Since we have a little spare time now, we can explore some of the fun things in the area. The Georgia Renaissance Festival is one of those things that is a bit different, within driving distance. If you were staying at the Firefly, pretty bed and breakfast near Madison GA it would be a fun day trip.
Directions
At the end of the driveway turn right, wave at the Rutledge peanut guy, and get on I-20 and head west. Take 285 south, so as to avoid the zombies, and then take 85 even more south to the Fairburn exit. Take a right off the exit, and another right a mile or so down at Virlyn B. Smith Road. This is a pretty big operation, and there are people to keep you from getting lost. Park where they tell you.
PS I know what you are thinking, but no, they didn’t give us any consideration to go there.
The Georgia Renaissance Festival runs from May 1-June 13, and the place has an unusual family spirit for a place with a big crowd. If you wanted to have an “event” there, I think they will let you.
Landscaping and Human Effort
We appreciate both of these things, because we have experienced them. This is a little contrived Medieval village, of course, It is hard to figure exactly what moment in Northern European history they were targeting, but it doesn’t matter. Actually, it does matter. The builders of this place targeted the “fun” period, free of plague, genocide, inquisition and open sewage. Instead, every little corner of this place is thoughtfully decorated with fun little ideas that we can incorporate into our place if tasteful.
So, the first thing you notice is water features, beautiful little sculptures, and detailed, hand-constructed kiosks and booths that are part of the entertainment. Here are some examples:
Fun Use of Space
We have to say something about this. All over the Georgia Renaissance Festival there are little spots like the above hobbit house. They could have been left ugly. Instead, with a little creativity, they were turned into some eye catching thing that adds fun to the place. In a normal venue, this area would have filled up with something unsightly.
What this takes is three things: vision, human effort, and then, the commitment to maintenance to keep it from running down. We appreciate fun, beauty, and human effort in all of its forms.
Weirdness
We are pretty sure that the designers and builders of the Georgia Renaissance Festival did not envision Dragon-Con. It does not take too much effort to see the spillover from the Hobbit people to this. There is a “fantasy” element to this event which gives customers the chance to be part of the show. People dress up and become participants.
Yes, I suppose if you want to wear your black socks and sandals they will let you in anyway. While there is no apparent discount for dressing up in some sort of skimpy fairy outfit they don’t discourage you from doing that either. For the most part this is within limits, and the people watching is also part of the entertainment.
Couple of things…
This is a “thing” for some people, and if you feel like you missed out on something by not appearing in a corset this year, someone will sell you one. This also goes with the fairy wings, suits of leather armor, various crafts, and an abundance of food and beer, if you are disposed to do any of this.
The crossover between “medieval” and “steampunk” is only hard to see if you are a history snob. The further big question is, when they say “help wanted in corsets” what do they mean exactly?
Fairy ears are very popular at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. We should have gotten a closeup. Hey, wait a minute, it is almost like this is a way to keep you entertained in one place so they can sell you something. Who would do such a thing?
PS I am only doing this playfully. Whatever you do don’t click on either of the above two links.
The Not Bottom Line
There is enough in here for a Part 2.
Here is something to think about. This place is better if you go with someone who can get into the spirit. There is fun, beauty, interesting people, and it is family friendly, kind of like our place but bigger. There is probably not much crossover between this place and one of the snooty Victorian B&B uptown, but there is at our place. We like fun, a little bit of whimsey, some “unmanicured abundance” and fun things to do and see.
So, the Georgia Renaissance Festival did appeal to us emotionally because it was a lot about the customer experience, and there are lessons in here if you want to see them.
Be there in the square, because it is there.
