Urvija: Since we were arriving a few hours before the show began, we had been instructed to forgo the main entrance for a side door. Urvija: As we walked from the bus stop toward the castle, our excitement only grew so much so that once we reached the Medieval Times parking lot (a solid moat replacement, albeit a bit gravelly), we had to pause to catch our breath. And then I saw it in the distance: the castle turret. Our journey from the Port Authority took approximately 18 minutes. The ArrivalĮlla: The Medieval Times castle is located just down the road from a Courtyard Marriott and a Quality Inn. Urvija: I think there’s something pretty magical in emerging, bleary-eyed, from within the belly of the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey. By which I mean the 199 bus to Lyndhurst. After queueing alongside them in the terminal, we boarded our chariot. The commuter hub links midtown Manhattan with New Jersey, meaning our trip to the castle began amid a bunch of nine-to-fivers just looking to get home. (Photo: Jason Kuffer/ CC BY-SA 2.0) Journeying to the CastleĮlla: It has oft been noted that New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal is a less-than-enchanting place. The journey to New Jersey Medieval Times begins at the Port Authority. It felt like we were going on a real quest. Given that the new season of GoT is close upon us, this review was more than enough for me to attempt to bring out my inner Khaleesi while there.Įlla: The whole “Millennials going to Medieval Times ironically” thing seems to be something people do, but there was nothing ironic about my visit. In the review, the frat bro enthused that his experience was as Game of Thrones as one can get outside of Westeros, and mentioned that he particularly enjoyed eating with his hands and drinking beer out of huge tankards. I read this Yelp review of Medieval Times in preparation, which was written by this very nice frat bro who went to the NJ castle with all his frat bro pals. What could be more American than fake British accents and pseudo old-world kitsch?
When Medieval Times first came up in a conversation a couple of years ago (because of course it did), I immediately put it on my U.S.A. Urvija: I have never watched The Cable Guy, so I had no idea what everyone was talking about.
#Medieval times nj skin#
I watched Janeane Garofalo as a fed-up serving wench and Jim Carrey putting chicken skin on his face in a Silence of the Lambs homage and thought, “America: what a place.”Įlla: Indeed, Medieval Times seemed to epitomize the United States’ most enticing offerings, what with its gift shop full of tchotchkes, overabundant food, carefully choreographed spectacles, and unlimited Pepsi refills. The Pre-Trip ExpectationsĮlla: Like many others whose adolescence coincided with the mid-’90s, my introduction to Medieval Times came by way of The Cable Guy. On the afternoon of April 14, 2016, two Atlas Obscura reporters, Ella Morton and Urvija Banerji, made a pilgrimage from New York to the Medieval Times in New Jersey. The Medieval Times castle in Baltimore, Maryland. There are now nine castles in North America. Founded in Majorca, Spain, Medieval Times opened its first U.S. Guests eat a four-course feast with their hands while watching six knights fight one another in front of the host king. The Medieval Times chain of castles offers a “dinner and tournament” experience intended to evoke the Middle Ages. For some, New Jersey can be a wonder, especially if you happen to have grown up outside of the United States.Īnother wonder might be a form of dinner theater-the ultimate dinner theater of the ’90s-that never actually went away. But what qualifies as “wondrous” depends on so many things. Usually that’s stuff like bone churches, hidden beaches, and abandoned amusement parks. All other non-credited photos: Ella Morton)Īt Atlas Obscura, we write about places, people, and phenomena that engender wonder and delight.