The Texas Renaissance Festival

The Texas Renaissance Festival is held for 7 weekends every year in Plantersville (about an hour's drive north of Houston). The Texas Renfest is among the largest (if not the largest) in the country, with over 330 permanent shops and 21 entertainment stages nestled amid 54 acres of east Texas pineywoods.

The faire is open from 9am til sundown every Saturday and Sunday during the 7-week run (which starts the first weekend in October). There are so many different things to see and do here, it's easily a full-day affair. It'll take you several hours just to walk around and see all the shops. There are also performances by musicians, comedians, jugglers, falconers, swordfighters, belly dancers and jousters at stages and venues all around the faire. There are more kinds of food here than I can count (though my own favorite is still the quintessential turkey leg), and there's also plenty of beer, wine, ale and the like.

My only regret is that the faire isn't open year-round. I could live there!

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