We’ve done the class birthday parties for our kids, so my husband came up with a great idea for our son Ben’s 7th birthday – Medieval Times! We read a lot of history to our kids and knights and swords are a big hit in our house — so we all thought it was a great idea! (Read more after the jump).
The birthday boy and his little sister.
My husband, 7 year old son Ben, my 4 1/2 year old daughter Allegra, my 2 year old Skylar, Ben’s friend T and I headed to New Jersey early in the afternoon.
The ride was pretty easy and we got there with plenty of time to spare. It’s recommended that you get their 90 minutes before showtime, but if you have young kids who may not be able to handle that amount of time, an hour may be better.
Here ye! Here ye! Line up or else!
Checking in
After checking in (we were assigned to support the “Red Knight”, we took a photo with the king and then entered the Great Hall. There were two large bars, and a bunch of tables and chairs, several gift shop counters, and a face painting station (not included in price). The “King” was “knighting guests” – if you have a special occasion, you could put your name into be knighted (I’m not sure if this is extra or included in the ticket price).
My daughter wore a princess costume over her clothes, Skylar was Yoda, and we bought a plastic armor set for my oldest son and his friend. The knight armor we bought was $18 each and included a plastic helmet, breastplate, and a sword and shield. We upgraded to the “Celebration Package”, which included a slushie for each person (in a cute knight cup with a top), banners, a birthday shout out and piece of cake.
The Main Event:
The Stadium Show was definitely the highlight of the day. We were assigned the “Red Knight” when we checked in, so we had red banners and we were supposed to cheer for the Red Knight and his allies. The show was really good and even the baby was mesmerized. We enjoyed seeing the tricks they did with the horses (it was really cool). The food was delicious too — but the portions were huge! As I was warned before we went, they don’t offer utensils — you’re supposed to use your hands. For the first course, which was a tasty tomato soup, the bowl had a handle. My two year old is a very picky eater, and even though I did sneak some spoons in, he wouldn’t touch it. He liked the bread that came with it though. The next course was chicken (two huge pieces) and large oven roasted potato wedges. We had booked the Celebration Package, so besides the birthday shout out during the show for my “Lord Ben”, we were each given a piece of cake. While the cake was okay, the apple pastry that was served to us (and everyone else) was even better. Soft Drinks and water was included, if you wanted a mixed alcohol drink, it was extra.
There was some drama during the show (a visiting emissary of another kingdom is kind of threatening). But he was dealt with after a battle and all was well. We had a wonderful time watching the knights perform and kids will definitely be engaged.
TIP: If you have a young child (we have a 2 year old), I suggest you take a lightweight stroller, harness, or baby carrier for the time you spend in the Great Hall. You won’t be allowed to take the stroller into the stadium.
For more information, go to Medieval Times’ website. There are 9 locations of Medieval Times, located in Buena Park, California; Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Baltimore, Maryland; Orlando, Florida; Lyndhurst, New Jersey; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; and Toronto, Ontario.
Thank you to Medieval Times for comping the basic package for our group, we paid to upgrade to the Celebration Package.
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