If you have ever wanted a chance to let your kids be a medieval lord or lady for a night, you should definitely consider reserving tickets for the dinner/show Medieval Times. Our family recently attended this show for the first time on our spring break trip to Myrtle Beach. Our children enjoyed the show immensely and there are a couple locations that aren’t too far from the Upstate. Here’s what to expect and also a couple tips from our visit. To see everything that we did in Myrtle Beach, see this article packed with ideas of things to do while in Myrtle Beach on spring break.
Thank you to Visit Myrtle Beach and Medieval Times for making it possible to write this review.
The Preshow and Souvenirs at Medieval Times
The doors open 75 minutes before the show and seating is first come, first serve. We arrived about an hour before the show started and while it did result in very good seats, our children had trouble waiting until the show began. Before the show begins you can watch a pre-show where you can pay to be “knighted”, several gift shops, a bar, and a torture museum (additional fee). The show is around two hours, so if your kids are younger you may want to arrive closer to 20-30 minutes early if you don’t care about your seats.
Upon arriving you will be given your seat ticket, officially crowned with a paper crown, and posed for a photo. My kids were especially impressed when they saw that we were entering a castle, complete with a drawbridge.
Be sure to have your children use the restroom right before the show as you won’t want to have to take them in and out during the action.
The gift shop has a number of interesting souvenirs such as light up swords, costumes, and rather real looking weapons. You may want to consider budgeting for flags as your children can wave them during the show. The gift shop sells some really nice flags but we were also offered $3-5 pennants and flags once we were seated in the arena.
The Food at Medieval Times
Remember that the show is the big part of the evening, but my family did really enjoy the meal too. You will be served a four course meal that includes tomato bisque soup, roasted chicken, garlic bread, corn on the cob, herb basted potatoes, a dessert (it was pound cake our night), and Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, or water. Coffee is also on the menu, but it wasn’t offered to us the night we attended. You can substitute a vegetarian meal that includes items such as warm pita bread and humus, carrots and celery, three bean soup, and fruit which is a nice option.
The meal is served to you throughout the show so there is no customization available (other than the option to choose vegetarian), you will have no silverware (since you are in the Dark Ages), and there is just two rounds of drinks served. You can order additional drinks including non-alcoholic and kid-friendly drinks from the bartender who will visit your table before the show.
What the show is like at Medieval Times?
The show is approximately 2 hours and includes horses, a falcon demonstration, a knight tournament, and then a battle between the knights to determine the victor. The different parts of the story are tied together through dialogue of the king, his daughter, and the herald who frequently address the audience. Our family had trouble understanding what was being said but we were still able to follow the general flow of the story.
Each family is seated in the arena and assigned a knight and team to cheer for. The show is very personable with the knights making eye contact directly at to the people in their sections (or even sneering at the opposing sections). The knights are also awarded flowers from the princess throughout the night which they throw out to the children in their section. My children seemed particularly captivated by the closeness and realism of the arena, in fact my daughter kept blowing kisses to our knight after receiving a flower. All the seats are really quite good in the arena but you are a little closer to the knights and action if you have a front or second row seat.
My kids favorite part was definitely the sword fighting at the end of the show. It was full of big clangs, sparks, and all sorts of weapons. There is no blood, but be prepared for your knight to die as only one will survive. I did read reviews online where some families felt like the fighting was inappropriate for small children, but I personally did not think that it was scary or particularly violent beyond being a sword fight.
Tips for Medieval Times.
Gratuity is not included in your ticket price, so be sure to bring cash so that you can tip your server. Even though the meal seems simpler than what you would experience at a regular restaurant, your server is having to carry massive trays (possibly a long distance) and be in character and costume during the entire evening. After some online research, we settled on $5/person which seems to be a common tip amount for the show.
Medieval Times is a show with horses and animals so don’t be surprised if you occasionally smell horses or see things that you would rather not during dinner. At least though your average kid thinks that horse poop during dinner is pretty funny. The arena is continually cleaned throughout the show.
If your kid needs to use the restroom at the end of the show (and it’s an “emergency”, of course), you might want to duck out right before the show officially ends as the lines for the restrooms can get quite long post show.
You may be able to find deals on the Medieval Times website depending on when you are attending.
General Information
We attended the Medieval Times show in Myrtle Beach, but you can also find a show close to the Upstate in Atlanta, Georgia.
Location: 2904 Fantasy Way, Myrtle Beach, SC
Medieval Times Website
Phone: (843) 236-4635
Have you ever been to Medieval Times in Myrtle Beach? What did you think?