For Next year

[LadyStitch]

My husband fell in love with the "drabbits" and even bought one of the 30th anniversary one's. We had been looking for someplace different to go for vacation, and thought it might be nice to go to their home faire.  Our home faire is the Texas ren fest.   Is there any advice or information you can give some one who is looking to visit from out of town ?

[FaireGirl69]

What's a "drabbit"?

How long do you plan on visiting?  You will not be able to do it all in just one weekend but you'll get a good taste of PARF if you can plan on coming over Labor Day when it's open 3 days (Sat/Sun/Mon) to get the most from one visit.  There is an overall theme of the day with shows that follow that storyline.  There are also lots of outside acts that perform.  But if you love to shop, then you'll find the vendors at PARF very plentiful.  There's something for everybody PLUS the FOOD - there are tons of places to eat at with lots of variety.

PARF is one of the more expensive Faires though just so you know but again, it's worth it as you definitely will get your dollar's worth all the way around.

[Lactose the Intolerant]

Book the Hampton Inn, Manheim PA, early. It's right across the street from the Festival grounds. If you're feeling hale and hearty, you can walk to the Faire from the Hotel. The Hampton has some Suites (hot-tub/jacuzzi available) and efficiency-style rooms, so ask for them when you call. Otherwise there are some smaller motels in the area. The Hampton Inn (can you tell I'm biased?) in Ephrata is a short drive, and you can get Curb Service (Room Service) from Chilis.

If you're flying you can fly into the Harrisburg Airport. You can probably get a Hotel Shuttle from there. Otherwise it's Allentown/Bethlehem, or... {{{shudder}}} Newark NJ, and a longer rental-car drive to Fest. I'm a Jersey boy myself, so I'm not sure if there's an alternate airport choice.

Other than that... enjoy the Faire. Swashbuckler Pub has some great MicroBrews (if you drink), and of course, the Winery's a nice stop. Take the carriage ride... it's worth it!

[McGuinness]

There's also a decent Quality Inn in Lebanon, about 10 minutes or so down the road. Its right on ROute 72, the same road the faire is on, so its an easy straight shot, and it has decent rooms from what I've heard.

For the faire itself, plan more than one day! There's a lot to see and do what with all the independent acts, cast and plotline shows, vendors and street performances. If you are in town for more than the weekend, Hershey, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Baltimore, Maryland are all not terribly far away and are worth a side trip. Baltimore is a bit farther but has some great attractions and Hershey is only 30-45 minutes away with the amusement park, chocolate factory, a 5-star hotel and resort, shopping and all that. Harrisburg and Lancaster have some good local attractions and shopping but nothing as tourist-y.

[Matty Pine Brownie]

I am at feasibility study level at this point for an invasion Columbus Day Weekend 2009. A few questions answered will help to see if this is folly or reasonable:

From the Lancaster Train Station what kind of cab fare am I looking at  to get to Mount Hope? (I had a regretable experience with taxi fare from the "host" hotel with Tuxedo and car service where round trip car service for what was at most a ten to twelve mile trip cost more than room for one night! Never mind the doghouse I spent the month in afterwards because that experience put me in a meltdown that almost broke me and the Mrs.)

I know that it is a call to the hotel, but it is important because the Mrs. does use a wheelchair, but is there anyone that would recommend a hotel (or avoid one) because of ADA-compliant rooms?

Are the grounds suitable for a manual wheelchair? (I have taken the Mrs. to Maryland. I am not doing that again as gravel kills small wheels.)

I have heard the stories that this faire is not cheap to get in (possibly $30.00 a head this fall???). Are there any corners that can be cut to get around this?


Is cellphone service a problem? Getting to Faire is important but getting back to the room - priceless! (Tuxedo is a nightmare as only one carrier - not mine - has a tower in the neighborhood of faire site. It gets stupid to have to go two miles and back to the main highway just to get cellphone service. Or worse, praying on the sympathy of faire security just to use their cellphone to make calls resulting in insulting price quotes from car services.)

Sorry for the lengthy and torturous post, but the purging was necessary (getting off soapbox) to determine feasibility for Columbus Day Weekend.

MPB

[BubbleWright]

Matty... The Hampton Inn Manheim (717-665-6600) is directly across the street from the PaRenFaire. I checked with them to see if they have a shuttle but they do not. Of course, like all hotels built in recent years, they are ADA compliant. I don't know what the taxi rates for Lancaster are but I tried to see if I could locate an "Amish Taxi" with no success. Amish Hauling is a service that the Amish use for longer distance trips. I thought of them because they use large multi-seat vans. The PaRenFaire has asphalt lanes throughout and is an excellent venue for those using wheelchairs and strollers. I know patrons of other Faires rail against PARF because it does not have "authentic" tree root entangled lanes. I don't think asphalt diminishes the experience, especially for those in wheel chairs (not to mention the lack of dust or mud). I believe the adult entry fee is $28.95 but there are discounts to be had throughout the season. Check the PARF website closer to the opening (www.parenfaire.com). I have 2 complimentary one day tickets that I can give you if you decide to come. Just let me know by the start of Faire. I suspect there is cell phone service since I see mundanes using them all the time. Check my profile for my email address if you want to contact me outside of the Forum... Your most humble servant, Felix the Bubble Wright

[Lady Mikayla of Phoenicia]

PARF is my "artistically" favorite Faire.  It certainly is worth the journey!

[Joyce "Delfinia DuSwallow" Howard]

Huzzah to PARF,last year was my first visit and I loved it. I really liked the fact that I didn't eat all that dust and dirt , also liked the sidewalks. Now don't get me wrong I wouldn't trade MDRF for ANYTHING but PARF was really nice.

[McGuinness]

About the cellphone issue....every carrier is different, but I'm on the fairegrounds a lot and I've never had a problem with cell phone service. Our faire is right off of a (fairly) major highway as well as the Pennsylvania Turnpike so it isn't in as rural an area as some other faires. If you do have issues, there are payphones just outside the gates next to the ticket windows.

[Matty Pine Brownie]

Thank thee, input will be helpful in order to make final decisions.  (Seven months of time to make final decisions will be helpful.)

MPB (looking for invasions, not meltdown occasions)

[kcdcchef]

My husband fell in love with the "drabbits" and even bought one of the 30th anniversary one's. We had been looking for someplace different to go for vacation, and thought it might be nice to go to their home faire.  Our home faire is the Texas ren fest.   Is there any advice or information you can give some one who is looking to visit from out of town ?

if you can afford to spring a little extra for killer accomodations, go for the mount gretna inn. www.mtgretnainn.com  it is about a 15 minute drive to get to the faire, amazing fooms, killer rooms actaully. and paying like $100ish to stay there versus $75ish to stay at a quality inn or something of that nature. innkeepers are nice, and the food is nice.

if your home faire is texas, be ready for a smaller faire. they have paved in recent years which i HATE, i liked the real feeling of dirt and chips like my home faire in kc. but there are acts like tartanic ( which, i know you know tartanic!! ) in the form of tartan terrors, reccomend them highly.

oh yeah, and have fun!!

[ebjester]

Actually the Terrors will not be at PARF this year

Heard this via a rumor that has since been confirmed.

[kcdcchef]

Actually the Terrors will not be at PARF this year

Heard this via a rumor that has since been confirmed.

i know, i was making my reservations for celtic fling today and heard this. this is a joke, right? one of the best acts at the shire, and they are gone. makes no sense whatsoever.