Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to step into a scene from Game of Thrones? Maybe not the Red Wedding or anything that involves mortal peril, but just one of those moments you feel in awe of the fantasy world?
A trip to Medieval Times is just like that.
From eating all of your food with your hands to cheering on your knight in a joust, you can experience a typical evening in a medieval castle. Here’s everything to know about planning a trip to Medieval Times in Dallas, TX.
Planning Your Visit to Medieval Times in Dallas, TX
Medieval Times offers several different show times to accommodate your schedule. There are weeknight shows at 7:00 PM, shows at 4:30 and 7:30 PM on Friday, shows at 2:00, 5:00, and 8:00 PM on Saturday, and shows at 2:00 and 5:00 PM on Sunday.
The price is the same no matter which day and time you choose. It costs $62.95 per person for adults and $36.95 per person for kids under 12. However, you can pretty much always find a coupon for your tickets either on Groupon or on the Medieval Times website! Right now there is a coupon code that reduces the ticket price to $47.22 per adult and $27.72 per kid. Just type in SPRING21 at the checkout window online.
The Medieval Times Experience
Once you’ve selected your showtime and booked your tickets, you will begin your journey into a world of fantasy!
Arriving at the Castle
I recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before your showtime so that you won’t have to stand in line for a long time to enter, and you can wander around exploring the castle before you are seated for dinner.
When you check in, you will receive a paper crown and small banner in either red, yellow, blue, green, black and white, or red and gold. The knight that represents your seated section of the arena will be wearing matching colors, so you can cheer for him as he takes the stage!
From the moment you step foot inside the Medieval Times castle, you’ll feel like a noble dignitary visiting for the royal tournament. All of the Medieval Times staff are dressed to the nines in puffy sleeves, long tunics, or swishy tavern gowns. They will refer to your party members as Lords and Ladies.
The entry hall to the castle is home to the bar (which looks as though it holds dozens of magical potions rather than bottles of alcohol), souvenir shops (selling flower crowns, swords, banners, and all sorts of medieval nicknacks), and a window into the stables for the horses.
There’s also a museum exhibit covering medieval torture chambers, but when we visited it was closed due to Covid-19 safety precautions. Hopefully it can reopen soon!
Feasting with Royalty
A few minutes before the evening entertainment, members of the Royal Court will direct you to your seats. All of the seats are lined up in rows facing the tournament and are color coded based on the knight you will be cheering for.
Throughout the show, your tavern hostess will bring you the following food and beverages:
- 1 Non-Alcoholic Drink of Choice
- Tomato Soup (My favorite part of the meal!)
- Garlic Bread
- 1 Whole Roast Chicken Breast and Thigh
- Roasted Potatoes
- Corn on the Cobb
- Coffee
- Cup of Ice Cream (We couldn’t tell exactly what flavor it was, but it was something between butterscotch and vanilla!)
Everything tastes great, but there is one catch: you have to eat it all with just your hands! Silverware wasn’t really part of the Medieval dining experience, so to make your meal extra authentic and fun, you use your hands to tear into your chicken and sip your soup using a handle on the side of your bowl. I think you can ask for plasticware (or you could definitely bring your own) if this doesn’t appeal to you. But they do provide plenty of hand wipes to use after your meal!
Watching the Tournament
If you’ve always thought of Medieval Times as a place for kids birthday parties, the entertainment quality will probably surprise and impress you. We visited on a double date as four adults, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the show!
The pre-show begins with a falconer who sends his birds soaring above the audience and tosses up lures for them to catch in the air. Next four beautiful dappled gray Spanish horses perform different trots and leaps around the arena.
Finally, the knights arrive. The tournament is divided up into several different feats. First, the knights try some target practice using long poles and spears. Then the jousting begins.
The knights face off on horseback, then finish their fights on foot with swords and flails.
We were supporting the Green Knight, who has an epic ponytail of hair and by far the coolest helmet. His symbol was a deer, so there was a pair of actual antlers fused into his metal helm.
It’s honestly so much fun to cheer wildly for your knight in between bites of roast chicken. I can’t recommend it enough!
Top Tips for Visiting Medieval Times in Dallas, TX
If you’re thinking about planning a date night, a family outing, or a party at Medieval Times, here are my top tips!
1. Make sure you use a coupon for your online tickets.
Don’t forget about the coupon code SPRING21 when you check out online! If that code isn’t working by the time you read this article, do a quick Google search for a new one and save yourself some money.
2. Make sure you select the Royalty Package if it’s available.
When I bought our tickets, the “Royalty Package” (which comes with VIP badges, the cheering banners, and better seats) was a free upgrade. If it’s available, definitely go for it! We were in the second row of our section and having the little banners to wave made the experience extra fun.
3. Arrive early to maximize your experience in the castle.
If you get to the castle right before the show time (or probably even a few minutes late), you won’t miss any of the entertainment. But you will have to stand outside the castle in a longer line, and you won’t have time to explore before the show. Get there 30-45 mins early and you’ll be able to take some group pictures, take a peek at the horses, window shop at the souvenir counters, or even grab a drink at the bar.
4. Bring plasticware or extra napkins if you think you’ll need them.
Eating with your hands can actually be lots of fun, but if you aren’t feeling it, just bring a plastic fork with you! If you’re visiting with kids and you know they’ll make a huge mess, I’d also recommend bringing a few extra napkins to help them clean up.
5. The more you cheer, the more you’ll enjoy it. Let yourself have fun!
With anything fun and a little whimsical, what you put into the experience is what you’ll get out of it. Everyone else in the crowd will be cheering loudly for the knights and having a great time, so don’t be embarrassed to let loose and do the same!
I hope you enjoy your trip to Medieval Times in Dallas, TX!
We had such a great time on our adventure into the land of fantasy, and I know you will too! To see clips from the jousting tournament, follow me on Instagram and check out my IG Reels post about Medieval Times.
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