents took me here. While they were less than enthralled, fast forward 20 years and I've been playing in a regular D&D campaign for as long as I can remember, avidly watch Game of Thrones (check out my Yelp bio for confirmation! :), and design my own costumes from all eras, including medieval. I even came here wearing my very own homemade flower crown! So, I think it's safe to say that I kind of love this place!
There's so much to take in, so be sure to get here early! Admission can be kind of steep, but the experience is so worth it! Once you step inside, you'll be enchanted by the fact that this "medieval village" is hidden right inside the Carver woods just about a mile from a main highway. They have period appropriate shacks for the vendors (and there are many!), a rustic open-air dining area, and several stages where you can see everything from exotic cats to wacky washerwomen who crack jokes and keep the audience laughing at every turn! Some of the entertainment can veer toward campy, but if you come with an open mind and you're ready to have fun, King Richard's Faire will be an excellent and memorable day! And if you're grouchy, there's plenty of chances to imbibe on some honey mead (score for historical accuracy), pumpkin ales, and even frosé (yes, the basics have existed in every century).
Speaking of food n' drink, the payments run on a ticketing system, which are sold in increments of 5 tickets for $5 and so on. The items are priced a little oddly (13 tickets for a turkey leg, for example, instead of 10 or 15, which would make more sense), but I would say that the food we enjoyed was very good, especially the aforementioned turkey leg. Carnivores rejoice! This Flintstones-esque femur is perfect for photo ops, and super tasty and filling. You'll need your strength to browse around all of the amazing vendors, games, and attractions they have!
I think the best part of the Faire was the vendors! I loved shopping around to each booth to check out everything from gorgeous handmade costumes, hand-tooled leather armor, and not one but two stands where artisans hammered out steel and iron to make stage-grade prop weapons that looked realistic and would make the Lannisters proud. We also had a good time checking out some of the carnival games, like ax throwing, which my boyfriend loved. Kudos to many of the shopkeepers and game masters for staying in character as we interacted with them. Our FAVORITE performer of the day was the young man who was running the "log game"! I wish I got his name - not only was he Gary's doppelgänger, but he was also hysterically funny and made our day with his Monty Python style humor! If you get a chance to go to the Faire, you gotta say hello to him for us! He is the best!
Sure, the Renaissance Faire isn't for everyone. The bathroom situation isn't great, and things can get real pricy real quick. Make sure to bring cash, since they don't accept any other forms of payment for the food, and most of the performers request tips - which you should give to them, all the ones we saw were super talented. However, most of the vendors accepted "Lady Visa and Sir Mastercard", so you'll be set there if you want to add to your collection of medieval goodies. Come ready to use your imagination and live in a live-action fairy tale for a few hours, and you'll have a merry olde time indeed! read more