Fun with Kids - Medieval Times in Lyndhurst NJ

I grew up hearing about Medieval Times and always wanted to go, but somehow never did! So when we were offered tickets in exchange for a blog post, I jumped at the chance!! The timing was perfect, too, as our twins just had their 4th birthday a week ago, so this served as their big royal birthday celebration!

Located in Lyndhurst NJ, Medieval Times is an easy outing for NYC families with cars. I thought it was going to be all about jousting but boy oh boy was I wrong, it was so much more - a truly unique experience that includes royal drama, horses, knights, delicious food, and more! Check out our YouTube video to get a great feel of the whole experience, and read on for more details!

You can arrive up to 75 minutes before your showtime and I recommend getting there at least 30 minutes ahead as there's so much to see and experience in the huge hall before you enter the show! You can purchase drinks and there's tons of merch for sale - from princess hats and crowns to swords and lots of lighty-uppy things that the kids will go nuts over! You can also see the Queen come out and knight guests in honor of their birthdays (an up-sell option, of course!).

Everyone gets a cute paper crown with the same color as your seating block, which adds the whole excitement of cheering on or booing certain teams - my husband said this was his favorite part! My kids got really into it, too, I mean, when are they encouraged to yell loudly indoors!?

​Once we took our seats the waiter quickly came up and served us some hot tomato bisque, and it was STEAMING hot! The bowls and plates are metal, so the bowl itself ended up very hot as well, just be careful with your little ones!! Throughout the show they brought more food - delicious rotisserie chicken (vegetarian option offered), a thick sliced and salted baked potato, corn on the cob, garlic bread, and for dessert, a small ice cream cup with strawberry syrup. The quality and amount of food was fit for a king, and they have to-go bags in case you want to bag it up for later. I was worried having read that there are no utensils and thought it'd get really messy eating with our hands. But actually, it added to the whole medieval aspect of it and was fun! And, they have individual wet wipe packs for before and after, and napkins, so don't worry! Also bringing you back in time, all staff were dressed in costume, and the way the stadium was lit, at times when the main lights went out, it looked like we were all using only candle light! Very neat!

There was a kind of story that went along with the show, something about them wanting to give the winning knight to the Queen as her King, but she wasn't having that. And then one of the knights didn't want to kill another in the contest, and she let the audience decide (they cheered to kill him, as they do) and she denied the request and let him live. That's all I really got from it. My poor husband couldn't catch a word - his English isn't completely fluent and they spoke in British accents over the speakers and there was so much going on it was just hard to follow sometimes. But there was a story, if you focused!

And to my surprise, there was so much more than jousting. In fact, jousting was just a small portion at the end!! There were horses performing dressage, there was a series of non-contact fun contests the knights did on horseback, there was a hawk that flew around the stadium a few times (really cool and unexpected!!), and then, the jousting. Which was SO COOL!!! I really had no idea what to expect, but basically they jousted one or two rounds til one was knocked off, and then they fought hand to hand combat with and without weapons. And the weapons were just, whoa, MEDIEVAL!!! Don't miss that part in my video, the swords actually sparked when clashing against each other!!

We just had such a great time! I think whether you're a history buff, or have a princess-obsessed daughter, or are just looking for a unique dinner show experience with or without the kids, you can't go wrong with Medieval Times! Regular ticket prices are $64.95/adult and $36.95 per child (under 12), but they have deals occasionally (adult tickets Columbus Day weekend for example are only $40!) and offer group rates (birthday parties, school or camp trips, etc). Get more info and grab your tickets here!