What Do You Think of Medieval Times?

I went once last year and loved it! My children enjoyed it too. The only thing they (and my husband) complained about was there were no utensils to eat the food. I brought fork with me and no spoons. So when the soup came out, we just had to drink it from the bowl. This was easy for the 10 year old but my 4 year old had difficulty. Also when we went it was kids are free with paid adult.

Love the Dallas World Aquarium, when my kids were younger we even got a family membership the kids never got tired of going and for us it cost about what two visits would cost and we were able to go when ever we wanted, at that time the price also included a members only brunch that was very nice.

It is a little pricey. But every one must go at least once. You will never experience any thing else like it. Go to their website and sign up, I get e-mails with special deals all the time.

We went when my son was 3 or 4 and he still talks about it. It is VERY pricy, sometimes the sunday paper has coupons (in the coupon flyers) for free kid with paid adult. I'd try to wait to get one of those coupons, but if your son likes action, I'd say it's worth it at least once. I wouldn't make it a weekly thing though! Also, the food is good and there's quite a bit of it if I remember correctly.

I took my grown kids to it so we could be "kids again." Dont it twice -- several years apart. Loved it. The advice about not going early to be so tempted by all the stuff is good. You could go to a toy or party store and buy a sword or hat in a bag, don't let them linger in the store part, and bring out your surprises at your table area.

World Acquarium: We went and it was a nice alternative to being out in the hot weather at the zoo. But we didn't go to any of the demonstrations which sounded good and would have added a lot to it.

Southlake has a "bounce house" for open play at times and birthday parties (expensive). We went in to look around. Pretty cool. My 3 year old little granddaughter followed a little boy up to a slide which I would have thought she'd need to be 5 to have the nerve to do that. She went over and over and over again.

Disney had a pirate and princess party at movie houses earlier this summer. Pick a pirate type movie to go to or play on the biggest screen you parents have, have a summer party with his friends, and invite them to dress up as pirates. Before the movie, have them walk a "runway" and pose in their bestest and most fierce pirate pose for pictures, alone and together as a group. If at home, put some pirate out.

The Flower Mound community activity center has a cool pool with slides for the kids.

Go take in the Gaylord Hotel inside. Looks like your outside but it is air conditioned. Very cool looking for adults and kids alike.

There is a Bed and Breakfast out in Mineola, TX that is way nice. It is a 1.5 hr drive. (Do they allow kids? Unsure.) One suite has a twin on the second floor balcony. It's called Fall Farm. Some of the most beautiful rooms you'll ever see. there land goes forever, lots of room to see, A shaded patio out in the middle with two facing porch swings. A huge pool. She keeps snacks and fruit and drinks on hand free of charge for you during the day. Gourmet breakfast. Great breakfast. Show your boy how to socialize with strangers at the breakfast table. A masseuse (by appointment). Scads of books and Magazines. Interesting people to see where they're from, what they do, how they found this place. It's $185 for a huge two-three room suite. You will not want to leave there but you'll want to go into town to see the old timey stores, restaurants, antique stores (closing early-ish on Sunday). Tyler's near there too. They had a private zoo which looked amazing when I peeked in. Tyler has some flower festivals during the year for their roses and azalias. Don't make the mistake of staying only 1 night. It's hard to leave the peace and beauty and adventure out there!

I disagree with most of the responses listed here. I have a 12 year old daughter and we all absolutely love Medieval Times! The primary reason for going is the show, which you can really get into (while cheering for your section's knight). The food is pretty good, but it's not going to be the highlight of your night. The experience kids get being allowed (strike that - REQUIRED) to eat with your hands is too cool and they do a really good job of it.

The torture chamber is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it can be kind of gruesome IF your child reads all the plaques about what the stuff is for. But honestly, how many kids really do that? More than likely he'll think all the spiky metal things are cool and NOT think about where realistically in the body they were used. The one GOOD thing about the chamber is that it's a relatively inexpensive way to get out of the souvenir shop for a little while. The souvenirs are really cool, but a bit on the pricey side (not to be unexpected when tickets are pricey).

For a staycation and something cool to do, I'd highly recommend it. You can decide later if it's something you'd like to do again. Go for the experience and soak it all in.

Both are Great- even for the money! Something else you might consider- pre-plan your "staycation" by visiting the cities convention and visitor's buerau. Just Google or search Dallas CVB, Arlington CVB, Fort Worth CVB, etc...

They have tons of stuff to do (That you normally don't do, or don't even know exists) and some are inexpensive or free.

i disagree with the previous post...i think the dinner is wonderfull and the show is awesome...we have a 8 yrold girl and a 10 yr old boy and they had a great time..and after the show the cast comes out and signs autographs and u can take pics.
i do agree i would not let him go in the torture chamber.

The aquarium is very disappointing in terms of an aquarium. Kids seem to enjoy it, but it's the worst aquarium I've ever been to. There are very few tanks and the main part of the exhibit is non-aquatic animals.

Medieval times is very expensive and the food is very salty. It's fun to go to if you like that kind of entertainment, but see if you can get discount tickets.

Have fun wherever you decide to go!

yah worth the $$$$ once maybe twice but if you dont love the renicance time period no more than that they dont change to story but about 1 ever three to four year. rember go easrly the kids will get to see the hourse. not too early because you cant get in if too early but early the lane is horrible if you are there late. theree is a lot of lights and boiises so if chiuldren dont like you may want to get a spot far baack... if children cant see ( need glasses ) you are goingt o wantto be close....

I wasn't crazy about it. The food is terrible, and the show got a little old. I also don't think the torture museum is appropriate for a 7 year old. They have a lot of REALLY violent stuff with detailed descriptions and they have horrible, painful looking chastity belts and sexual violent torture things (I know, it's a torture museum). You don't have to go to the museum.

That being said, we took our son and a friend of his for his 10th birthday and he loved it! It's definitely a boy thing. My husband liked it more than I did, though he said once was enough. Your 7 year old would probably enjoy the show. They do make it exciting and entertaining. It's just not my cup of tea, and I thought it ran long.

The aquarium is wonderful!

I LOVE Medieval Times. It's really fun, and your 7-year old will love it. I hope he's not a picky eater like my 7-year old stepson. I'm debating on whether or not to take him. May not be worth the money if he doesn't eat.
I haven't been to the Aquarium, so I can't help there.
It's outside, but you could consider the zoo. Those are always fun.
Somebody mentioned Great Wolf Lodge, but unless you've got a large budget, it's really expensive. You have to have a room booked to go to the water park part. The rooms are $300-400 a night!

We love Medieval Times. My 12 year old stepdaughter had her birthday there. They absolutely loved it. I'm sure your son will too. They have the horses, knights, king and queen and battle and fireworks, all the stuff that kids love. They also have a little museum they can walk through. I think it is a torture museum, or something like that. I think it is worth the money. After the battle all the characters come out and the kids can have their picture taken with all them. Really is neat.

Last year I took my 12 year old and 6 of his friends to Medieval Times for his birthday. None of us had ever been before. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it and my son calls it his favorite birthday party. One thing that I did not like is that they really push you to get there early - I think they say like an hour or an hour and a half early. When you get there they walk you through - get your picture taken and then put you in this big room to wait. It's just full of tons more things for your kids to beg you to spend money on and it is all very expensive. Like swords and stuff are $15, etc. There are little "side shows" they can go in that cost extra money. There is also a bar for the parents. Anyway, once you get past that part and go to the actual show it is fun. If you go, just tell the kids in advance what you will or won't spend on trinkets and remind them that the focus is the show. I can't remember what we paid, but I think I saw that adults and kids are the same price now. If that is the case, then that would be less than we paid, and worth it in my opinion. Hope that helps.

Medieval Times is great! Certainly not something you want to do all the time because of the price, but also because it will wear out the novelty of it. Your little boy will probably love it. I didn't think the food was bad...not great, but certainly not bad. You can't expect a delicacy eating in the renaissance time period. :-)

I have never been to the acquarium myself so have no advice there. I ditto the suggestion for Great Wolf Lodge though. It's a lot of fun too!

We went for my son's 5th birthday he is now 6 and he and his brother still talk about it and ask to go again. We did the Aquarium for our 3 year olds Birthday and the kids loved that as well although they don't talk about that like they do Medieval Times.

Oh, it is an evening of entertainment, to be sure! I have been a couple of times with teens/adults, and I felt like a kid :) Be prepared--don't wear anything that has to be dry-cleaned, because you will eat w/out utensils, as they did during that pd. of time. I would suggest bringing a private stash of wet wipes, because you will ALL need them. Lots of crowd interaction is encouraged, each section cheers for their own knight to win at the jousting tournaments, horses are absolutely gorgeous( as are the knights riding them!) It is pricey, and there are also opportunities to buy appropriate shields/swords, etc. You will have a lot of fun.

In the Sunday paper, every so often, they have buy 1 get 1 free adult coupons, or kids free with purchase of adults coupons. My son is too young to bother going yet (2) but he did LOVE the show at the renaissance festival that they have every year. I will definately take him for his birthday when he gets to be about 6 or 7, old enough to get it. I went with friends when I was about 19 and thought it was fun and novel. I think the lady who mentioned watching A Knight's Tale beforehand was genius: it's a cute "young" movie that would let them get excited before seeing "the real thing".
As for the Aquarium, I like it. The fish are beautiful, relaxing, the kids love them, and it's AIR CONDITIONED (we are ALWAYS on the lookout for air conditioned fun in the summer). It's not as good as the one in New Orleans was (at least, pre-Katrina) but who cares? It's kinda hard to see all that stuff this far north. :P

We took our son with us when he was about 2 and he thought it was cool! I definitely recommend it! It was really awesome to see all the fanfare with horses and jousting and such. It is great for a staycation, not some place to go to every day, it would get pricey.

We have not been to Midieval Times, but I would love to go. Check the website, I think they have kids free with adult admission. My 6 yr old will be going with his camp later this summer, we watch the movie - A Knights Tale with Heath Ledger for him to understand the jousting..he is really excited.
The DAW is AWESOME. Yes it can be crowded, but of course it is all when you go....as with anything, I have taken my son on a Saturday afternoon and it was not that bad, but during the day during the week should be pretty slow as well. Check out their website for the feeding times. They have feeding with the pengiuns outside, the sharks and the fishes in the big tanks where the manatee are. It takes some time to walk thru it and it is really worth it.
Another idea, it may be a drive since I am not sure where you are, is Dinosaur World in Glen Rose, it is close to the Creation Measuem and Dinosaur Valley State Park. They have life size Dinos. If you are a Dr Pepper fan there is always the Dr Pepper Processing plant in Dublin....there are lots of things on the way there to see.
Go To Half Priced Books look in the travel section for a book called: Insider's Guide Fun with the Family TEXAS. It breaks the state out in sections and highlights things to do and it is geared to kids so that will help with your little man!
Enjoy your Stay-cation!

Loved it!! I took my son as a teenager for birthdays and my niece age 7 and nephew age 4... they hated the food but enjoyed the show... it was a bit long for the 4 year old though.. the fight scenes were a little scary for the 4 year old. I wouldn't take a baby since the seating is awkward. It's arena type seating with no room you can't get out at all through rows of people.. until after the 2 hour show. it is expensive but there's coupons for kids free.

Yes, it is fun, but something you will only want to do one time. It is very expensive. Look for some coupons in the paper, like children free with an adult. Or go on line and see if they are offering anything. If your son is a Cub Scout, see if there is an discount for that.... Have fun.

It is for sure great to go once - we have been about 3-4 times over the years to Medievil times with our children - it kinda high - BUT coupons in the Sunday paper will help. I WOULD NOT purchase the upgrade tickets as this is a waste... All seats are good even if you sit on the ends and if you upgrade they are only putting you down closer to the front - we had DIRT thrown in our plates once from the horses hooves. There will be no one in front of you as the rows are on seperate height levels. The horror chamber is different and interesting to read, but our 8 year old wanted to know what each one was for, and some we kinda made up and went on... too detailed for a little guy to know about. The Dallas Aquirium I think is way too high for what is there, but others have different opinions. If you are ever in Corpus go to the one there for sure. There is one at Fair Park but closed for remodeling (really needed it) till next year.

The price is a bit much, but if you approach M. T. as history-brought-to-life, you can teach your 7-yr. old things that will serve him well in school later on. Then, have him watch Robin Hood-not the Mel Brooks one- the one with Sean Connery and Kevin Costner. That will reinforce the lesson. Maybe you could even start him on a study of medieval England-kings, nobles, peasants, and such.

lol Can you tell I've been a homeschool teacher??? Later, V.

It is a fun thing to do once. Can be pricey. The waiting area before you go in is full of vendors selling goodies that all kids want.

Food was ok most, not something we loved but for the venue of the evening ok.

I think we spent a little over $200 for the 3 of us in our family. Would we do it again? No, unless we had guests in town that wanted to do it.

One of those places that once you've done it..... You're done and don't feel the need to return. Be prepared to spend $$$$. And yes, your child will probably enjoy it. I don't know about the torture chamber, we have a daughter and she was in princess mode when we went about 3 yrs ago.

We took our boys at ages 4 1/2 and 6, and they LOVED it - wanted to go back every day. But it certainly is very pricey! Get a coupon out of a paper (they come out all the time). Once you get there, they will try to get you to spend tons more money in the gift shop and it seems like everyone buys their child a wooden sword to get autographs on - the paper crown works just as well. Just go in with a plan as to how much you plan to spend, prepare your kids for that reality, and stick to it so you don't go broke! After the show, hang out in the lobby to get autographs from all the cast. The one thing that really killed me was how much food they waste on the kids. My picky 4 year old was given a half a rotisserie chicken!

As for the Dallas World Aquarium, GO! It is is wonderful, has been expanded so much, and it is INSIDE! A little pricey so we only go once a year, but we definitely go!

I enjoy Medieval Times. We go every couple of years. You get to eat with your hands, which your son should enjoy. The food is usually a quarter of a chicken, potatoes, bread and maybe some sausage, then some kind of dessert. I don't really remember. You can sometimes find coupons in the paper, or do a search for coupon codes and buy your tickets online. I have never been without a coupon. I believe it is $54.95 for adults and $39.95 for kids. You might want to check out Great Wolf Lodge. You could stay one night and do the waterpark and story time, etc. The Dallas World Aqaurium is fun. We went about three years ago. It was really crowded, but we had fun.

I've never taken a child to Midieval Times. My now husband and I went many years ago, and we enjoyed it.
I love the Dallas Aquarium. I would definitely visit it.

I think they are offering specials right now. It is a fun evening, but it is pricey.

Dallas World Aqaurium is good, also a little pricey. Look for a coupon.

Other options. The Science Place at Fair Park. Drive out to Glen Rose and see the Dinosaur tracks and go to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park. The Wax Museum/Ripleys. 6 Flags. One of the bigger waterparks. Sharkarosa.

i have never been but have heard it was a great experience. something else you might want to do on your "staycation" is go to a ranger game or water park or dallas museum of art. also check the dallas morning news guide to entertainment section. have fun:)

It's free on your birthday. Do any of you have a birthday coming up when you want to go? You have to join more than a week in advance (on the webpage).

-L.

You guys will love Medieval Times especially your son! I went there as a child and have taken my 3 and they absolutely love it. The food is great. You will be served a 3 or 4 course meal. I would recommend it!

A.

Definitely go! Your 7 yr old will love it!!! My daughter went w/ her summer camp last year and talked about it for months afterward. She was beside herself when I told her that they are going again this summer.

We went to the Dallas Aquarium with our 6th grader on his field trip and we loved it! We really got alot of enjoyment out of going! We have no complaints, my 12 year old even had a good time! We parked at the train station in fort worth and road the train there & back, it made it fun! It's only $5.00 per person to ride the train & it's an all day pass for the train & the dart so it's really worth it, we got there faster than driving and it saved us on gas!!
We are also going to take the kids to The wax museum in Dallas and ripleys believe it or not and the house of mirrors, they are all three in the same area building and if you go to all three places it only cost $27.99, but if you want to go to just one I think it's 17.99 so going to all three is a deal!!!

hi R.
you can go online to the website and get coupons or just on line anywhere i bet but i took my husband there for his 30th bday and he had a blast! :) I'm sure your 7 yr old would enjoy it too!!!! I've been 3x in the 20 yrs i've lived here and i still enjoyed this last time(in Nov)!!! Hope if you decide to go that you have fun!
S.

My husband and I took our 21 month old to Medieval Times last weekend and we loved it! Our son was captivated by the show. We showed up 45 minutes before show time and will show up even later if we go again. I never knew I was allergic to horses until we went to this show. I ended up having a bit of an allergic reaction to the horse smell so next time I will take some meds with me to help with the allergies.

My son (and daughters) ADORED Medival Times. They seem desparate for takers lately: there's been lots of coupons in the paper. I bet you could get in free if someone in your family has a BD this summer! Definitely save time for the museum too. Start checking the DMN Weekend Guide for coupons and have a blast!