Medieval Times, the 11th century-inspired feast and knight tournament, is something I have wanted to experience since grade school when my sister was taken there on a class trip, and then came home raving about how much fun she had. Two decades later, I was able to live my dream of going to Medieval Times while sharing in the fun with my family: my 7-year-old daughter, three-year-old nephew, and husband.
We took the hour and a half drive from Brooklyn to Lyndhurst, New Jersey in the 2018 Hyundai Elantra Eco. My daughter and nephew had no idea where we were going until the castle was in sight. Once inside the castle, we were crowned with the colors of our team, which was Yellow, and then took a cute family photo.
The Show
Even though seating is first-come-first-served, we had amazing seats in the front row of the Yellow section, rooting for The Yellow Knight. These seats couldn’t have been more perfect allowing us to interact directly with The Yellow Knight, who, from our personal experience, lives up to his reputation of being well-versed in the arts of chivalry. During the live-action dinner show, I received a flower and my daughter received the Knight’s ribbon making her the “queen of the tournament.” She loved that.
My three-year-old nephew, as most boys do, enjoyed watching the knights compete either through swordplay or jousting. The Knights definitely put on a good show during each competition and fight.
The Food
As far as food goes, I was not sure what to expect. My friends who have previously gone told me that you get a lot of food, and they were right. They offer a chicken and vegetarian option. My husband and the kids got the half roast chicken, while I went for the vegetarian meal since I gave up eating meat.
The vegetarian meal was a mash-up of beans, rice, potatoes, and roasted tomatoes served in metal slop-like bowl reminiscent of what was used during Medieval Times. It was well-seasoned, and not half bad for what it was.
All meals include soft drinks, tomato bisque and garlic bread, corn on the cob, roasted potato and a slice of lemon cake.
The food is served medieval times style without utensils to eat with, and of course, the kids loved that. You are provided with a wet napkin to clean your hands before and after your meal. My nephew needed several wet napkins, as he was dipping his chicken into the tomato bisque. He said it was good, but I can’t say. Have you tried that?
There is a lot of food! The kids did not finish their meal so our server provided us with doggy bags to bring the extra food home.
Medieval Times Isn’t Just For Kids
As adults that are into shows like Game of Thrones, watching the performances during the show were entertaining. I mean, it wasn’t quite like Game of Thrones, but good enough action to keep our interest. My husband and I enjoyed cheering on our Yellow Knight during each challenge just as much as the kids did. There were also plenty of adults in the arena celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and even date nights. There is definitely fun for all to have during the two-hour show.
Medieval Times was the perfect place for a fun family night out. We all enjoyed the interactive show, especially my 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old nephew. I mean, what kid doesn’t like horses, knights, and swordplay? Plus, all of this is experienced in a “real” castle. By the end of the night, we were all exhausted from cheering on our knight and booing the rival Knights.
Where is Medieval Times?
We visited the Lyndhurst, New Jersey location of Medieval Times since it is the closest one to New York. However, there are several other locations in Georgia, Texas, Maryland, South Carolina, California, Illinois, Florida and Ontario, Canada.
For more information and to purchase tickets to Medieval Times visit http://www.medievaltimes.com.
Medieval Times New Jersey
149 Polito Ave
Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
Get Social with Medieval Times on Facebook | Instagram | Instagram
Have You Experienced Medieval Times? Comment Below.
Tickets were provided to facilitate review. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links.