Day Tripping: Medieval Times
If the kids are still into castles and knights in shining armor, here’s a nearby day trip for a rainy day or when the kids are otherwise all splash-parked out? Medieval Times, just an hour away in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, is a kid’s fantasy of Kings and white horses and shiny steel sword. And it’s a dinner show where you get to eat with your hands.
This mini-theme park chain is set in an 11th century style Spanish castle. As you enter, you are transported back to the High Middle Ages, led through a vast hall and seated at tables facing a huge arena. As guests of the royal family, King Don Carlos and his daughter the beautiful Princess Catalina, you witness a live tournament as six knights on Spanish stallions brandishing gleaming lances and bolas compete in jousting, swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, displays of horsemanship and falconry.
While you watch the action, wave flags and cheer for your favorite knight, you are served a four-course banquet of bread, soup, chicken, spare rib, potato, pastry and beverages—but no eating utensils (in the interest of authenticity). A vegetarian meal is also available (in the interest of pleasing 21st-century diners).
The Medieval Times castle also features a bar, dance floor, a medieval artifacts exhibit, shops and a medieval, uh, torture museum. After the show, kids get to meet the knights and pose for pictures with them. And their clothes never get wet. (Medieval Times, 149 Polito Ave., Lyndhurst, NJ, 866.543.9637; www.medievaltimes.com)