Feb 25: Jesters & Jousters

Ever try jousting? No, me neither. Probably never will. But I've seen jousting. Frankly, that was plenty for me. I actually do enjoy riding horses when I get a chance to do that. But I'm not keen on the idea of sitting atop a galloping steed with a lance in my hands, charging toward some other dude - a dude who, I have noticed, also has a lance in his hands. A dude who's trying to knock me off my galloping steed. I mention all this because the Florida Renaissance Festival is in its own full gallop right now. For the next three weekends, through March 14, you can catch jousting tournaments and earthy wenches, court jesters and giant chess pieces. Or how about washing down a humongous turkey leg with a flagon of mead?

It's a fun outing, honestly. Wacky for sure. But fun. You just have to get into the spirit. I've been to this twice over the years and enjoyed myself both times. Prepare yourself for a crowd, though. The Florida Renaissance Festival seems to get more popular every year. But once you've parked your car, there's more than enough space to move around the grounds comfortably and find a spot to dive into that turkey leg.

It always seems to me that the Renaissance Festival has its history slightly mixed. It looks more like the Medieval & Renaissance Festival, from what I see. Hey, I'm no historian or anything. But whatever the century, this party certainly isn't short on things to do. For kids, they've got bounce houses and face painting and arts and crafts. Just about everything at the festival is kid-friendly, judging by my experiences. It makes a great family-day kind of thing. There's the "world's largest rocking horse" - maybe it really is the world's largest for all I know. And there's the sword fights and magic acts and this year there's even a "Musical Macbeth." No kidding. This deal is a Broadway style adaptation of Shakespeare's classic. Should be a hoot. All in all, you'll find 12 stages with some kind of entertainment happening pretty much nonstop, along with more than 100 performers walking around in costumes. Tight bodices, flouncy sleeves, floppy hats, that sort of stuff. Ticket prices are very reasonable. For adults $20, for kids 6 - 11-years-old just $7. If you want to know more about the Florida Renaissance Festival, you can call 954-776-1642 or go to their website at http://www.ren-fest.com/. You may not get a chance to joust. But there's nothing to stop you from buying your own jester hat and blending right in with the rest of the wackiness.