Had a great afternoon at The Old West Fest. Admission was reasonable for the attractions as were the food and drink options throughout the town. I would recommend getting the kids wristbands so all the premium activities can be enjoyed in an unlimited fashion. Looking forward to running it back again next year! read more

The Old West Festival - Practicing cowboy skills! - Amusement Parks Near Me - Williamsburg, Ohio

See all

I took my family out to the Old West Festival on Saturday for a few hours. I first heard of this fest through Family Friendly Cincinnati, which is a great resource for things to do with the kids. The fest remains open weekends through October 6th. We arrived just before noon and found that we weren't the only ones with the idea for the day. Fortunately I had enough cash to skip the credit card line for entry payment, and we were inside the gates in no time. Admission is $12 for adults, children ages 6-12: $6, and children under 5 are free. We were treated to a gunfight right away upon our entry. It reminded me a lot of the shootout we witnessed as part of our Great Train Robbery experience last year. In fact, I'm pretty sure most of the actors from the train ride were participating at the Old West Fest. Our two-year-old though it was too loud this time, so we moved along right away. The town buildings are very cool to look at and each one has a real purpose inside. Some sell arts and crafts, while others serve as a saloon for drinks and food. There were numerous activities for the young ones, including a sing along band performance, a really impressive magic show, panning for gold, and the always exciting play-set with slides and swings. We were most entertained by the Pickled Brothers Circus, who we caught on our way out. The combination of fire eating, juggling, and sword swallowing was enjoyed by the whole family. This past weekend was Native American weekend and we witnessed a drum circle performance. Each weekend has its own unique theme, so some specials acts and exhibits can be expected at other times. We all had a good time at the festival, even though my wife and I thought it was a little expensive. Mainly the food and drinks were not as cheap as I was expecting, and there were a handful of children's activities that all cost extra as well. I did see people bringing their own coolers with them, so that could be one way to cut down the cost, though I don't see it mentioned specifically on their website. It is probably best for families with older children. read more

We had a good time. We paid $45 through Groupon for two adults & two kids. This was for the premium tickets that included 4 plastic boot cups with unlimited soft drinks & a small train ride on a kiddie train. We'd been wanting to check this place out for a couple years & the kids did have a lot of fun. They were taught about making fire, were sworn in as deputy sheriffs, and loved the gun fight production. The gun fight was probably the best part. The actors were funny but a lot of this show was geared towards adults. Jokes that a child just wouldn't 'get'. They did love the gun fight part. I will say that we spent a fortune. The town is set up as shopping. I thought this was more about re-enactment and learning. Definitely not the case. The shops were selling overpriced toys (dollar store cowgirl hats for 10.00), toy guns for $20-$25. Granted the guns were metal & not plastic. Other stores sold house-wears, wood toys (easily made by anyone), necklaces (stamped metal), arrowheads, coonskin hats made from god knows what (made in China), marbles for $1.00 each, dream catchers etc... The neatest thing to buy were the carved walking sticks for $40. The food choices were hot dog, fries, baked potato, pulled pork, 1/2 a chicken, cheeseburger. The kids had a hot dog & an ungodly amount of fries with coleslaw for $7.00. The bakery & coffee shop had very little to offer. It was more of a candy store. My daughter had a chocolate muffin which was definitely an unwrapped Otis Spunkmeyer for $3.00. They were selling fudge for $6.00 for a tiny block and ran out of decaf! They also had panning for gold (free!!!), tomahawk throwing $5.00, b b gun target shoot $5.00, & a couple other games. I can't see us going back. It's just one of those places that once you've been, you've been. Maybe in a couple years in hopes it's more educational & less about taking your money. read more

See all

You'll either love it or think it's a waste of time and money. My husband and I took our 2 year old son after looking for something family friendly to do with him this weekend. It's $12 for adults and our son was free since 5 and under are free. The $12 entry fee would have been fine if you didn't have to pay more for other things your kids want to do...train ride ($3 for adults, $2 for kids), covered wagon rides ($3 for adults, $1 for kids), etc. Everything except the shows cost more money. We ended up spending $34 and were only there about 45 minutes. The gun fight show freaked my son out, and the event isn't big enough to get out of hearing distance of it. I was glad they had a small play set with a slide that entertained my son but we ultimately left that as there were a bunch of unruly kids playing on it shooting everybody with their toy guns. If you're into guns and the Old West theme, you might love it. I thought it was a waste of time and money. read more

It has improved in the last few years, but still needs something else to be a wow. Actually, it's probably awesome for kids. The main reason I went, was for the Native American Dancing in full regalia (themed weekend). Wellllllll, they did have three little kids that were dressed in somewhat of an outfit. The little girl was adorable. But still, I'm thinking, Full Blooded Native Americans dancing to the drum in beautiful colored beads, feathers, etc. It was NOT what I thought it would be. Very disappointed:( The one thing they did that the guests seemed to enjoy, was let the audience of kids run around the drummers. So, like I said, it was good for kids. The melodrama was the best part of the $60 visit (food & admission for two). It was HILARIOUS. The actors were good and the set was done very well. The sweet potato fries were the best ones I've tried in a long time. You just have to remove the skins and enjoy the pure deliciousness inside. The whole concept is great. The buildings and entertainment are great ideas. They just need perfected. I hope it just keeps getting better and better. read more

I purchased a Groupon for this place $87 for a family of four. We drove 2 hours from Columbus to Cincinnati on a Saturday during their 'open hours' and they were closed. I've been talking to Groupon for 8 days now back and forth for a refund. They are still 'working on it'. I would suggest not driving here if it is out of your way AND not buying from Groupon. They no longer offer phone support. In about 2 days I will be contacting my credit card company. What a scam. read more

The Old West Festival - Locked gate - Amusement Parks Near Me - Williamsburg, Ohio

See all

Let me start out that Old West Fest has a TON of potential!! And I'm really at 4.5 stars on this one. This is a great place for kids! It really is. They can become deputies for the day if you get there first thing in the morning, and there's tons of activities for them as well. Magic shows, pony rides, wagon rides, a play ground. There's stuff to keep them occupied. Now the feat is only using about half of its space as its currently set up. You can tell its a newer fest but picking up steam. You can easily spend an hour or so, or you could kill the whole afternoon. There are shows going on constantly! Gun fights, magic shows, medicine shows, saloon girls, the list goes on! Make sure you pick up the newspaper when you walk in for the whole list. There's tons of shops too if you or the youngsters want to dress up. Saloon girls? Cowboys? They got it. There's a bar set up for beer for those of age too no worries ;) there's a few food and drink places available too. My one complaint, like most, is the price. It's $12 for adults alone. But then most of the activities are up charges. Train ride? $2 Really short Pony Rides? $3. Covered wagon ride? $2 for adults $1 for kids ( although this one is really cool!). You can also have anyone, kid or adult, "arrested" for $5 just by checking in at the jail. It adds up quickly. The food prices were decent. And the shops were all great prices! They weren't jacked up prices you see elsewhere (think Ren Fest) I mean a decent cowboy hat was under $20! So for the size it is now, the price is a little steep, but worth checking out, especially if you have little ones. read more

Ok so I had a great date day with the hubby and I'm feeling generous so I went with 4 stores. We were at a loss as of what to do for our monthly date day and a friend suggested this. We thought it was a great idea. Something unique, something we've never done before; something you can't do just any time; it comes around once a year. I agree with the last reviewer, Rachel R. This fest has a a LOT of potential. But it does have a long way to go, I believe. I don't think the $12 entry fee was unreasonable and there are are coupons out there so look for them! But I agree with the other reviewers, all the other activities cost extra money. For us, it wasn't a big deal but had we come as a family with small children, that would be a very big deal. I like the fact that there were constantly shows going on; very fun. That would make this a blast to take young children. But I have to say this is a strange little place- it needs to grow! read more

The Old West Festival - Amusement Parks Near Me - Williamsburg, Ohio

See all

My family spent the afternoon at the Old West Fest. My 3 boys had a blast. It's getting better every year! The shows are entertaining and the kids activities were great. We got the premium pass- so all the kids activities were free. read more

Fun for all the family! Lots of shows, vendors, food, and rides for kids. If you or anyone in your family likes westerns, cowboys, or history, this is a great place to go! read more

Took our German nephew here to see something very American. We thought this was lots of fun with something for everyone and very cost effective. The only more expensive thing we did was to have his picture taken in costume by the very good photographer. Usually the photographer s at this sort of thing are sort of cheesy but this one was very good indeed and worth the bit of extra time it took . We had a good time and you will too! Oh, they have a minature horse ride that looked really cool for little. read more

I was skeptical about this when we got tickets but turned out to be a lot of fun. It is a lot more for kids but still had a good time. They have lots of shows to keep you busy all day if you wanted to be. It had just enough shops to be not over whelming like the Renaissance festival that is mainly shopping. The food was good and not over priced. We got some rattle snake chilli and it was awesome. They do have beer as well. You buy a boot cup and then it is only $2 refills. This was a great way to spend a morning. read more

a few good shows, but overall not as authentic as a renaissance fair. was here three years ago and not much has changed, there are more buildings food still sucks read more

What a disappointment. We went 9/15/13 for the Native American weekend. Did not see a single Native American! This after paying $36 to enter. (3 adults). The gun fights were very poorly acted. Food was expensive for what you got. The best deal was the home made ice cream.. it was by donation. So $1 got me a cup and it's delicious. The Pickle Brothers Circus was pretty good. The only true redemption came from Rider, the trick roper/gun slinger. He is awesome! And put on a great show. But other than him, well... total waste of money and time. read more

I took my 4 yr old daughter and 6 yr old son. My only regret is we didnt't have more time. We spent 4 hours and didn't even walk around to visit the booths. My kids arent especially into the "old west" but they had a great time. The kids loved the "sideshow", magic show and Rider who is a world class roper and gun handler. The gun fight was entertaining and all of the actors in period clothing were very friendly and great with the kids. Aside from buying a reasonably cost large Pepsi ($1.50) and a large bag of popcorn (about $3) we didn't spend much other than $4 for the train ride. The "town" was bigger than I expected. Even with a couple of thousand people there it didn't feel jammed and the lines weren't much if at all. I'm glad we made it out there and plan on going back again! read more

Wow! Looks like the old west and several great characters. Tons of stuff for kids to do and amazing food. Definitely a fun time for the whole family with several shows and gun fights! read more

This is the best historical festival my family and I have ever been to. This out beats the Renaissance Fest any day. Can only look at so many Goth people who think they are pirates, knights or ladies, and every other booth has fortune teller at the Renaissance Fest. Old West is a much better value for my family. All 6 of my grand kids love the shows, the gun fights, and the food. There are so many things to see, the individual performances of each area in the Old Town. Have gone for the last 4 years and had our picture taken in Old West attire, it is cool to see how the grand kids have grown, in the family photo with my adult children and me, the old granny, in the photo. Look forward to going every year!!!! read more

Can't wait to go back this year. I looked and new website, discount tickets when purchased online, and for $5 my two little ones can ride the train unlimited along with some other things like panning for gold. The kids love it and it doesn't break our budget. Cheaper than a movie for the family. read more