Georgia Renaissance Festival - a wonderful day of fun @usfg @syngethedragon

I was given tickets to attend the festival, all opinions are my own.

Every year my family and I do our best to make it out to the Georgia Renaissance Festival.  We were able to get out there this past weekend.  We discovered there are several new shows, but ended up sticking with our 'regulars'.  We first started watching Barely Balanced a few years ago, while my daughter's hair was still long.  We always seemed to manage to get to the festival right as this show was starting.  My daughter would get her hair braided while my husband and son (and I) would watch this show.

We always make a point of seeing the Tortuga Twins as well.  The first show of the day is family and kid friendly (still hilarious), which is what we usually see.  My kids are big enough now, though, that they're asking to go to the festival later in the day so that they can see the more naughty version.  So whether we get to go back to the festival to see them this year or whether it waits until next year I don't know.

We always go to see the Birds of Prey show as well.  Always fascinating and educational.  The bird on the left is a Harris Hawk, the one on the right is a Eurasian Eagle Owl.  Both with distinct personalities.

Then there's the food.  I had the gyro, my kids had chicken ceasar calzones, hubs had steak on a stake.  All were great meals.  We heard about a wonderful desert from one of the vendors at the festival and my daughter and I had to check it out....

Death by Chocolate... chocolate brownie (with nuts), chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup and chocolate whip cream.  Very sweet.

As we were wandering, I caught the last bit of another show.  I'm not familiar with them, so I can't say who they were, but the ending was impressive.

You can't tell from the photo, but the stairs she's standing on are knives with blade edge up.  Of course, there are always the wandering characters.  This was one we encountered as we were leaving.

We spent a good 5-6 hours out there and still didn't see everything.  We did do a good bit of browsing (not as much money to spend this time around) and enjoyed seeing the items offered for sale.  Both kids found leather armor they wanted as well as weapons to go with it.  I came home with this..

My precious... (replica of Sting, not the ring.. the ring I've had..)

Every weekend and Memorial Day, April 16 thru June 5, 2016 The 31st Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival is a family-friendly event, and a different kind of theme park. Inside this 32-acre recreation of a 16th Century English Village you'll find hundreds of costumed characters, the Queen and her Court, endless circus-style entertainment on 10 stages, shopping in over 130 artisan shoppes, food fit for Royalty, games and rides for kids of all ages, and the spectacular Jousting Knights on horseback. Patrons are invited to wear costumes and join in the fun too. It's a whole lotta' fun, and a little bit of History, every weekend and Memorial Day, April 16 thru June 5, 2016.

Georgia Renaissance Festival Discounts - Get $6 off Adult and $3 off Child (6-12) tickets by using promo code "castle" when purchasing discount tickets on our secure website at www.garenfest.com. Tickets good any day of the 2016 Season (Weekends and Memorial Day Apr 16-June 5). Online discount only. Not good with any other offers.

Hollywood Wax Museum at Myrtle Beach - A great place to visit off the beaten path @myrtlebeachwax @usfg

(I was compensated for posting a review of this attraction.  All opinions are my own, or my family's.)

I was given the opportunity to go to the Hollywood Wax Museum with my family when we went to Myrtle Beach last week.  The only problem we had was locating it.  We found it across the street from Broadway at the Beach.  I recommend driving there even if you're going to Broadway, because otherwise you're crossing 17 to get there.  The museum consists of 3 parts.  The first (and main) one is the wax museum itself.  My kids agreed that about 60% of the figures were accurate or looked close enough like the stars to pass.  It took us about 45 minutes to an hour to really enjoy the figures themselves.

There were areas for interaction (some width props) as well, just don't touch the figures.   My husband and I would have loved to beam up to the Enterprise.  My kids were excited to see Samuel Jackson.

Then there was Bruce Lee.  My son posed there as though he were going to start doing one of his Choi patterns.  I had to stop by and visit Captain Jack and Audrey Hepburn.  My daughter found Robert Downey, Jr.  My husband decided to go bowling with Nick.

My parents were with us, but didn't pose for pictures (except for the group one at the entrance).  Once we were done viewing the figures, we went downstairs for the other two attractions.  One was a haunted research facility (Outbreak) where researchers ended up with zombies.

The other was Hannah's Mirror Maze.  My daughter didn't like Outbreak (she's not big on horror stuff or scary stuff) and I didn't care for the Mirror Maze (my vision, or lack thereof, played a big part on my side).

All together though, my family agreed that it was a lot more fun than they expected.  The price is comparable with all the other attractions in the area, so not too bad for what you get.  If you like visiting the stars, definitely consider dropping by.  My Readers receive $2 OFF All Access Pass at the Myrtle Beach Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center!  Please visit http://www.hollywoodwaxmyrtlebeach.com/ for more information

Win a Vacation!

Register to win a summer family vacation. This summer USFamilyGuide.com has created a promotion that celebrates the family vacation by giving away 12 incredible trips for families looking to create their own memories. They have hand picked some of the most memorable destinations their families have experienced and asked them to provide a FREE vacation to award to perhaps YOU!


Rules:
One entry per day
Prizes will be awarded beginning June 1 through July 31.