A couple of weeks after the first birthday of my youngest grandson, the entire family went to the Medieval Times dinner theater at the Arundel Mills mall in Hanover, Maryland. Our group added up to nine people, and that little boy had a blast.
My wife, Josie, and I were staying with our older son and his family in 2021. Our other daughter-in-law and her son were also staying with them, but for a shorter period of time.
A Throwback to the 11th Century
The theme of everything in the castle was the chivalry and jousting of 11th century England. There were shops and other venues just outside the arena. We could buy goblets, swords, and even full suits of armor, along with dozens of other things I didn’t even look at. Most of it was very expensive. I bought a wine goblet for my wife, Josie, and it cost me almost $30.
A lot of people didn’t even notice how they were being addressed. I, for one, got tired of hearing “my lord” every time one of the employees spoke to me. I know, I know, they were trying to sound authentic but… if I heard my own name in every other sentence, that too would annoy me.
The Medieval Times Arena
We were fed while watching all the events. If you like horses, you’ll like this place. The horses pranced, and they danced, depending on what their trainers wanted them to do. I wasn’t impressed by the food, which included what looked like a chicken half for every guest (except for the vegetarians). I was impressed by how well-trained the players were.
Many of the events were dangerous, especially the jousting. The lances were designed to easily break against the opponents’ shields, but a mistake could definitely hurt someone. The only real complaint I had was that I couldn’t understand much of what was being spoken by the queen and some other players. It must have had something to do with the microphones they wore.
It seemed like the entire family was entertained for the whole evening, and that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
The Maryland Renaissance Festival
Our younger son, Jon, joined us later in the year. While he was there, we all went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I don’t remember exactly where it was located, and it took longer than necessary to get there. We still managed to get there before it opened to the public.
The medieval period of the festival was probably the same as the dinner theater, and they used the same players for the jousting area. We spent a lot of time walking, and I think it was the last thing we watched before leaving.
Jon bought some mead to drink at some point, but most of us drank bottled water. I’m sure one or more of us had soft drinks. I don’t remember who it was, but one of us had some kind of barbecued turkey leg. There were hundreds of venues selling all kinds of things. I don’t think we bought anything other than food.
Image by Phil Guest from Bournemouth, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons