If you’ve kept up with my adventures you know I am a huge Renaissance Festival fan. My family and I head to southern Ohio every year to dress up, be endlessly entertained, and enjoy the mandatory turkey leg and sausage rolls. Recently, Renaissance Park in Waynesville Ohio has turned into Yuletide Village. This started a few years ago and runs from November 24th – December 16th. It’s relatively new, so I wanted to break down what you can expect according to my visit this year.
This video is perfect for a quick idea of what to expect:
Overall Cost:
Tickets are $17, you can buy them online or at the door. Parking is free. Once you get inside, most of the shows and entertainment are free but photos with Santa, Krampus, train rides, S’mores making and some other activities have their own ticket price.
Is it worth the price?
Yes, I think so. I would like to see it expand its free offerings a little more before I give it a resounding Yes. Considering your money is going towards small businesses, artisans, and performers it’s a much better place to spend your money if the gift alternative is Amazon.
What kind of gifts and stores are there?
It is still very much a Renaissance festival vibe. You won’t find your mass-marketed “live laugh love” home decor here. We saw a lot of jewelry, intricately carved wood decor, glass-blown ornaments and home decor, signs with clever or fandom-related sayings, cloaks/capes/gowns/fairy attire, and more. So, if you’re planning on buying for someone who is into any of the above you’ll have tons of options. If you’re looking for something simple (like I was for some of my friends) you might not have much luck. However, they do seem to be adding more vendors every year, so you never know what you might find!
Is it kid-friendly?
100%, there are tons of activities for all ages here. The older adults may enjoy drinking a pint while taking in the variety show at the end of the night but the little ones will love meeting the yuletide characters, riding the train around the village, and the Cocoa & Cookies Storytelling Tour. Also – kids 12 & under get in free!
How long should I expect to be here?
You could be here for an hour just looking at the lights alone! We spent about three hours, we walked the market three times, did some shopping, got dinner, and watched 3 shows within that time. Make sure you bundle up if it’s going to be cold, but they do have plenty of bonfires stationed around the village to help keep you warm! One final note, you might find yourself here longer if you add Scary Little Christmas
Final Verdict:
It’s fun, we had a great time, and we would recommend it especially if you enjoy the Rennaissance Festival. We drove about 2 hours to get there and I could see us going again next year to buy gifts for a few people. I am the geekiest/nerdiest/whatever you want to call it of my friend group and most of my family aside from my brother, so I can’t say I’d recommend it check a bunch of gifts off of your list. I hope they bring in some smaller or more seasonal gifts, like cute little wooden reindeer, simple gemstone earrings, or some more tree ornaments. Maybe they were there and I missed them, but there was a solid variety depending on who you’re shopping for. We would go back again next year just for it to be a date night and to buy some cool items for our home that we loved.
Our next stop may be the People’s Gas Holiday Market in Pittsburgh. I can’t wait to keep exploring holiday markets as they become more and more popular to allow all of us to shop small and make someone’s dream come true! Once I’ve visited enough I plan to put together a Holiday Market road trip per state so you can visit as many of them as possible.
If you want a road trip planned, whether its a weekend-long or a month-long, head here to stop getting caught up in the planning and get on the road!
Taysia