Hear ye, hear ye! Gentlewomen and menfolk, children who crawl and run and screech, all are welcome at the festivities. Once again, the Virginia Renaissance Faire is up and running at Lake Anna Winery! We’ve gone annually as a family for the last few years. I’m a big fan of dressing up and seeing all the shops and shows, and there’s plenty for the kids to do too!

 If you haven’t been to a renaissance fair before, I recommend trying it at least once. This one isn’t as big as the Maryland one but is still pretty fun. They have food, shows, vendors, games, and more. Food-wise there’s the standard assortment of fair food, which is mostly overpriced but you can’t bring your own. If you want to do the fair right, you have to get a big ol’ turkey leg. I shared one with my son. It was $20 but delicious! If shows are more your thing, they have jousting, juggling, and singing. We watched a guy juggling tasers! After that, we saw a trio of talented women sword-fighting and joke-slinging, all while acting out Macbeth in less than 5 minutes (they finished with 15 seconds to spare). If you prefer shopping, there are tons of great vendors, from clothing and jewelry to leatherwork and weapons. There are a good number of fun activities, too. My wife and I tried our hand at archery and made a fair showing of it!

 Kid-wise, there’s plenty to do. There’s a small kids’ section with toys and games in the back of the fair. There’s a face painting booth (for a price), and a dart-throwing game to pop balloons for a prize. There’s a knighting ceremony for kids, where the queen bestows honors upon each kid. Then there are all the shows. They have jousting and realistic armor and sword combat, which are always favorites among the kids. The other shows are usually pretty good for kids; for my kids at least, the more colorful jokes go over their heads. For bigger kids and adults, they have knife throwing, archery, and axe throwing. My 15-year-old nephew fell in love with all the costumes when we went last year, so it’s definitely possible that your teen might like it!

If you’ve never attended before, here are some tips to ensure you and the family have a good time:

• There’s plenty of parking, but be prepared to walk a fair distance from where you park to the front gate. Wear comfortable shoes.
• If you have little kids who might tire out easily, then you might want to bring a stroller. It’s all in a grassy field so go with a large-wheeled jogging stroller if you have one.
• Make sure to bring cash. Some vendors take credit card, but cash is the most reliable. There is an ATM, but it has an associated fee that you probably want to avoid.
• Tickets are only available online, so buy them ahead of time at home. 
• If you want to partake in adult beverages, make sure to stop by the ID tent outside the gate to get a 21+ wristband.
• There are some shaded parts, but the majority of the fair is in an open field, so make sure to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
• Bring water bottles. You can buy lemonade and bottled water but there’s nowhere to refill your water bottle for free, so bring plenty of extra.

All in all, it's a pretty good value and plenty of fun for adults and kids. 

Virginia Renaissance Faire is running now through June 9. Huzzah! For more information, visit www.varf.org.