I was wondering, those of you that attend every weekend (~there abouts) of one particular faire, how far do you drive to do it?
This would be workers, cast, merchants, volunteers, playtrons, etc. This does not include people that live on site. Weekend campers, yes, as long as you attend about every weekend.
i.e. If I lived in Nashville I would attend every weekend of TNRenFest and probably be on cast (30 min. drive). As is I am 3.5hrs away and go only once or twice. :'(
We attend one day every weekend at BARF but only live about 20 minutes away. We would go more if we didn't have the kids.
Our "home" faire is Bristol. We attend at least 6 or 7 of the 9 total weekends, only on Sunday, because our restaurant is open on Saturday nights. We always go Labor Day weekend, when the restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday, and we spend the night in the area, so we get to go 2 days in a row.
Our drive is 3 hours each way, so we go up and come home the same day except over Labor Day, the last weekend of the season. We almost spend as much or more time in the car as at faire. But we think it's worth every minute of it.
Last year I worked fest so I went nearly every day...About an hour one way. Of course there was parking in the "pit" and taking a shuttle bus...I don't mind the drive or the hassle of getting there, somehow it made it worth that much more once I got in. Is it August yet?
I have a booth at the Kentucky Highland Faire and I drive 204 miles round trip from the Cincinnati area to the site It takes between a hour and a half and 2 hours to get there. I live there Friday thru Monday every week we are open.
For my booth at ORF I drive a little over an hour to get there.
45 miles away, takes an hour to get there...MNRF.
The last 2 seasons (prior to this upcoming one) we went to Scarborough nearly every weekend, many times both days. I think at least one of us went about 12 or 13 of the 17 days open. We only live about 30-35 min. away, so it's very convenient ;D
Scarby about 45/50 minutes do it every sat and sunday and memorial monday. Four winds 2.25/2.5 every weekend till Scarby opens. TRF four of the eight weekends camping takes 4.5/5 hrs. to get there.
When I was living in DC (like it was that long ago), I was almost equidistant between MDRF and VARF. It was about 1h15m to MD, and 1h30m to VA.
Living in MI now, I'll be going to a bunch, ranging from an hour, all the way out to 4, likely.
I try to attend the Greater St Louis Renaissance Faire one day of every weekend, and it's always a 2 hour drive each way.
I work every weekend of MNRF and it is 75 miles each way. Thankfully, I have a campsite, otherwise I just wouldn't be able to get there on time to start opening the pub. It's hard enough to be on time as it is!
Our home faire is the MDRF, but we are centrally located between the MDRF and the PARF. We attend the MDRF maybe 5-7 out of the 8-9 weeks of faire. We drive about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there
BARF is the home faire.
The drive is 26 miles each way, 40 min to get there.
35 if I get a good tailwind. :D
I work at MNRF, about 45 miles away for me. It takes just under an hour to get there. 45 minutes if the music is good!
I'm at BARF every day of the season unless I have a family obligation. I live about 25 miles away, but my BF lives 3 miels away so I just stay with him during faire season. :)
We call the TNRF our home fair but have to cross the border from AL to get there. We go every weekend with about 1 1/2 hour drive each way... but for the long Memorial Day weekend we get a nearby motel and stay all 3 days. We go about 7 hours to spend Labor Day weekend at OHRF too.
PRF is a 35 minute drive. It runs 6 weekends plus Labor Day. I attend each Saturday and a Sunday or two. Gotta split my time with the pool!
Gina
Well, I have four 'Home' faires, but each of them is about an hour, hour and ahlf away.
GLMF is about an hour and fifteen minute drive from where I live.
So far, our longest voyage was 12 hours , from Long Island NY to the Eastport Pirate Festival in Eastport Maine. That's a haul an a half. However, later this year we will be extending our range from Long Island NY to Tampa Fla, for the John Levique Pirate Days
( but they are flyin' us in for that - no way I am driving 24-28 hours).
It takes about 1 hr. 20 min. to get to GLMF. We generally go only on Saturdays because the kids don't handle the drive very well for 2 days in a row. Hopefully in a couple of years we'll be going both days.
Wow! Some impressive drives.
I just wish I lived as close as some of you. Sounds really cool.
Thanks for sharing everyone! ;)
Scarby.... about 40 minutes away from driveway to FOF parking. It's 8 weeks long....17 days and I go about 10-14 days each season. If they had camping...I would camp every weekend that I planned on attending Saturday and Sunday.
Home fair is MNRF. My lady and I attend every weekend every day. We just love it! We live about 2hrs and 20min away.
I live in SC...no faires here. I drive for 2 hours to get to CRF in NC, and I go every weekend I can afford to. GARF in Ga. is about 2 1/2 hours...and I hate going near Atlanta traffic, so I don't do the driving. I've only been to GARF once (last year was the first time), so I'm hoping to go more this year.
I work both TRF and the new Sherwood Forest Faire. Both are about 90 miles from my house, or about 60 miles from my day job. Normally I'll leave work Friday afternoon, camp on site Friday and Saturday nights, and drive home Sunday night.
We attend Scarborough every weekend at least one of the days. It is about an hour drive if we leave by 7:00am. If we leave later the traffic makes it about 1 1/2 hours.
We are usually on site about 8:00am so His Excellency can dress in the parking lot.
I really do not have a home faire. When my wife and I performed at TNRF, we would bring our camper up 2 weeks prior and set it up, then leave here on Friday nite after work do the faire on Sat/Sun, leave Sunday after faire and drive home. About 6 hours each way. Then we got smart and also got more vacation time so we would take Friday and Monday off. That worked out much better. When we did the keys faire we drove down on thursday and drove back on monday. Garf is only about 1 1/2 hours away but we only go on opening weekend. For the weekend for the last couple of years we have taken our camper to the campground in Fairburn and stayed the weekend. It's a little more expensive but so much more relaxing, besides there is a fantastic steak and prime rib joint right at the campgrounds entrance that we go to on Saturday night. For the rest of the time, it is to bloody hot for us. For the GCRF Pensacola/Mobile versions we drive down on Friday and camp, and return on Monday. The rest of the faires that we have been to are usually on vacation so they don't really count.
Like Blakduke, I drive quite a ways. I live in Minneapolis MN but work the Bristol faire in Kenosha WI, 394 miles each way. I work Friday from home so I can leave right before the afternoon rush, stay over Fri - Sun and drive back Monday. I used to get a hotel, but this year I have an apartment I'm sharing with one of FoF co-directors (there are 2 co-directors, she's one of them).
I also do Janesville and Stronghold, both of which require driving to Chicago to stay with friends. Sioux Falls faire is about 4 hours away, I hotel since it's only one weekend.
My two home faires (yeah, I'm claiming two) are KHRF and ORF. KHRF is about an hour and a half to get there, we're going the first weekend and camping the whole weekend, then I'm sure we'll be making trips down there at least the first three weekends, even if it's only for one day at a time. It's all worth it. Last year I worked at ORF and the drive was about the same distance, and I was there even on days that I didn't have to work (my day job isn't all that forgiving about taking weekends off. I could barely get my Sundays off). All in all, I think that the drive is worth it. Also worked at GLMF (sort of) last season. I drove up there four Sundays in a row, and that was a four hour drive each way. It was completely worth it though.
OHRF and KYRF here too.
For KYRF if we are going both days, we typically camp (though we may have a found a place to stay too!). Otherwise we drive down the morning of and drive back that night, roughly an hour and a half.
OHRF we drive every day we go. Its about 45 min to get there from our house.
Last year we didn't go to KYRF as much as we would have liked because of gas prices. We have a season pass (valentine's day gift from my best friend) so we will be going several times.
With OHRF so close we attend most days of the season.