Taking the Kids to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Last Updated on April 15, 2015 by Jody Halsted

Knight at Medieval Times
Posing with “Our” Knight

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament is a restaurant filled with experiences you're not likely to find outside of a Renaissance Faire.   Dashing knights swinging broadswords, a lovely princess and galloping horses.

We took the girls to the Medieval Times in Dallas during a recent trip.  I admit to being a bit hesitant prior to our arrival.  Would the kids balk at the food?  Would the sword fighting be too violent for them?  Would they be bored?

I needn't have worried.  As we left the girls were already asking to return the next time we will be in Dallas.

Arriving at Medieval Times

You'll know you're at the right place as soon as you pull into the parking lot.  A massive castle fasçade stands behind a moat, heavy wooden doors open and welcoming.

Though you may be able to walk in for a show, it is recommended that you make a reservations.  This will assure that your party can all sit together.  You also need to arrive, or wait to be seated, as a group.  Seats are given first come- first served, unless you pay for VIP front row seating.

Your tickets are exchanged for paper crowns in your knight's colors and tickets showing the row in which you will be seated.  Have a professional photo taken with royalty before entering the open waiting area.  While you're waiting you can browse the gift shop or enter the torture chamber.

The doors to the arena open a few minutes before show time and the entire room move, en masse, toward their entry.  Seating is actually quick and organized- I was really impressed how well the servers handled the crowd!

Dining at Medieval Times

Food and drink choices aren't plentiful, though there is a bar available (additional charge) if your drink preferences run beyond Pepsi, iced tea or water.  Your smiling wench or page will introduce you to your knight, though you have to listen carefully as the crowd is noisy and each section has a server doing the exact same thing!

There is no ordering from a menu, your napkin outlines the evening's feast:

Medieval Times Menu

Items are served throughout the first half of the tournament and, I must admit, it was quite tasty.  The tomato bisque was warm and creamy and the chicken was perfectly roasted.  Probably the best part- for the kids, anyway- was that there is no silverware!  yep, you eat with your fingers; not even a dagger to remove meat from bones. 

Meal at Medieval Times

The Tournament at Medieval Times

Andalusian Stallions at Medieval TimesIt would be very easy for the entertainment at Medieval Times to come off as “campy”, think ‘A Knight's Tale', but other than a few scripted lines that are meant to elicit groans, the show is entertaining and exciting.  The Tournament pits six knights against eachother; 3 from the East and 3 from the West.  As you cheer and jeer the knights compete in tests of skill, tossing flowers to the ladies of their court after each competition.  The weapons used by the knights are real, the swings of the swords and tumbles from horses are well rehearsed and natural looking.  The sharp clangs of metal meeting metal are accompanied by real sparks, not a trick of light.  The beautiful white Andalusian horses are breathtakingly graceful and full of joy as they perform.  The destriers that carry the knights as they joust are fluid in their movements.    The horses are pure pleasure to watch.

Swordfight at Medieval Times

Though dinner at Medieval Times isn't someplace you would visit weekly, it is an adventure out of the ordinary and great fun during a family vacation or for a special occasion.

Tips for Visiting Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

 

Looking for more fun in Dallas?

CityPASS

Disclosure:  We would like to thank Medieval Times Dallas for hosting our family.

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5 Comments

  1. Completely bogus review. If you search for other reviews on the web, you will find that the show is gratuitiously violent.
     see from atlinsider.net Andrea: “Warning – do not go to this show with children under 12 or so.  We just got home from a show and I was compelled to post this.  The show was ridiculously violent and over the top, with completely unnecessarily violent parts, including asking the crowd twice to shout whether a knight should live or die.  We saw numerous knights fall and crawl in the sand after being stabbed and “die” — complete with one knight being tied with ropes, told to bend on one knee and beg for mercy, and a masked executioner coming out to get him with a pretend whip.  We were about to get up and leave with our children when it thankfully ended.  We will NEVER go again!!!!!! “

    1. Maybe Disneyworld would be a more suited adventure for your family than MEDIEVAL TIMES. Man, people like you are the reason growing up as a kid in modern times is so unfulfilling and everything need to be in bubble wrap for kids to play with it.

  2. dropaflame While I can’t speak for ‘Andrea”, I can- and do – speak for myself. My family had a great time at the Medieval Times in Dallas. We did not experience and shouting for people to die, nor was anyone tied up.  No one “died” at our show, though knights were ‘wounded”.

    Anyone with any knowledge of the real history of Medieval times (the period of history, not the restaurant), would know what they were coming to. It was not all chivalry and pageants, but was a very bloody time in history.  I thought the show was rather tame, compared even to Renaissance festivals.

  3. My parents took me to Medieval times when I was a little girl. I remember loving it, especially when our knight gave me a rose. I tried to keep that thing forever. Haha. I’ve been meaning to take my kids.

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