I received complimentary tickets in exchange for sharing this information and my honest opinion.

 

Whether you have visited in the past or never been, Medieval Times is a place to check out. If you’ve never been, Medieval Times is a dinner and show experience that is perfect for the whole family.  If you have been before, prepare to go again. Medieval Times has broke from its 34-year tradition of casting a king in honor of letting a queen rule! This is also the first new storyline since 2012.

The Queen is now in charge and sole ruler of the land. Long may she reign!

What exactly is Medieval Times?

Medieval Times is a giant castle that seems to come out of nowhere and once inside you are taken back to a different time. The lobby is decorated as you’d expect the inside of the castle. There is an excellent bar, gift shop, Hall of Arms displaying medieval artifacts and a medieval torture museum. The doors to the show actually open 75 minutes before the show and it is worth getting there early to walk around. We were running late unfortunately and didn’t get a chance to really enjoy the lobby area.

Once inside the arena, you are seated around where the action will take place. There really are no bad seats but of course the closer the more exciting. Seating is first come-first serve, but you can buy additional upgrades for priority seating. You will also be seated in a section for a specific knight that you will cheer for.

You will be greated by your server and the food will start arriving. One thing to note is you do not get eating utensils! There were no forks or spoons back in the 11th century used so to really experience live back then, you feast with your hands. Not to worry though, the food is all easily eaten with hands or if you are an experienced Medieval Times dinner like me then you know to bring your own silverware (or plasticware), which I do for my kids.

The Queen’s feast includes garlic bread, tomato bisque soup, roasted chicken, sweet buttered corn, herb-basted potato, pastry of the Castle and beverages (may vary by castle).

While you eat, the show begins and starts with speeches from the Queen and her court and then on to the action. The Queen comes down to the arena floor and greets everyone which was pretty cool to see.

You can then expect almost two hours of knight competitions, hand-to-hand battle with actual weapons, horses and even falconry. My daughter who didn’t remember visiting before as it’s been awhile kept asking if everything was real!

I have seen the show more times than I can count and I am amazed each time. During the show there are also roses thrown to guests if your knights win and my daughter was lucky enough to receive the Queen of the Tournament banner from our knight.

Food allergies at Medieval Times

I also wanted to mention about food allergies at Medieval Times. My son has severe food allergies – eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish – and he was able to enjoy the meal! We did switch out the dessert for a lemonade ice but otherwise, everything was safe. Our server was not shocked when I asked about allergens and knew on the top of her head what was safe, which is comforting when you get a server who understands food allergies. Obviously, it is always important to check with your server as things do change. If you are a vegetarian, there is also a vegetarian platter available.

Live near Chicago?

Check out our local Chicago Medieval Times castle for an experience your family won’t soon forget! Keep an eye out for coupons as well as there are usually some floating around the Internet or various coupon books! Keep in mind too that the price insides a show and dinner!

Not in Illinois?

There are currently nine castles in total: Kissimmee, FL, Buena Park, CA, Schaumburg, IL., Hanover, MD., Lyndhurst, NJ, Myrtle Beach, SC, Dallas, TX, Lawrenceville, GA., and Toronto, ON. Tickets for any of these locations can be purchased here.