Beyond Giant Turkey Legs...

The Georgia Renaissance Festival is so much more than giant turkey legs and high-energy jousting, although both of those are totally awesome! The Festival brings a sense of community to its visitors, a sense of connecting with something so monumentally fun that you want the day to go on and on and on. 

This year I went with my friends Matty, Sara, and Cody—Cody and I went with other friends last year—and proceeded to laugh, watch some jousting, laugh, eat some giant turkey legs, and laugh some more, until we were totally exhausted. Great fun!

Washing Well Wenches | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

At the top of your GaRenFest entertainment list should be the Washing Well Wenches! Sprout and Gerty are my favorite people at this Festival. After seeing them last year, we couldn't not see them and we went to the first available show!. 

Matty and I, the brave souls that we are, sat on the front row. No matter where you're sitting, you're going to have a great view and some of the entertainment comes into the audience, too! These incredibly talented women bring you non-stop laughter! 

Sprout and Travis | Georgia Renaissance Festival

I look terrified and Sprout is just having a great time! I was, too, I just looked terrified when the camera clicked. (laughing inside) Tips aren't required, but they're certainly appreciated, and...you get strategically place your tip in one of a few different places depending on the bill's denomination. 

The Arena | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Of course we went to the jousting tournament. But this time we got the VIP tickets ("Very Important Peasant"), received a crown and sat on cushions with royalty! They were, of course, perched above we VIPs, but we were right there next to them!

There are three jousting tournaments throughout the day:

• Joust of Chivalry
• Queen's Royal Joust
• Joust to the Death 

Be sure to pick up a schedule and map (double-sided) when you come in the main gate so that you can plan accordingly and not miss something you'd have loved to have seen. We're already making plans to go back this month...for the fun and to see some things we've yet to see and do.

Jousting Hostess | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I didn't get her name, but this was our hostess for the jousting tournament, a very friendly lady. In fact, every staff member I've encountered at the GaRenFest has been gracious, delightful, hilarious and just super fun! That's a huge part of why I go back. "Thank you!" to all the GaRenFest staff for being so awesome to all of us!

Sara and Matty | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

This might be the best photo-op of all...the Game of Thrones throne! That's Sara and Matty pictured above. 

Anyone care to venture a caption?

Parrot | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The 'Parrots of the Caribbean' is a free-flight aviary featuring exotic birds that have been rescued from being abandoned, orphaned, or unwanted. The minimum donation of $2 goes toward food, shelter, and care for these beautiful birds. I highly recommend stopping in here!

This awesome experience is presented by the non-profit organization EarthQuest.

Barely Balanced | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

Watching Barely Balanced is an adrenaline rush! Everything he's standing on is moving...it's edge-of-your-seat entertaining! And that they're hilarious is a huge bonus!

That's Cameron Tomele doing the balancing in this photo (above). You might have seen him already...he was featured on the cover of the April edition of WhereTraveler/Atlanta!

The Craic Show | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

The Craic Show is another must-see, especially if you enjoy live music, of a different sort. Watch their official promo video to get a taste of what you'll hear and see!

Mona or Sara | Georgia Renaissance Festival | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There are photo-ops galore throughout the GaRenFest, including this Mona Lisa!!! Sara is such a great sport, too! I wonder what Leonardo da Vinci would think about Sara's stylish glasses? They totally go with the outfit, right?

Travis and Ded Bob | Georgia Renaissance Festival

I love The Ded Bob Sho!!! This year I got a photo with Ded Bob! You never know what's going to come out of his mouth! Er, his jaw bone, rather. Some of Ded Bob's jokes are cleverly subtle, some are over the kiddies heads, but hilarious for the older folks, even the ones that are close to Ded Bob's age. The Ded Bob Sho is an perennial treat for me!

This post covers only a fraction of the fun to be had at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. I highly recommend going as soon as you can, because, like me, you very well may want to go again before the last day on Sunday, June 3.

Enjoy some more photos on the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook page. 

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."

                                                                                                       - Leonardo da Vinci

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017

In my experience, every mention of "Renaissance Festival" is followed by three statements: (1) "Yum! Giant turkey legs!", (2) "They're jousting, right?", and (3) "Are you dressing up?"

The Georgia Renaissance Festival has all of that and so much more! And you can get in on the fun every weekend now through June 4, 2017.

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There is indeed jousting, as well as masterful feats of horse riding skills, and there are sword fights! All for the King and Queen of the tournament, and we common folk. This is the one time it's super fun to be common folk!

However, if you'd like to be seated under cover during the tournament, I recommend purchasing your VIP tickets as soon as you arrive. By time we went over to watch the tournament we were relegated to watching from a hillside. Don't' get me wrong. There are no bad seats, but the earlier you go, the closer you will be to the action! 

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

My dear friend Nikki—my partner in the "By the Numbers" series—gave me four tickets to the RenFest that she and her husband had won at a local Trivia Night. I took my dear friends Patti (that's her above with a cosplaying festival-goer) and her husband Eric, and our new friend Cody. Such a fun crew to hang with!

While at this festival, we made photos with the RenFest Queen; participated in an archery competition when Eric kicked our collective butts; feasted on giant smoked turkey legs; sampled a few beers; and got kissed by a pirate. Well, Patti did the latter.  

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There are lots of shows at the RenFest, but none make your sides hurt from laughing like the Washing Well Wenches! I want to assume that these two have been working together for years...their banter flows so naturally. That's where "natural" stops. 

The next thing you know, you have a guy running up the hill, into festival foot traffic, yelling something absurd at the top of his lungs. And another guy running up the same hill wearing underwear on the outside of his pants, also yelling absurdities. It was hilarious! Do not miss this show!!! Seriously. Do...not...miss...this...show!

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There are so many incredible performances, you may find yourself in the same situation as me...unable to pick a favorite! Then I think, why can't I have several? I can!!! So can you!

The Gypsy Geoff Fire Circus is AWESOME! We saw his show immediately following one of the jousting tournaments. 

And, something interesting happened.

The part of his routine when he invites kids to the stage to be part of the show started as typically as one would expect. In this case there were six kids on stage, super excited and a little bit nervous, listening intently to Geoff's instruction on how to balance a spinning plate on a long, skinny stick. We've all seen this, right?

Then, the kids go "off script"!

Without being instructed to, the first kid—who Geoff had passed a spinning plate to stick-to-stick—turns and passes it to the kid next to him—while Geoff was off getting another plate for the next kid. Geoff was going to give them each their own spinning plate, but the kids opted for a more challenging feat...to pass the same spinning plate to each kid on stage!

There were a couple of spills (we'll call them practice runs), but these kids were determined to make magic! They passed the same spinning plate from kid to kid to kid, all the way down to the smallest of them...in a single spectacle! They did it!!!

I think the above is my favorite photo from the day...that's Gypsy Geoff!

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

You absolutely must see The Ded Bob Sho! What he's missing in flesh, he makes up for in banter that is oftentimes brilliant humor, oftentimes over-the-heads of some. If you're a worldly person or keep up with current affairs, you're going to appreciate your time with Ded Bob. Pay attention.


The stage is massive—and in keeping with the festival's theme, of course—and there is audience participation, as there is in many of the festival's awesome shows and performances. With that said, Ded Bob is special...don't miss him! 

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Travis and Cody

Yes, yes I was busting a vein getting into that giant turkey leg...but, doesn't everyone?

All four of us had one. Well, most of one. We later saw one festival-goer who was carrying around—with great pride I assume—a turkey leg bone that had been rendered devoid of meat. It looked like it could have been plucked from Deb Bob himself, the bone was so clean!

There is lots more to eat and drink, too...a LOT more! They have snacks and meals, beer and wine and margaritas, and they have a wide range of make-your-mouth-water desserts! And it's all available throughout the festival grounds. If you leave hungry or thirsty, it's your own fault! Just sayin'. 

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I'd only been to one other Renaissance Festival, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Let me tell you...you can expect a festival done right! Did the festival designers engage archaeologists or sociologists who are experts in the Renaissance era? Probably not, but what they have done is perfect FUN! 

You will not find yourself sitting in a boring lecture learning European 1300-1500s history (I love history and read/watch it all the time!). You will discover a "rebirth" of what it means to relinquish being uptight, how to discard the drudgery of hectic work weeks, and how to shed the stench of stress. When you arrive, do yourself the great favor of relaxing into the fun. Go, have a great fun time!

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

There are LOTS of animals at the festival, too! There's a falconry demonstration, the beautiful horses from the jousting tournament, camel rides, hawks, eagles, owls, and these two pirating lizards, to name just a few.

Georgia Renaissance Festival 2017 | Photo: Travis S. Taylor

I highly recommend a thorough review of the Georgia Renaissance Festival website, just so you know how much is going on so that you don't miss something that you really want to see. Like me, you may want to visit multiple times so that you can do absolutely everything! 

The festival is every Saturday and Sunday through June 4, 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Call me a festival geek, but I highly recommend planning a FULL day at the Georgia Renaissance Festival...there's so much to see and do, you're going to need a full day to see and do everything! Go, have fun!

[more RenFest photos]