Georgia Renaissance Festival

This past weekend we had the chance to explore the Georgia Renaissance Festival. We first visited the festival two years ago, and we knew that we had to come back!

We grabbed our tickets on Groupon for $17 each, but the listed prices are:

23.95 for adults

11.95 for children(6-12)

Free for children under 5

Festival Maps

First things first, we grabbed a map because this a truly big festival! There was so much too look at and we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss any of the fun.

The Food

I can honestly say that I was most excited to try all of the delicious food. My husband and I have a system when going to parks. We always split everything we order,  that way we can sample twice as much. We browsed the menu on their website before showing up, so we had a food game plan in mind.

Deep Fried Oreos

Health is wealth ya’ll!

Joking aside, these oreos were from heaven.

Turkey Leg

I have always been a sucker for a good turkey leg, and these did not disappoint.

I think it put me under it’s spell.

Fried Mac and Cheese on a Stick

Yes, please!

Fried PB&J

And the surprise of the day goes to…. fried PB&J! Frankly, I ordered this as a joke because it seemed absurd. Imagine my surprise when I realized this treat is the real deal. If you are heading to the festival, make sure you check out this quirky snack.

Wine & Beer

They offered many themed drinks, and my husband was feeling adventurous and tried Butter Buzz. It lived up to the hype!

Personally, when offered a drink I always go for red wine. I was bummed when I was told they only had white wine, but I got over it pretty quickly because their wine was delicious.

Bird Rescue

This was our favorite part of the festival when we came 2 years ago. For a suggested $2 donation, you can go see some beautiful birds up close and personal.

Each bird has been rescued from a difficult situation and has been given a loving place to stay.  We were able to chat with one of the rescue workers and hear more about their stories. One interesting thing that I learned on our last visit was that birds can become so distressed that they will start to pluck out their own feathers because of anxiety.

2 years ago, we had the joy to meet a sweet bird that had plucked itself naked due to stress after being kept in a home where a difficult divorce was taking place(pictured below). The fact that these animals are intuitive and can be so deeply impacted by constant yelling was eye opening for me. I am thankful that this organization cares deeply about these birds and works to give them a safe place to heal.

Camel Ride

Bucket list: check. I have always wanted to ride a camel and this was a fun experience. It was only $6, and even though it wasn’t a long ride, it was worth it.

Hookah

We were overjoyed when saw that they had a hookah lounge. It was nice to take a break from all of the walking and relax for bit. It ended up being one of the highlights of our visit.

Petting Zoo

For the little ones, they offered a petting zoo.

This cutie immediately caught our eye. We were told that little Clark was just one week old(his momma is pictured behind him).

Seeing these bunnies gave me major flashbacks to when I had a bunny in high school. Fun fact: My bunnies name was Timothy(my husbands name).

Archery 

Another thing I was able to cross off my long bucket list. I have always wanted to give archery a try, and let me say…. IT IS HARD. I have a new found respect for Merida.

Here is a picture of me pretending like I know what I’m doing.

Shopping 

The festival is filled with fun shops that have unique merchandise you can’t find anywhere else.

I was tempted to buy myself some elf ears, but I held off for now. Though I could definitely see myself getting them on our next trip.

Quidditch, anyone?

Georgia Renaissance Festival offers Quidditch matches on select days. I’m not sure how fun that would be without actually flying, but hey, it could still be magical for Potterheads.

Other Entertainment 

Truthfully, we didn’t get a chance to watch any of the shows because we were too busy with everything else they had to offer. Some of their shows include jousting, acrobats, hypnotists, and comedy sketches.

For the kids, they offer a few carnival style rides that were a huge hit.

ATM

Wouldn’t it be great if this was all free? Unfortunately, no such luck. Going forward we will make sure to bring more cash, because most locations did not accept our cards. They did make sure to have a good amount of ATM’s spread throughout the festival for our convenience.

Parking

We remembered that parking felt like a nightmare when we came two years ago, so we opted to take a Lyft there. If don’t plan on arriving extra early, you may end up having to park far away on a grassy hill.

We had a blast during our time at the festival and we can’t wait to go back again!

You can visit the Georgia Renaissance Festival from April 13th- June 2nd, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30am-6pm.

You can find more information on their website here.