Carolina Renaissance Festival (Mecklenburg County, North Carolina)

 

Instead of hiking this weekend, we decided to drive up to the Carolina Renaissance Festival, held just outside of Charlotte, NC. This one is run by the same organization that puts on the Arizona Renaissance Festival, which we've attended a couple of times in the past. The hotel was only about seven miles away from the fair grounds, but at this is one of the largest events of its kind in the country, traffic was backed up and it took us a while to get in and parked in the gigantic grass field designated for that purpose.

Upon entering the fair, the world is transformed (at least partially) to the times of long ago. The town crier announces at the top of his lungs, the merriment that are underway and planned for later in the day. Among the items on our agenda are sitting in on a couple of shows of our favorite comedy troupe, the Tortuga Twins. Additionally, there is a brewfest here today, which has my attention.

As we make our way around, we grab some period food to fuel our walking. Everyone seems to be in a great mood and the festival workers do a great job of putting on a show. Around every turn, there is some musical or comedy act. Eventually, reaching the brewfest, I have a few samples. Out front of this mini-event, a brewing setup, proper to the period, has been set up and a brewer is explaining the process to interested visitors.

From there, we enjoy some of the shops and games, and towards the end of the day, make our way to the Edgewood Stage to see the final show of the Tortuga Twins, which they deem the "R-rated Show", as the content tends to be a bit racier than their earlier shows. We've seen this show a couple of times before, but it's no less funny. The twins (all three of them) make a joke of parents who have brought their nine-year-old daughter to the show - all in good fun. I've not seen this behavior before, but throughout the show, audience members approach the stage and stuff money in the twins' belts. It's almost like a strip show, without the stripping thankfully, lol.

After the show ends, we begin the long trek back to the parking area. It's been a fun day, but I'm a little sunburn and my back is killing me from standing (or sitting without backs support) all day. It will be good to get some dinner and then crash back at the hotel.