Ohio Renaissance Festival - Harveysburg - TravBuddy

If you are looking for a great family oriented fun day, the  Ohio Renaissance Festival is just the place to be. My girlfriend Emilia and I were camping in nearby Caesar Creek State Park and we decided to go to the festival on our way home on Labor Day.

We had planned to stay for about an hour and a half, grab some lunch and head to Columbus. Well, 7 hours later we finally left the festival. Everywhere we turned was entertainment and fun. We had no clue how big this event is. It was nice to see the visitors also dressing up in period costumes. The food was very good, and cheap, the entertainment is top notch and the atmosphere is something you have to experience for yourself. If you have never been to a renaissance festival, go! You won't be disappointed.

This one runs for 8 weekends each year. From Labor Day weekend until October 22, 2006 and is currently in it's 17th season. We are going to return in a few weeks with friends to visit it again.

From their website:

Live the legend in this authentically re-created 30-acre 16th Century English village. Rub elbows with nobility and be entertained by hundreds of costumed performers in nearly 100 shows each day. Cheer your favorite knight to victory as he competes for the Queen’s honor in the thrilling full-armored Joust.

The lanes are bustling with storytellers, strolling musicians, singers, dancers and villagers welcoming you to a festive day of living history. The air is filled with the scents and smells of the foods of the Renaissance period. Feast like royalty on juicy roasted turkey legs, fresh-baked bread bowl stews, fish ‘n chips, steak-on-a-stake, and a variety of the finest beers and wines.

The sprawling landscape is dotted with 12 stages and a unique open-air Shopper’s Marketplace with over 130 merchants and demonstrating craftsmen. The many one-of-a-kind hand-crafted items make this a perfect place to shop for holiday gifts.

Visitors of all ages will be amused by the games of skill and human-powered rides. Try your hand at archery and see if you’re a modern-day Robin Hood, or climb the castle tower and rescue the lovely damsel in distress.