THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 31, 1996 TAG: 9603290062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TRAVEL-WISE
SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
SOMETHING CALLED a Virginia Renaissance Faire is going to take place for seven weekends plus Memorial Day, May 4 through June 16 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day), at Sherwood Forest near Fredericksburg.
What it is, is sort of a time-warp, Elizabethan-era county fair and marketplace filled with hawkers, mongers, merchants, performers, jousters, soldiers, nobles, comely lasses, jesters, troubadours, minstrels, artisans, peasants, fools . . . in other words, just like any county fair you've ever been to in modern times except the hired help posing as Elizabethans will be wearing slightly funnier clothes and you won't be able to tell whether the guys have their hats on backwards or not.
A California company, Renaissance Entertainment Corp., figures there's going to be a great demand for this sort of time travel. They've built a permanent, make-believe 16th century English village in Stafford County, 3 1/2 miles east of Fredericksburg on Va. Route 3, and they expect it to be an annual event.
They have similar events planned in California, Wisconsin and New York state.
Entertainment will include a falcons and hawks show (thrice daily), some jousting (guys on horseback trying to kill each other with lances), military drills by the Queen's Royal Guard, some swordfighting and what has been described as an astounding juggler and rope walker.
Not a whole lot goofier, if you really think about it, than bumper cars or ferris wheels - and they use a lot less electricity.
For really young kids, there will be a fairy-tale theater, arts and crafts and puppetry.
Also shopping - crafts items in particular . . . and of all sorts, including wooden puzzle boxes and toys, hand-thrown pottery, clay flutes, hand-tooled leather bodices. That sort of thing. Anyone need a nice hand-tooled leather bodice?
And of course there will be plenty of stuff to eat, just as in Elizabethan days, except with significantly higher health standards. No mad cow beef, thank you very much.
Admission prices are $14 adult or $11.50 by phone in advance ($2 handling charge per order); children 5-12 $6.50 or $5.50 by phone in advance; students with ID $13, seniors or military with ID $12. For advance ticket orders or info, call (800) 52-FAIRE.
If you go: Take I-64 to I-95 to exit 130A eastbound near Fredericksburg. Driving time is about three hours. ALL ABOARD
The Buckingham Train, with passenger cars from the 1920s and open-air sightseeing cars, will make spring excursion runs May 4 and 25 and June 1 through the rolling hills of central Virginia. Trips out of Dillwyn, 90 minutes west of Richmond, are 3 1/2 hours (adults $16, children 2-12 $9) and 1 1/2 hours ($8 and $5). Sellouts are common; advance reservations are recommended. Info: write The Buckingham Train, P.O. Box 8583, Richmond, Va. 23226, or phone (800) 451-6318, 7-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. MAKING TRACKS
Amtrak has a new Explore America fare offering 30 days of unlimited travel nationwide for $278. Or you can limit your travel to a third of the country for $158, two-thirds for $198. Up to two children (2-15) pay half if with an adult; students and seniors (62-plus) get 15 percent off. Itineraries must be booked by May 15, and the passes are $50 higher for travel after June 16. There are discounts for those who pay with a Visa card.
In a separate offer, travelers who purchase a ticket worth $35 or more on NortheastDirect trains (serving 44 cities between Newport News and Boston) during April and May will be able to trade in their rail stubs for two free movie tickets and a chance to win a trip to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. For information on either of these programs, call (800) USA-RAIL. YOUR MONEY'S WORTH
Free: The new, 176-page ``West Virginia It's You'' travel guide, which breaks down the state into eight geographical regions. If you're from West Virginia, check out the Homecoming '96 section. Call (800) 225-5982. LEAVE THE DRIVING. . .
Eurobus, a company that operates among 23 cities in 12 European countries, has expanded into the United Kingdom, offering a pass that covers 11 of the most popular destinations in England, Wales and Scotland. The pass, which permits unlimited on-off privileges, costs $145 for one month or $160 for three months. Travelers age 26 or under pay $110 and $125. Info: (800) 387-6287. MEMO: Travel-wise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases, trade
journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the writer's
mind. Send comments and questions to Travel-wise, The Virginian-Pilot,
Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (804) 446-2904. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Her Majesty's royal falconer brings more than a dozen falcons and
hawks to the Virginia Renaissance Faire, May 4-June 16.
by CNB