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Long time rennies, first time campers! Advice and inside info?

Started by NugBlazer, August 27, 2017, 05:50:14 PM

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midnightrose227

Yes, that was a pretty good thread. I don't know that we'll partake of that camp this time as we have "vanilla" friends from out of state coming with us, and we also found when we tried to get involved in the BDSM community locally in Houston, we felt like the bar to entry was very high. I'd feel better if we just knew somebody. I'm like someone else I saw post here - we know no-one in the communities, so getting involved is difficult. I moved here from out of state 9 years ago, and I still haven't really formed any close bonds with people. I don't know if it's my age, the culture in Texas, the times we live in, or what. We used to be pretty involved in the RPG/board gaming community, but we moved and things changed, and it's just been awkward lately. Ah, well.  We'll pack the tent, show up, and pray! ;)
"That's no lady, that's my WIFE!"

midnightrose227

Is anybody aware of any SCA people who camp here? When I did SCA years ago, the group tended to be rather opposed to Ren Faires, but I don't know that it's so anymore.
"That's no lady, that's my WIFE!"

KiltedPrivateer

There is a definite disparity when comparing SCA and the Renaissance Festival. SCA has strict rules concerning everything. The Ren Fest dreams of having those rules but then decides it would rather have the dollars instead (o;  That said, you won't feel out of place. But renfest camp is certainly not an SCA encampment. Be prepared to see a lot of nylon and very little canvas.

Concerning the TRF Campgrounds, there definitely are places that you can be semi close to the nonsense and still sleep at night. Areas 7 through 10 on our map are good choices. http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php/topic,26485.0.html

A slight correction to Nug's evaluation of the site though, the south side is not the party side. The party emanates from bonfire. That is ground zero of insanity in the campground. If you intend to party from arrival to departure, then just find yourself a spot as close to the bonfire as possible.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for a slightly more sophisticated crowd, stay as far away from the bonfire as you can and migrate south. That's where you'll find the crowd that doesn't drink themselves stupid and mix their alcohol with their pills.
Member of Clan Procrastination
Crew of the Procrastinator
Lover of Lady Kitara

Laird Fraser of Lovatt

#18
It depends on what kind of partying you like, KP.

I stop at the bonfire on Saturday night walkabout but I'd rather wander camp to camp...Claw, Pirates of Poseidon, Phoenix Risen, Bayou Scoundrels, Time Warp and a couple of more.  You get the true Rennie hospitality from these folks.

When it was the Drum Circle, it was something to see...now it's just The Bonfire.

*There needs to be a Mead Hall built, somewhere in a back corner of camp, where members of the clans can gather and party.  Rough log structure with fire pits down the middle...*

BTW...I plan to be lit to the gills as soon as possible, obnoxious as Hell, and as loud as I can get...you know, the usual me. ;D
Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh
Alba gu brath
Laird of Dunans Castle
Warrior Poet/Loki God

KeeperoftheBar

Quote from: Laird Fraser of Lovatt on October 26, 2017, 08:43:44 AM

BTW...I plan to be lit to the gills as soon as possible, obnoxious as Hell, and as loud as I can get...you know, the usual me. ;D

That's the Fraser I know.
Looking forward to seeing you, My Friend.
Landshark # 97
Member, Phoenix Risen

NugBlazer

Well, we just got back from camping at TRF yesterday so I thought I'd give an update.  After going through it all, this is my advice:

JUST DO IT.

Seriously, now that I've camped there I realize that all of my worrying was for naught.  The campground is HUGE, with tons of spots to camp and every single person I met was nice.  Every. Single. One.  We made tons of friends and are already planning for next year.  There are plenty of spots to camp, the showers and convenience stores work perfectly, and there are even several food trucks and a BOOZE truck right near the main bonfire and they are all open until 1AM in case you need a late night drink or snack.  Bottom line:  it will all work out.  Just stop worrying and go!  Once you camp at TRF, you'll never want to do it any other way.  We're already planning for next year!

We did rent one of the VIP tents, and they were decent and worth the money.  Not an "OMG what a steal" value, but fair, I'd say.  The tents themselves are the type with a pole in the middle, which means they are VERY sturdy against the wind, which was good, because Friday night the wind was whipping a good 20MPH and temps dropped to the 30's!  Outside, the wind was HOWLING, but inside the tent you could've lit a candle if you wanted.  As far as the extras, they give you plenty of shower tokens, we only used about 70% of them.  They also give you a TON of shuttle tickets so you never have to walk to Fest if you don't want to.  We didn't even use half of what they allotted us.  And, you can call the shuttle and it picks you up within a five minutes.  Sometimes, we'd take it to Fest, other times, we'd take it to a clan's site... it was sorta like Uber for Fest!  Another cool thing is that all the VIP tents surround a huge fire pit, easily as big as the Main Bonfire.  Saturday night, one of the VIP'ers loaded that sucker up with wood and got a huge fire going, and lots of VIP'ers gathered around it and hung out and formed a sort of informal clan.  (We should've called it the VIP Clan!)  Within 20 minutes of settling into our tent, we sauntered over to one of our VIP neighbors and made instant friends.  The only negatives was that the bed (which was quite comfy) only had two small blankets.  For normal weather, this could work, but, for cold night like we had it wasn't NEARLY enough.  Luckily one of the friendly VIP'ers had extra blankets and they hooked us up and all was well.

Lastly, if you can make friends with some of the clans in the campground, you will up your fun level even more.  They are the experts and know the ropes.  It's not necessary to meet them to have a damn good time camping, but it sure doesn't hurt.  ;)
Well met!  Shall we commence a Safety Meeting at once?

KiltedPrivateer

Nug, thanks for sharing. Especially about the VIP tents. This was the first year for those so it's nice to hear from someone who was able to experience them. So glad to hear that y'all had a positive experience.

If you fancy future trips to South Texas, check us out in March, April and May. We have two faires during that time. In March and April is Sherwood near Paige, Texas (45 mins south of Austin.) In April and May is Scarborough. Unfortunately, Scarborough does not have any onsite camping, but there is a lake nearby that is utilized by the patrons. 

I hope you'll have an opportunity to experience some of our other faires. I personally highly recommend Sherwood.
Member of Clan Procrastination
Crew of the Procrastinator
Lover of Lady Kitara