Family Fun: Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ
Do your kids go to summer camp? Ours do, and they really love the place they go. It's a day camp and they go on a different field trip every Wednesday. This year, they got to go to a Mets game, the Bronx Zoo, an amusement park and the theater to watch a juggling show... just to name a few of the trips.
The one trip they were most looking forward to was a trip to Medieval Times. They weren't able to go since we were scheduled to return from our trip to Arizona on the day of the trip. To say that they were disappointed, was an understatement.
Requests were made over and over that we go there ourselves. Usually, I just answered with "we'll get there sometime"...
We surprised them with a trip there on a Saturday evening in August. We didn't tell them where we were going... rather told them that we needed to do some shopping that night. If you know boys, they were less than thrilled to have to go out and shop.
As we pulled into the parking lot, the massive castle-like structure appeared and I heard a gasp from the back of the van. It took a few moments for them to realize that this was where we were going to be spending our evening.
I just love when a surprise works out so perfectly! You see those happy faces in the picture up above? That made it all worth it!
Now, if you aren't familiar with Medieval Times... I'll tell you what you are in for when you go. Once inside and you are given a paper crown with a specific color on it... this represents the knight you will cheer for once inside the arena.
Before you head inside, there are a number of souvenir spots where you can purchase knight gear, swords, and other toys for the kids. There are also t-shirts and other typical souvenir items. We couldn't leave without adding to our magnetic bottle opener collection (we pick them up wherever we are on vacation or at interesting places we go if they have fun openers).
Once the announcements have been made to enter the arena, you go in and locate your table. We paid for VIP seating, which got us a front row table. This was nice from the overall view standpoint, but we were in a corner of the oval arena so some things were harder to view. The seating is assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis and people start arriving up to 90 minutes before the show.
You'll get settled into your seats and be shown what the bill of fare is for the evening. There are no "options" or kid menus, but the food is all family friendly so everyone should be fine with what is served.
The cost of the meal is included in the total cost of what you paid... anything from the bar or purchased from the walking souvenir folks is extra. Just something to keep in mind.
While you are waiting for the first course to come out, the show begins!
The knights come out to be introduced to their section of the arena - they are greeted by cheers and sometimes some booing by the folks in the other sections. You want to cheer on your knight as loud as possible as he participates in the various "games".
The king annouces when the feast should begin and the servers bring out the food! There are no utensils... it's all eaten with your fingers or in the case of the tomato soup, sipped from the bowl. While I didn't get a photo of the soup, it was really delicious... and I found out My Youngest likes tomato soup! Had no idea, and now I have another soup I can make for him!
Next, everyone received half of a roasted chicken. The chicken was very well seasoned and moist! I wasn't sure if we would end up with dried out chicken since they have to prepare so many, but this was a nice surprise... but, it doesn't stop there!
Everyone then receives a pork sparerib... meat was so tender and came right off the bone with no effort. There were also very well-seasoned potato wedges. They were crisp on the outside and perfectly soft inside. Just the way we like them.
The meal ends with the pastry of the castle kitchen... and it was an apple hand pie, that was really flakey and not too sweet.
Overall the food got a thumb's up from everyone for the taste, and another one for it being finger food so that they could dig in and have a bit of fun eating like they did back in the Medieval Times!
This was a really fun night out, and the Green Knight won (that was who we were cheering for)! The show changes a little each time, so that you can go back and enjoy again.
It is a bit pricey - adults are $59.95 and children are $35.95. Check for on-line coupons and there are even deals on their website. We were able to get one adult entrance free since My Husband's birthday was in August (that was the current discount deal).
To upgrade to VIP seating, which includes a souvenir cup, small flag and program for each person and a behind the scenes DVD it is an additional $10 per person.
They have several locations across the country, so there may be one close to you! It would also be a fun night out while on vacation.
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
The one trip they were most looking forward to was a trip to Medieval Times. They weren't able to go since we were scheduled to return from our trip to Arizona on the day of the trip. To say that they were disappointed, was an understatement.
Requests were made over and over that we go there ourselves. Usually, I just answered with "we'll get there sometime"...
As we pulled into the parking lot, the massive castle-like structure appeared and I heard a gasp from the back of the van. It took a few moments for them to realize that this was where we were going to be spending our evening.
I just love when a surprise works out so perfectly! You see those happy faces in the picture up above? That made it all worth it!
Now, if you aren't familiar with Medieval Times... I'll tell you what you are in for when you go. Once inside and you are given a paper crown with a specific color on it... this represents the knight you will cheer for once inside the arena.
Before you head inside, there are a number of souvenir spots where you can purchase knight gear, swords, and other toys for the kids. There are also t-shirts and other typical souvenir items. We couldn't leave without adding to our magnetic bottle opener collection (we pick them up wherever we are on vacation or at interesting places we go if they have fun openers).
Once the announcements have been made to enter the arena, you go in and locate your table. We paid for VIP seating, which got us a front row table. This was nice from the overall view standpoint, but we were in a corner of the oval arena so some things were harder to view. The seating is assigned on a first-come-first-serve basis and people start arriving up to 90 minutes before the show.
You'll get settled into your seats and be shown what the bill of fare is for the evening. There are no "options" or kid menus, but the food is all family friendly so everyone should be fine with what is served.
The cost of the meal is included in the total cost of what you paid... anything from the bar or purchased from the walking souvenir folks is extra. Just something to keep in mind.
While you are waiting for the first course to come out, the show begins!
The knights come out to be introduced to their section of the arena - they are greeted by cheers and sometimes some booing by the folks in the other sections. You want to cheer on your knight as loud as possible as he participates in the various "games".
The meal ends with the pastry of the castle kitchen... and it was an apple hand pie, that was really flakey and not too sweet.
Overall the food got a thumb's up from everyone for the taste, and another one for it being finger food so that they could dig in and have a bit of fun eating like they did back in the Medieval Times!
This was a really fun night out, and the Green Knight won (that was who we were cheering for)! The show changes a little each time, so that you can go back and enjoy again.
It is a bit pricey - adults are $59.95 and children are $35.95. Check for on-line coupons and there are even deals on their website. We were able to get one adult entrance free since My Husband's birthday was in August (that was the current discount deal).
To upgrade to VIP seating, which includes a souvenir cup, small flag and program for each person and a behind the scenes DVD it is an additional $10 per person.
They have several locations across the country, so there may be one close to you! It would also be a fun night out while on vacation.
Medieval Times
149 Polito Ave
Lyndhurst, New Jersey 07071
Lyndhurst, New Jersey 07071
Please note that all photos and content belong to Patsy Kreitman, unless otherwise noted. If you want to use something please ask first.
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