Prince’s Pretzels at The Carolina Renaissance Festival. Photo courtesy of Carolina Renaissance Festival

There are four weekends left to attend The Carolina Renaissance Festival before it closes for the year. The activities and shows are always fun and you could spend an entire day shopping with the variety of stores and small vendors throughout Fairhaven. We prefer to enjoy the festival by eating and drinking our way through it, enjoying a variety of specialty treats and nostalgic festival and medieval-esque food — but there are also some foods to skip. Here are my top food and drink picks to enjoy while at The Carolina Renaissance Festival and a few tips too. —Justin Burke-Samson 

Your culinary map

Stop 1: Mimosas
When you walk into Fairhaven, the first pub is Tudor Rose. Across from the pub is a kiosk offering mimosas — though I am sure mimosas were not a preferred drink of the Renaissance Era. Still, the ones they offer at the festival are delicious and refreshing, a reasonable price for their size, and a nice way to kick-off the festival activities and casually shop while mapping out your day. 

Stop 2: King’s Kitchen
The first major food stop, at King’s Kitchen you can have a full meal or get a variety of items to snack and share. I prefer this stop to be a sampling of a variety of novelty items while I enjoy a pumpkin beer from any of the beer stops. King’s Kitchen happens to be next to Crown Pub, so you can get your food and your beer in one stop. At King’s Kitchen, I prefer to get the steak on a stake, scotch egg, corn on the cob, and fried sweet potato turnover. None of these items are culinary knockouts, but they bring back food memories during your childhood. It’s fair finger food at its finest. Plus, this area has a lot of activities including a dungeon tour, archery, and axe throwing to enjoy while you snack. 

Stop 3: Pubs
There are five pubs throughout Fairhaven and a scattering of roaming beer carts as well. The pubs have beer, wine, and mimosas, as well as soft drinks and water. The selections for both beer and wine are your standard IPAs, lagers, pinot grigio, and cabernet. I suggest sticking to their pumpkin or Oktoberfest-style beers. 

Stop 4: Turkey legs
If you can’t leave the festival without a turkey leg photo, then I suggest waiting until you get to the jousting area to enjoy the ginormous turkey leg. At Lancer’s Kitchen and Pub, you can grab yourself a turkey leg and beer and enjoy them while watching one of the jousting shows across from the pub. 

Stop 5: Queen’s Kitchen
Same offerings as King’s Kitchen, but at the other end of the festival. Here is where I usually eat my bigger meal (if I’m hungry). I generally go for one of the bread bowl options. I enjoy the meatballs or chili bread bowls the best. If you want something different, walk a little farther down and enjoy Woodland Beers and Brats. 

Stop 6: Nut Shop
If anything, do not leave the festival without getting the cinnamon roasted almonds. I usually buy two bags during the day and will eat them all before I leave the festival. They smell amazing and the taste of warm sugary toasted nuts are addicting.  

Pro tips

• Bring cash. If you forget, there is an ATM to the right of the entrance. Cash comes in handy for kiosk food vendors and tipping food and beverage staff. Huzzah to the generous tipper! 
• There are a few novelty adult beverages available, and most are good, but I suggest avoiding the margaritas. They are electric green and are loaded with artificial sugar. Drink one and you will get an immediate headache — especially if it’s a warmer fall day. 
• While walking through the festival, you will see several candy and dessert stores. Window shop these the first time around and start thinking of what items you want to get on your way out. There are so many options that if you wait to buy them, you will have consolidated your purchases and are least likely to overspend (and overeat).