Recommended Weekend Outing

Last weekend I went out with some friends; the group included some kids, young adults, and fifty-somethings.  It was a long day and late night but still fun.  If you have a weekend day, keep this in mind.

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire is about an hour, and hour and a half away.  I hadn't been in five or six years.  We toured the shops (great place to do some early holiday shopping), and watched The Mud Show.  Several music groups performed.  The only name I caught was the Roguish Rakes, who were quite good.  There was also a bagpipe group that sounded very innovative but I missed their name.  We also watched the big joust in the early evening / late afternoon.  The hero, Sir William, has a marked resemblance to Chris Hemsworth (Thor).  The other knight had a Jeremy Irons look about him. Caveat:  If you have some familiarity with medieval or renaissance history, check that part of your brain at the door.  (Queen Elizabeth I at Bosworth Field?  Really?  I don't think so.  And Elizabeth and Grace O'Malley seemed to get alone well.)  The pyrotechnics are very impressive, though.

After spending the day in the 1500s, spend the evening at Field of Screams.  It is less than an hour away, in Lancaster.  There are four major attractions, two haunted houses, a haunted hayride, and a maze.  I went through one of the houses and on the hayride.  That was about all I could  manage so I waited in the main open area for the rest of my party to go through the other attractions.  I struck up conversations with two other people doing the same thing.  They were wonderfully nice, so if you end up waiting for your friends, don't be afraid to start talking with the other parent-types loitering near the attraction exits.  The most  impressive thing I saw there was the giant Pumpkin Man near the hayride.

It was about a two hour drive home.  All told the whole thing took about 11 hours from door to door.  It could be done in less time, though.  We hit some traffic in a couple of places.  It can be a little costly but if you work the coupons, are careful where you eat, and note time differentials in price you can keep it affordable.