Is Medieval Times Toddler-Friendly

Do you want to eat an entire meal without any utensils (soup included)? Do you want to cheers your neighbor with Mead instead of a lite beer? Do you want to watch Knights fight to the "death"? Then a trip to Medieval Times is perfect for you! If located near by, Medieval Times is often a destination for class trips, Girl/Boy Scout trips, Birthday parties and even Bachelor/Bachelorette parties. But is Medieval Times toddler-friendly? I'm going to say kind of. Let me explain.

About Medieval Times

Medieval Times is a dinner (or lunch depending on start time) show that takes place during, you guessed it, the medieval times. The show features knights on horse-back jousting, one on one combat with time period appropriate weaponry, and other skill tests. During the show you are served a three course meal that is included in your ticket price. Also included are soft drinks and coffee however drinks from the bar, or shall I say, libations are not included.

When you enter, make sure your entire party is with you as you'll get assigned seats at check-in. You're section will be colored and that is the Knight you'll root for during the games.

Medieval Times Locations

Currently there are 10 Medieval Times locations and they each have their own individually stylized castle. You can find a Medieval Times in the following cities:
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Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Beuna Park, CA
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Lyndhurst, NJ
Myrtle Beach, SC
Orlando, FL
Scottsdale, AZ
Toronto, ON

Medieval Times Tickets & Packages

Ticket prices vary from castle to castle. It is best to find your preferred location and check ticket prices there.

There are however, package upgrades that are available at each castle location:

Queen's Royalty Package

Priority Castle Access
VIP First Row All Section Seating or Second Row in Center Section
Priority Seating Access
Cheering Banner
VIP Lanyard
Framed Entrance Group Photo

Celebration Package

Priority Castle Access
VIP Seating
Priority Seating Access
Cheering Banner
VIP Lanyard
Group Photo for each member of the party
Slice of Birthday cake for each member of the party
Personalized Announcement during the show

Royalty Package

Priority Castle Access
Vip Seating
Priority Seating Access
Cheering Banner 
VIP Lanyard ​​

Medieval Times - Dinning with the Queen

As you enter the arena, you are guests of the Queen and she is more than happy to provide a meal to you and your family. To keep it simple, all guests (unless special dietary needs are mentioned) are fed the same 3 course meal:

First Course

Tomato Bisque Soup & Garlic Bread

Main Course

Roasted Chicken, Sweet Buttered Corn, & Herb-basted Potato ​

Dessert

Ice Cream*

*the dessert course is not listed on the official website. During our visit in December we were served cups of ice cream with wooden spoons.

Is Medieval Times Toddler Friendly?

After you check in and pass through the lobby you enter an arena that will get pretty dark. While each of the tables have multiple, dim lights on them and the area where the show takes place gets lit up, the room is pretty dark. If darkness and loud noises scare your toddler I'd say this is probably not the best event for them. 

There are parts of this experience that are certainly toddler-friendly but there are elements that I imagine may be a big turn-off. Remember earlier when I said "kind of"? This is why. 

Tickets

Children 3 and under can sit on a parent's lap and share a plate of food. This is great! Often at live shows the ticket policy calls for a 1 year old to have a seat. So 3 and under being allowed in for free is a huge plus!
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Note: you can get your toddler their own plate of food you would just have to purchase the "12 & under" ticket. Booster seats are available upon request.

Seating

There is a downside to sharing a seat with your toddler though. Seating at Medieval Times can be best described as "stadium seating". You are sat in rows that you must exit and enter by way of squeezing by the people next to you. There is one long table in front of you that you share with your row-mates. If you are sitting next to someone you do not know, by the end of the show you'll know each other pretty well.

​Seating is cozy (tight) with very little elbow room. There isn't any room for your child to stand up in front of your seat (they wouldn't be able to see anyway) and the lack of partitions between you and the guest next you makes it even tougher to wrangle a squirmy toddler and keep them from grabbing belongings of the guest next to you. 

Storyline

The show/storyline portion of Medieval Times is NOT geared towards toddlers. There is a lot of story building and dialogue that creates downtime for tiny attention spans. I personally missed a lot of the dialog between the Queen and the other guy she was seated with, (I'm not sure who he even was) because my toddler was getting bored and I had to occupy her.

Toddlers will not be able to follow the storyline more than good guys vs. bad guys. Which is OK. My toddler knew we were on the "red team" and would cheer and clap for the Red Knight and got excited when he won a round.

Portions of the show that kept her attention were the animals (hawk and horses are featured), the jousting, the skill tests and even the fighting - which brings me to my next point.

Violence

During the fighting scenarios the Knights fight to the *brink* of death. I don't believe anyone actually dies but they are certainly carted off with help as the other Knight celebrates. At one point one of the Knights wants to kill his combat advisory but the Queen intervenes.

This may be scary for some toddlers, mine didn't really seem to understand what was going on, she's not quite 3 so I think a lot of it went over her head. Though at one point she grew very concerned for the horses. After the jousting portion is over the Knights jump off their horses to use weaponry and the horses trot out of the arena, I had to explain to my toddler that the horses were fine and they would be back later.




So is Medieval Times toddler-friendly? I really have to say, you be the judge.

We had fun. My girls ate up the food and enjoyed the excitement of cheering for our Knight. Watching the hawk fly around and of course, the horses.

There are elements that make this event potentially scary for some toddlers. There are "bad guys" and fights that use swords and mallets and what not. It is loud and there are periods of darkness.

​At the end  of the show it is abundantly clear that everyone is OK. All of the Knights come back out on their horses to wave goodbye. So if your toddler gets worried or nervous you can reassure them that they'll be back later. Medieval Times can be a really fun family day it is just up to you to decide when they're ready to go. 

Have a question about Medieval Times? Drop it below and I'll do my best!