Renaissance Festival

Another favorite experience to take our kids to, is the local renaissance festival. We are lucky to be so close to a large festival. It is over 35 acres with over 200 performances each day. This is an all day experience for us and we decided we would not take the wagon or strollers. We wanted to see how the kids would do walking the entire day.

Before we leave a picture of the happy children. (Side note: Her dress and shoes match perfectly. They were purchased at different places/times and it was pure luck that they matched.) Don't they look enthusiastic and full of energy? 

It's difficult to get photos without a lot of other people in them when it's so busy (annual attendance is 200,000 over the 8 weekends). Here they are walking hand in hand through the village. They loved the petting zoo, Daniel the Duke of Danger, Don Juan and Miguel, and everything involving music.

 We packed a lunch and ate in the back of our SUV rather than paying for the fair food. This saved money and limited distractions when eating. It also gave the kids a chance to "rest" in the middle of the day so they weren't completely overwhelmed.

Still happy at the end of the day. We never again took a wagon or stroller for a full day of walking. This was a huge help for packing on trips and just generally getting around town. They were exhausted and slept the entire way home! The rose she is holding was given to her by Miguel during the parade. This will continue to be an annual tradition for us.