After a number of visits to King Richard’s Faire held in Carver, Massachusetts during the fall, I’ve concluded that it’s not for everybody.

Read on to discover why…

King Richard’s Faire is certainly not your traditional New England fall festival.

According to the promotional literature the organizers have attempted to craft “…a vivid recreation of a 16th century English marketplace at festival time.”

Of course nobody really knows if they’ve achieved this. All they have is journals and period writings to base their recreated marketplace on. But the more important point for me is…

” Is what they’ve created an enjoyable experience , entertaining, and good value for money.”

So what do you get?

Well, what you get is indeed many activities traditionally associated with a 16th century marketplace: actors, dancers, puppeteers, jugglers, minstrels, mimes, magicians, and musicians. These are acts you’ll see as you walk the 80-acre site, and other acts roam around the grounds as well.

Some events are more elaborate and are in specific areas and stages throughout the grounds. The Tournament Field is where you’ll experience jousting – two knights on horseback with long poles riding breakneck speed at each other with the aim of unseating the other using the pole – ouch!

You’ll also see sword fighting, falconry, fire eating, and strange going-ons at the Mud Pit.

The Faire includes a Zoo with a wide selection of exotic animals. The animals include; Lions, Bengal Tigers, Snow Leopards, Chinese Leopards, White Siberian Tigers, Jaguars and Golden Tigers; and tiger and lion cubs.

Personally, I found it all a little bewildering at times. But I had three young kids with me, and they all felt a little bored, mostly because the activities were strange to them.

King Richard’s Faire is a unique experience in New England fall festivals. It’s a place to visit with other adults but not with kids.

Take the kids on a fall train ride, or to a pumpkin patch, or more traditional amusement parks. But not King Richard’s Faire.

Ticket prices are a little on the expensive side with adults $24, kids 5-12 $12, kids under 5 FREE. But parking is FREE.

King Richard’s Faire is open every weekend September 3 – October 23, 2005 10:30am – 6:00pm. The Faire grounds are also open on Labor Day and Columbus Day (October 10th, 2005). The faire is located in Carver just north of Cape Cod on Route 495.

From Boston take Route 93 South to 24 south to I-495 South, exit 2 at Route 58 & follow signs to the gates. From Providence take Route195 East to I-495 North to Route 58 & follow signs to the gates.

Within striking distance of Carver is Plymouth, where you can visit Plimoth Plantation and Mayflower II for a more historical perspective of the Boston area. For more information check out my Plimoth Plantation page or Mayflower II page by clicking here.

Have a great fall weekend,

Cliff Calderwood
Executive Director,
Vacations Guide to New England