Step back to a time with heroic knights, astounding athletic feats, and no utensils when you visit Medieval Times. Find out more about the attraction in this Medieval Times review.
For more things to do, check out all of our attractions posts.
I wasn’t sure if I could do it, honestly. Eat an entire meal with my hands. It just seemed a bit impossible when I thought about it. Soup, chicken, sides, dessert … one napkin. But that’s really what everyone knows about Medieval Times and all I could think about when Pete and I went a few years ago to Medieval Times Myrtle Beach.
We entered the castle, picked up our VIP Royalty tickets — which meant we got priority seating, a flag to wave, a rally towel, but still no utensils — and sat in the front row. Our host for the night quickly came over to serve us tomato soup in a bowl with a large handle. You could pick it up and sip easily. Utensils really weren’t needed.
Once we got that out of the way, we were really able to enjoy the show.
There’s way more to Medieval Times than just eating with your hands. But, is it for you? Keep reading our review to figure that out.
Want a similar experience, but in Las Vegas? Check out the Tournament of Kings in Excalibur.
Medieval Times Review: Everything you need to know
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Medieval Times Dinner And Tournament, as its officially known, is a dinner show set in the times of King Arthur.
There are 10 locations (nine in the United States and one in Toronto in Canada). The plot changes every six years (and by “the plot” I actually mean the plot, not like how the kids nowadays use “the plot” to mean the hot characters in the show … although I’m sure the characters change often too because how long can you play a knight anyway).
When you walk in, you get your photo taken with your group. Of course, this is an upsell after the show, but if you look really cute it in, it’s a nice memory.
Michelle went with her kids earlier this month and her pro tip is that you should post like queens and knights in the photo. Be a little extra. The picture comes out better.
You then go into a waiting area where there’s a host who comes around and interacts with you before it’s time for you to find your seats.
You’re separated into six sections, one for each knight’s color. There’s the green knight, the red and yellow knight, the red knight, the blue knight, the yellow knight, and the black and white knight. Each knight has his own personality and backstory.
You don’t get to choose the color of the knight you root for. You’re assigned that when you check it. Your paper crown (and any extras, if you’re in VIP) will match the color of your knight.
When we went, we had VIP Royalty tickets, which came with priority seating access and preferred seating, which means we got to sit front row center in the yellow knight’s section. He was our main dude, and we were cheering mainly for him, but also for the other two knights on our half of the arena.
And cheer we did. There were feats of strength, which were incredible impressive. Six knights were riding on horseback, grabbing rings with poles. It was so cool to watch them and think about how they were actually competing in these games. There wasn’t CGI or stunt doubles around. Sometimes the men would falter, but mostly they would succeed, and that was so much fun to watch.
After that, there’s a full “scripted” portion of the show where the knights joust and have sword fights so one can (eventually) save the kingdom. That’s when you really need to root for your knight. But be careful. Your knight could turn into a bad guy who wants to end the life of the knight who beat him in the joust and avenge his loss.
Men can be so dramatic.
There’s also a bird, cared for by a royal falconer. And a chance to for a little girl to be selected as the maiden of the night.
And during the entire show, you’re eating a four-course meal — with your hands, while wearing paper crowns — served by waiters who joke around like jesters and are really encouraged when you use medieval jargon with them, like “huzzah” and “my lord.”
And yes, you really eat with your hands. However, when Michelle was there on a recent visit, she said the people next to her packed forks for her family to use.
You start with garlic bread, tomato bisque soup (which they call dragon’s blood), oven-roasted chicken, sweet buttered corn, and herb-basted potatoes. For dessert, there’s a pastry, served with hot coffee. It’s definitely enough food to fill you. And it’s good food, considering its made in bulk for 1,000 people simultaneously. That tomato soup is, by far, my favorite tomato soup of all time.
And, quick side note: The Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Buena Park actually posted the Medieval Times tomato soup recipe on its Facebook page. So definitely check that out to make it at home.
Gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian meals are available.
The vegan meal is hummus with carrot and celery sticks, three-bean stew with fire-roasted tomato and brown rice, and fresh fruit or Italian ice.
The vegetarian option is the same as the vegan meal, plus warm pita bread.
If you need a gluten-free meal, that’s the tomato bisque soup, hummus, carrot and celery sticks, roasted chicken, sweet buttered corn, herb-roasted potatoes, and either fresh fruit or Italian ice.
Non-alcoholic drinks are included in the ticket price, although there is a full bar at Medieval Times for adults who are 21 and older. There’s draft beer and mixed drinks available.
Some of the drinks are served in glasses that you’re able to keep, ranging from everything from a goblet to a 25 oz. horn.
Which, let’s be honest. While you’re eating soup with your hands, you might as well be drinking beer from a horn.
Medieval Times: Frequently Asked Questions
There are 10 Medieval Times tournament castles locations:
Orlando Castle in Kissimmee, Florida
Buena Park Castle in Buena Park, California
Lyndhurst Castle in Lyndhurst, New Jersey
Chicago Castle in Schaumburg, Illinois
Dallas Castle in Dallas, Texas
Myrtle Beach Castle in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Baltimore Castle in Hanover, Maryland (basically Washington, DC)
Atlanta Castle in Lawrenceville, Georgia
Scottsdale Castle in Scottsdale, Arizona
Toronto Castle in Toronto, Ontario
Tickets for Medieval Times are $67.95 for adults and $40.95 for children. You can buy tickets on the Medieval Times website and enter the code 15MT for 15% off.
You can sometimes get discounted Medieval Times tickets on Groupon, so definitely look there first.
The show at Medieval Times is two hours. Doors do open 75 minutes before showtime, so you’re able to check in, check out the gift shop, and wait for the show to begin.
If you’re wondering what to wear to Medieval Times, the good thing to know is there isn’t a dress code. I do recommend bringing a long-sleeved shirt in case you get cold when there’s air conditioning.
When Michelle with her whole family recently, she wanted to dress her sons up in knight costumes but she couldn’t find matching ones so she didn’t. A lot of kids do dress up.
When we went, we had the VIP upgrade. That meant we were sitting closest to the action. It also meant that we were served our meal first.
There’s not a bad seat in the building, so even if you don’t sit in the front row, you’ll still have a great view of the electrifying show. But you’ll just have to wait a little bit longer to get your meal.
There’s a gift shop area at Medieval Times where you can buy medieval trinkets like light up swords, daggers, tunics, and more.
We didn’t go into the gift shop area, but I’ve heard that you can see the gorgeous horses if you do (although no photos are allowed) so definitely check it out while you’re waiting for the show to start.
If you’re coming for a special occasion, you can take part in the queen knighting ceremonies (for an upcharge). You can also purchase a birthday princess hat.
If you are coming with a group for a birthday, you can purchase a birthday package that includes a group announcement during the tournament and guaranteed group seating. There are also packages that include copies of the aforementioned photos, cake, and more.
We went to the Medieval Times in Myrtle Beach and it has a large parking lot where visitors can park for free.
Michelle went to the Medieval Times in New Jersey and it also has a free parking lot.
More Family-Friendly Attractions:
If you like Medieval Times because it’s a great experience for the whole family, we have a few other attraction suggestions for you, which are close to the Medieval Times Lyndhurst Castle: Liberty Science Center, Wild West City, and The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark.
Then, there’s Broadway At The Beach near the Myrtle Beach Castle. And, Medieval Times is just one of the dinner shows in Myrtle Beach. So if you like those, be sure to check out the others.
And finally, if you’re at the Maryland castle, which is basically Washington, DC, our list of free things to do in Washington, DC is filled with ideas of museums and more.
Have you been to a Medieval Times dinner show? Let us know what you thought of the whole experience in the comments.