Tag: Texas

10 Things for Kids To Do at The Texas Rennaisance Festival

Disclaimer: We were provided with free admission. All opinions are my own. We love Ren Fest!

We take our children to the Texas Renaissance Festival just about every year. We have since they were tiny! I often get asked what there is at The Texas Renaissance Festival for children and the short answer is…lots!

(Click here to read about how to save money at Texas Ren Fest! ) 

To expand on that though, here are 10 things that you can do with children at Texas Ren Fest to make it an enjoyable family adventure:

1. Go on Sundays! – Sundays are great for kids at Texas Ren Fest. Why? Kids get in FREE (12 and under)! Everything is more fun when it is free. The adults in your party can either purchase tickets at the gate, or you can purchase discount tickets from local Walgreens stores. (Kids 4 and under are actually free everyday!)

2. Listen to the music – There is music EVERYWHERE! My kids enjoy just sitting down and listening to the bands play. They even have a Dance School.

Numerous music acts have wonderful opportunities for children to hear music of the period. We suggest: Coal Black Rose, Crannog, Faire to Middlin’, Gypsy Rox, Saxon Moon, and Tartanic.

3. Visit the shops – There are stores that are dedicated to children’s toys and clothing, book stores, food stores, etc. The Texas Ren Fest has more shops than some malls!

 

4. Watch the Shows – There are so many great shows at Texas Ren Fest. In fact, to me…that’s kind of the bread and butter of the entire experience. Now be careful when you choose shows. There are shows that are really only for adults. These shows are labeled as such and in fact, they often have people walking around the perimeter of the crowd with signs stating that the material is for mature audiences only. It is VERY easy to avoid these shows. As far the family friendly shows though, there are so many! You have  your pick of circus acts, animal shows, comedy shows, jousts and more! You will most definitely be entertained and so will your kids.

 

Here are some shows that are rated “G”:

Clan Tynker: A family show that features five siblings who juggle and do old-fashioned stunts.

Arsene: A silent mime and clown in the European style, Arsene is riveting for children.

Birds of Prey: This show features a number of hawks, falcons, vultures, and owls. Audience members learn about the feeding and flying habits of these birds and have a chance to see them flying from close up. A must see.

Deante Fettucine: New to TRF in 2015, Deante juggles pasta and performs a variety of silly acts to keep kids and families entertained.

Hanlon-Lees Action Theatre: These four shows daily at the Joust Arena are the most popular shows at the Faire. Cheer on your favorite knight as he rides and fights.

5. Eat the food – Tell anyone you went to Texas Ren Fest and they’ll immediately want to know what you ate. Texas Ren Fest is a food extravaganza. Everything from your normal fair food, to more exotic cuisine is available. Plus treats for the kids such as funnel cakes, kettle corn, cotton candy, soft pretzels and more!

 

6. Ride the rides – My son’s very first “ride” was at Texas Ren Fest! It was a self operated swing. There are pony rides, carousel rides and a various array of other human powered rides.

 

7. Get an education! – In addition to School Days, the Texas Ren Fest is filled with learning opportunities! Here are a few of the demonstrations you might want to check out:

 

School of Sword: (2:30 and 4:30) Train with TRF fightmaster Oskar Hasselhoff in the Cloister and the Green area of Sherwood Forest (near the elephant ride).

Blacksmithing: booth 523A

Coin Minting:  booth 135A

Broom Making:  booth 523B

Armoury: booth 506

Candle making: booth 323

Weaving: booths 135C and 506

Glass Blowing: booth 525

Print and Paper Making: shoppe 138

Wax Chandler: shoppe 214

 8. Camping – Now, we have never done this, but there are family campgrounds at Texas Ren Fest! Just be sure to choose “Quiet” Camping if you want the family friendly option.

9. Trick or Treat – We’re past All Hallow’s Eve weekend this year, but next year, you can actually take your kids trick or treating at Texas Ren Fest! We did this one year and the kids loved it!

 

10. Dress Up! – This is an opportunity for your princesses to be princesses and your knights in shining armor (or teenage mutant ninja turtles) to dress up and have fun! Every year my daughter wears a princess costume and the Ren Fest employees treat her like an actual princess! She LOVES it.

 

Click here to learn more about Texas Ren Fest, to buy tickets and to plan your day!

iT’Z Family Food and Fun Review PLUS Kids Eat Free on Thursday!

Last week (the week before school started for our son), we had a fun “Staycation” here in town.

We drove down to the beach.

We played in our pool.

We went to the movies.

We also spent 2 days at an AWESOME place called iT’Z!

If you have ever been to an iT’Z, you know that it’s like a kid’s paradise.

They have PIZZA! (all you can eat! And yes all you can eat salad bar and pastas as well!)

Games!

Go Carts!

Laser Tag!

and so much more.

Our mission is to create a fun experience for families. We do this by combining affordable family dining with quality entertainment.  Unlimited buffet? Check. The latest and greatest games? Without a doubt.  Guaranteed good times? Absolutely.  iT’Z all here! Kids Eat Free at iT’Z every Thursday!

iT’Z the place to PARTY! iT’Z the place for FOOD! iT’Z the place for FUN!

iT’z has locations in: 

  • Euless
  • Pasadena (the one we went to)
  • Willowbrook
  • Colorado Springs
  • Albuquerque

The iT’z near us has been here for several years, but we actually hadn’t been there before. This particular iT’Z used to be owned by a different company though. I say this only to post this next picture:

Over 4 years ago, when I was in the hospital in labor with Lizzie, my SIL and BIL took my son (then only 22 months old) to this place and took the picture of him as a baby. I tricked Noah into recreating this picture the other day, except this time he was actually WATCHING his 4 year old sister in the Go Carts with her daddy 😉 .

Just a bit of nostalgia for you 😉

Our Experience at iT’Z

When you first walk into iT’Z, you’ll pay (pay for a package or just pay for the buffet and game cards separately. The packages seem to be the best value though) and head on over to the buffet.

After getting your food and drink, you’ll head to one of their many themed rooms to eat. My kids chose the “movie” room (where we watched Tangled) one day and the sports room (so my son could watch baseball) the other day (more on why we went twice in one week in a bit!).

After you eat, it’s on to the games!

Each kid chose to ride the Go Carts with their dad.

I honestly think their favorite thing to play was the air hockey tables though! Probably because myself or my husband got to play with them each time. Air hockey is something our whole family loves to play!

The second day we went, my daughter actually won 1250 tickets on ONE game! Unfortunately, the machine only printed out about 30 tickets before it stopped. I stood there so confused. I didn’t want to walk away from the machine for fear someone else would play it and we would lose our tickets. However, my 4 year old is too young to venture off to find an attendant.

In the 15 seconds or so it takes for me to puzzle this scenario out, an iT’Z employee came up behind me and quickly fixed the machine for us!

You should have seen the looks we got from passerbys as our HUGE pile of tickets printed out. It was priceless!

We only ran into one other snag during our visit (and this was in relation to our MASSIVE pile of tickets, LOL) and the manager quickly fixed it for us with a smile.

We had so much fun at iT’Z and will definitely visit often!

Why We Went a 2nd Time in One Week

While we were there the first time, we saw ads on the table to download an app called FrontFlip and to scan the QR code at our table.  We scanned the app and won a free $5 Game Card!

That was awesome enough…until a few days later when my husband received a “gift” through the FrontFlip app for a “Biggest Deal” package! This includes the buffet, the drinks, ALL day Unlimited Video Games, ALL Day unlimited bowling, go carts, bumper cars, lazer tag, and a 20 point Fun Card!

We couldn’t let that go to waste, so we went back a 2nd time!

Moral of the story…download the FrontFlip app while you are at iT’Z!

Click here to check out the info for the iT’Z in your area.

Be sure to follow iT’Z  on Facebook as well!

Special Offers from iT’Z: 

***Kids eat FREE every Thursday at iT’Z! This is at EVERY location starting September 5th!

***Student Rewards: Cash in good grades for fun card points. An A= 5 points and a B= 2 points!

Disclaimer: We were comped a visit to iT’Z for our first visit through our partnership with iT’Z and US Family Guide. All opinions are our own.

Frugal Mommy Tip: The Food Blog That Changed My Life

Who doesn’t love a food blog? Gorgeous pictures of mouth watering yumminess that you can almost taste through your screen. Not all food blogs are equal though. There is one…that changed my life.

The Food Blog That Changed My Life

The food blog that totally rocked my world is called the Homesick Texan. Okay, maybe it didn’t totally change my life. I think I identify with the Homesick Texan because in some ways, maybe I can relate to being a transplant. I’m from the north, she’s from the south…and somewhere along the way we switched places.

I can only speak for myself though, when I say…I’m where I want to be! There’s something so very special about Texas and I think the Homesick Texan captures that perfectly on her blog. Um, also? The food. Oh my word, the food. To. Die. For. I haven’t made a single one of her recipes without declaring them winners. That’s rare, my friends.

My Special Gift to My Readers

So because I only want what is best for my readers, I am going to link you to some of her most amazing and frugality friendly recipes. You won’t be sorry when you click these links!

I’ve probably made at least 20 of her fantastic recipes. These are my favorites though!

What are your favorite food blogs? Tell me about them, link me to them. Food blogs make Heather happy!

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