The Princess Blog

In today's technological era , many of the activities that we enjoy outside can also be done at home from our magical towers . Today, we can add the Renaissance Faire  to that list. A large group of indie fairy tale authors got together to form the Enchanted Book Faire , a special online event that lasts all weekend long. This faire is just like a real Renaissance Faire. It has a variety of different pavilions and activities to partake in. The only difference is that you don't need to worry about parking, crowds, or sunburn! The event is similar to some of the National Fairy Tale Day  that many of these authors have participated in before, complete with a hearty prize of discounted ebooks for those who visit every booth. The Enchanted Book Faire is hosted by Alesha Adamson  and has 15 participating authors, each of whom provides a letter to unlock the secret code needed to access the sale at the end. The authors' booths have some wonderfully whimsical names, such as "D...

This was my second consecutive year attending Sherwood Forest Faire , the annual Renaissance Faire in Central Texas. Many things remained the same, but not embarking on the scavenger "quest" granted more time to relax and enjoy the shows. This event is themed after Robin Hood , with an ongoing series of shows featuring Maid Marion, Prince John, and many other colorful characters, including the famous bandit himself. The little I saw of them was the same as last year's, allowing returning guests to focus on other performances during those time slots. Food vendors had tongue-in-cheek names that matched the theming, including "Ramen Hood," which was a popular lunch stop at this year's faire. One show I caught this year that I only saw in passing last time was Merlin the Wise, a magic show featuring the renowned wizard of Arthurian lore and his pet owl, Archimedes, which was essentially a talking muppet controlled by an actor shrouded behind black robes. Archime...

After my last Ren Faire review , one of my readers suggested I check out the Scarborough Renaissance Festival  in Waxahachie, Texas. This is a much bigger and more popular festival than the Sherwood Forest Faire, but does that make it better? Though this faire offers some unique experiences that Sherwood didn't, the trip reminded me more of a stressful visit to a Disney Park  than a relaxing jaunt back in time. It was a three-hour drive to arrive at an enormous parking lot on a hilly field with a long walk to the front gate. While the castle tower entrances and dividers between the grounds were impressive, there were long lines for everything. Renaissance Faires are always fun experiences, so I understand why this one was so popular, but I prefer a more intimate and relaxing setting. For me, the biggest appeal of the Scarborough Renaissance Festival is the Mermaid Lagoon, a small walk-around area that costs an extra dollar per person to speak to two live mermaids and one merma...

The Renaissance Faire is always a great place to bring out your inner princess. I've been to several faires including the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Los Angeles. This weekend was my first time attending the Sherwood Forest Faire in McDade, TX . True to its name, this faire is held in a large forest and is themed after Robin Hood. There were several areas named after parts of the legend, including Nottingham Castle, Maid Marian's chapel, and a humorous snack stand called Prince John's Nuts. The faire had an ongoing story that took place in multiple locations throughout the day about a wicked duke trying to tear down Robin Hood's good name and force a princess to marry him. There were numerous activities available for an additional fee, including a quest, an escape room, and some relaxing carnival rides mixed into the scenic labyrinth of buildings and vendors. My first destination was the Faery Courtyard, where the mischievous fae failed to appear for their 11:00 meet...

Where can you go to get transported to the time of princesses and knights and have a whole lot of fun too? The Renaissance Faire, of course! If you've never been to a Faire before, you should definitely go at least once. It's a great opportunity to get out of the house and meet other fantasy aficionados while also having fun with history. Today I attended the opening weekend of The Original Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Irwindale, California. It was my second time attending this particular Faire. They had many of the same booths, activities, and shows that I assume come back every year. This time, instead of wearing my generic Renaissance dress that I made in high school, I decided to cosplay with my husband as the Fairytale Designer versions of Ariel and Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid . It was particularly fun to cosplay during opening weekend because most people save their character costumes for theme weekends . We got a lot of attention from fans of the movie w...