Review: Medieval Times
Medieval Times is a great place to go with the family! We were excited to check it out last weekend and here’s a little more about our experience.
This post is sponsored. We were given tickets to attend Midieval Times.
The Arrival
As my eight-year-old son and I exited the 91 Freeway on a sunny Sunday afternoon, we noticed a castle in the distance on Beach Boulevard. And as we got closer, we started to feel like we were being transported from present-day Buena Park back in time to Spain in the 11th century.
Have I been driving by this all these years? I wondered. Who knew?!
Well, LOTS of people, it turns out! Our dinner and show was at 5p, but as we pulled into the parking lot (FREE PARKING) around 4:15p we noticed a long line of excited people already forming. My son, who has been to Medieval Times in Dallas, Texas, with his grandparents, was already talking about the cool crowns we would be given to wear and how we could buy a flag to wave that was the same color as our knight.
You definitely want to get to Medieval Times well before your actual reservation time, as it is going to take a minute to park, check in, go to a ticket window, then go get your table reservation and take a photo, and then walk over to the waiting area. (That sounds like a lot, but actually runs very smoothly.)
Once you reach the area where you will hang out until the doors open, there are some very cool things to see. There is the BAR, first of all, and little souvenir stands for light-up swords and goodies. A few minutes before the doors opened, a gentleman with flowing locks and dressed in armor walked up on a little stage, accompanied by trumpeters.
The man with the flowing locks turns out to be the master of ceremonies (who runs the show inside, too), who was so fantastic that while he was talking I was sharing a video on Instagram and calling for him to immediately cast on GAME OF THRONES. At that point, he called me out! He told me that if he saw my thumbs “doing THIS during the show I shall bring you down and have you sing the Spanish national anthem!” However, I was saved by a blast from the trumpets signaling that the doors were about to open.
Let the Games Begin
Dinner is served almost as soon as you sit down. You will be seated in the section whose color corresponds to your table voucher and your hat, and later your knight! The tables are cool and kind of like long, old school wooden tables that are all on different levels. We were actually up pretty high, but still had a great view of all the action down on the floor. And just a heads up: There is no silverware. (There might be if you ask…but we just went with it and the kids were thrilled to eat with their hands!) That means you will be slurping your Dragon’s Blood (tomato) soup right out of the bowl, and eating your Baby Dragon (chicken) and Lemon Cake with your fingers. There is also a vegetarian option available with hummus, veggies, and three-bean stew. The food was really good!
As you are enjoying your meal, the pre-tournament entertainment will be happening down on the floor. You are going to fall in love not just with the knights and their flowing hair, but the beautiful stallions! The horses are just incredible and it looks like they are doing a beautiful dance as they perform advanced-level dressage and also LEAP into the air. I swear that one of the horses we were watching jumped even HIGHER the louder the crowd got!
The Royal Falconer came out for the Flight of the Royal Falcon, which had the whole arena oohing and aahing as this beautiful bird whizzed over everyone’s head in a graceful and beautiful flight.
The big battle begins when dinner is winding down so you can really focus on the show. The joust was SO thrilling, as two knights on horseback galloped toward each other from opposite ends of the arena holding their jousting poles and trying to smash their opponent’s pole. Then, the battle moved from the horses to ON FOOT, with all kinds of scary-looking weapons being employed, like swords, alabardas (looks a bit like an ax), and a spiky ball and chain thingy. We saw SPARKS flying from the different weapons when they clashed! The fight went until there was a clear victor, and then the winner of that round moved on to the next one. Sadly, our yellow knight lost not once but TWICE! But we still love him.
It was really neat to look around and see the whole place totally packed with a lot of families having a great time….especially the guy next to us who kept screaming “FINISH HIM” during every match; he was not going to be happy until someone held up a head. Which—by the way—does NOT happen!!!! This is family-friendly entertainment, and my friend’s son (age 4) and my son (age 8) loved every minute. BUT it might be too intense (there is dramatic music and dim lighting at times) for really little kids or older children.
Side Note: My son is now asking when we can buy a horse, and if he can joust with his three-year-old sister.
The bottom line: Hold on to your helmet or crown for a thrilling joust with beautiful horses and handsome athletic knights. There’s also a hearty and delicious meal you can eat with your hands. What’s not to love?
CONTACT INFO
Medieval Times
7662 Beach Boulevard
Buena Park, CA 90620
(714) 523-1100
MedievalTimes.com
There are 9 locations, including Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, and Orlando
