Many people don't realize one of the largest renaissance fairs in the country takes place each year in the Tar Heel State. For eight enchanted weekends each fall, the Carolina Renaissance Festival will delight visitors with a world of medieval charm. Spanning 25 acres, the festival comes to life with charming castles, pubs, cottages, and many other must-see attractions that make a day at the festival much like spending a day in Camelot.

In the make-believe world of the festival's medieval Village of Fairhaven, you'll come alive with all of the things to see and do at this year's festival.

Whether you arrive dressed to the nines in your best period attire or wear something more befitting the weather for the day, you'll enjoy all of the free shows, live entertainment, and more than 100 vendor booths in the Artisan Marketplace.

The Artisan Market is open air, and filled with arts and crafts, jousting knights on horseback, feasting, games, rides, falconry, mermaids, fairies, dragons, and so much more to see and do!

Watch mesmerized as many of them demonstrate their craft. And then shop for handcrafted gems from the many artisans at the fair. From expert glass blowers to potters and more, you'll see it all and enjoy perusing their beautiful creations for sale.

Enjoy more than 500 costumed characters that roam around the village and in the enchanted forest (where even more vendors and attractions await.)

The festival has grown to include over 16 different stages, each with back-to-back live shows or music throughout the weekend. Marvel at the falcon show and learn more about the king's favorite sport. Then, three times each day you can head over to the arena to watch a realistic jousting match, complete with hooves and armor. It's all free, or rather, included in your ticket price!

You'll even see sea fairies and swimming mermaids.

The only things you'll pay for in addition to the entry fee are games and rides, food, and anything you want to purchase from the Artisan Marketplace.

Just consider it the state's biggest seasonal theme park and prepare for the best. The kids will have just as much fun as the adults!

Don't have a medieval costume? No problem! You can rent one outside the gate - for real.

And there's plenty of metalsmiths and clothing and textiles booths within the Artisan Marketplace.

Buy tickets for the Time Travelers Weekend, where any costume goes! This may be the best weekend of the season for people and costume watching. The festival has a number of fun themed weekends including Kids Free Weekend, BrewFest Weekend, Halloween Daze and Spooky Nights, and more. See a complete list renaissance fair website.

Carolina Renaissance Festival may just be THE BEST event of the season.

And because it's one of the largest renaissance festival's in the country, it's well worth the visit.

Whatever you do at the festival, don't leave without devouring a mouthwatering turkey leg!

And with 19 different places to eat, including coffee shops and beer gardens, we promise you won't go hungry at this renaissance festival in North Carolina.

The festival takes place every Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine, from the first weekend in October to the third weekend in November. There's even a Christmas-themed day the first weekend of November!

If you want to bring the family to have a good time, you can't do much better than Carolina Renaissance Festival. In fact, you'll probably want to come back again and again!

Tickets to the Carolina Renaissance Festival are available online or at regional Harris Teeter stores. The prices are $32/adults, $20/children ages 5-12, and kids under 5 are always free. Special prices are available to seniors and the military as well. Prefer to wait and purchase tickets when you arrive? You can do that, too. Major credit cards are accepted at the festival box office, and many vendors inside also accept them; however, some do not - so bring some cash. Learn more about the Carolina Renaissance Festival from the official website and follow the Facebook page here.

Address: 16445 Poplar Tent Road, Huntersville, NC, 28078

Want to know how far Huntersville is from where you are? Here are some waypoints... It's located 23 miles north of Charlotte, 129 miles east of Fayetteville, 66 miles south of Winston Salem, 103 miles southeast of Boone, 67 miles southeast of Morganton, and 143 miles east/southeast of Asheville.

Would you visit the renaissance fair this fall? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

For more fun festivals throughout North Carolina this fall, keep reading here!