I love the Bristol Renaissance Faire. I've been trying to make a tradition to go at least once…read moreevery summer, and this was my 4th time here. Even this being my 4th time, there's still so much I have yet to do! The activities, games, shopping, and shows are endless. It's open from 10am-7pm, and you really need to spend all day here. The time goes by extremely fast. We arrived at around 12pm and left around 6pm and it felt like we were only there for like an hour. It was raining though, so most of our time was spent seeking cover lol. Usually it is very crowded, but the rain pretty much scared everyone off and there were basically no lines for food which was great for us. I tried a few things I haven't before, including sassafras ($2), corn fritters ($11), and curly fries. We also got an affogato ($10) and a turkey leg ($19)--a must when at the ren faire. All the food is pretty good and I've never been disappointed by anything. There are so many shops selling beautiful and some handmade things. Everything is going to be pricey so plan accordingly. For two people combined, we probably spent around $200-$300 on everything including for tickets and parking. The nice thing is all the shows are free (tips accepted), so if you see multiple shows it's worth it. The ticket prices go up about $4 every year, but you can get a small discount if you buy them from Menards (this year was $44 vs the $48 online price, plus you get the 11% rebate). There are two parking lots. One that is right outside the entrance ($20) and one that is a bit of a walk away but you can save $10. My favorite activities and shows the past few years are definitely archery, vegetable justice (hilarious), the joust to the death, maypole dance, drum jam finale, fire whip show, and the lady with the cat that does tricks. If you stay until the very end, you can watch the queen and everyone parade outside and wave goodbye to you! Hopefully next year I can finally try out one of the wooden carnival rides.

I have been a rennie for more than half my life at this point, so I'm going to be brutally honest…read morehere, and it hurts to say this, but it's no longer worth it to go to Bristol. They have been jacking up prices since COVID, until we are at $48 per adult ticket this year. So a couple is basically out a hundred bucks to get in the gate. This doesn't include parking ($35 for VIP, $20 for preferred, $10 for ADA/disabled, and $10 for general parking), and of course don't forget the cost of food, products from the vendors, and tips for the entertainers. And yes everything in the world has gotten more expensive, but I wouldn't mind it nearly as much if any of the infrastructure was improved, which it has not been for years. How about better sun tarps over the seating areas, improved accessibility of walkways and bridges? Also, some of our favorite acts were performing for one weekend only, so if you can't make it, you're out of luck. Social media has caused a boom in popularity for something that used to be considered quirky and weird. I don't know if jacking up prices is just a way to avoid putting a cap on ticket sales per day? But as it is, they are driving away long-time attendees and thus changing the face of faire. Maybe they don't care; money is money, after all, if that's all you want. But I'll be seeking out some grassroots faires after this year unless something changes, and bid Bristol a sorrowful farewell after years of fond memories.

If you're looking for the perfect pumpkin patch go here! I searched long and hard for a place that…read morewasn't overcrowded, didn't have animal rides or ridiculous pig races and landed here. Boy boi did it surprise me. Crowds: they limit tickets into their farm meaning it doesn't feel like you stepped into Disney land with insane crowds. Busy enough to feel exciting but not where you're bumping into people left and right. Cornmaze: the HIGHLIGHT of our visit. This isn't any ordinary corn maze. They have an entire scavenger hunt that connects to their app. So you have to find 14 question and scan the QR code to answer. If you find all 14 (it's a hunt) and get all the questions right you're entered into a raffle. We had SO much and found all 14. It was such a fun bonding experience for our family. Pumpkins, mums, and more: the pumpkins and mums felt very reasonably priced. And the mums were HUGE and healthy compared to getting them at the big stores. We also enjoyed some hot cocoa, hot apple cider and kettle corn. All delicious. Animals: I'm an animal activist and reduce to visit places where animals are forced to provide entertainment. This place had a petting zoo but didn't allow kids inside and there was no actual animals rides. Thank you Kroll's. We ended our trip with the hay ride which was also a treat and perfect way to relax before leaving. So stop what you're doing and pay them a visit! The cutest pumpkin patch

Had an amazing time! we stopped by and did the corn maze and fed the animals. Family owned and…read morevery friendly! We would love to come back if we are ever back in the area.

Hired Laughing Llama for my daughters 7th birthday. We live in the north suburbs of Chicago. I was…read moreso happy with the beautiful face painting and the fun balloons while kiddos waited for their turn. Highly recommend to anyone considering face painting for their event!!

This company did a very great job at our Cookout event. We asked for facepainting and balloon art!…read moreGreat Job!!

Paul and his band were absolutely fantastic at our wedding. They ROCKED all night long and put on…read morean overall GREAT SHOW! They were super easy to work with throughout the process and then totally exceeded our expectations on the big night. I could not recommend them more highly

The Z Orchestra just performed at our Wedding on June 18th. They are just the best! We had a…read morevariety of styles - something for everyone. Paul is very easy to work with and makes a tremendous effort to give you the music you want. He is also a wonderful MC. All of the band members were top notch- the singers were awesome. Everyone danced the night away! Thank you -Paul Zimmerman and the Z Orchestra. Andrea and Bill

I found them after doing a search for best tickets. They were highly ranked on one blog. However,…read morein retrospect, I wonder if they wrote this blog... The blog said that they had the least fees. But i was SHOCKED at the fees! When I compared their ticket prices to the standard - StubHub, they were consistently lower. But after the fees, I don't know. I was too tired and too committed after choosing my tickets to try to figure out the difference. So, I got the tickets I wanted but I am not sure if they were the best price compared to StubHub. They all seem to have the same inventory... and either they or the people they got it from Ticket Toad called me AFTER and wanted to CHARGE my credit card for some recurring fee every month for some "deal" that I could cancel after getting a "free $100 credit" I had to forcefully say NO b/c I knew I would forget to cancel and be screwed for months.

I had a really favorable experience with ticket lodge recently. I bought tickets for a Chicago…read moreBears game at a great price and I received them when they said I would. I had a question at one point and called customer service, and they were really friendly and helpful. All around, it was a great experience and I'd definitely but tickets from them again.

They played at my town's National Night Out, tonight! They were fabulous! I could have listened to…read morethem for another 2 hours. Great vocals and musicians. One of the best bands my town has ever hired. Whatever they spent, worth every penny.

BFTP performed at my wedding reception this past weekend and the dance floor was overflowing from…read morethe very first song through the very last. They are one of those bands that 30 seconds into the first song you know you made the right choice, and your guests know they're in for a hell of a night. Working with John was super easy, and the family aspect the band has really helps you stay at ease throughout the process. We cannot recommend BFTP enough, and are looking forward to telling people we had them back when! Thank you guys and girls so much for making our wedding so fun!