Camlann Medieval Village, a Great Place to Go with Kids (Bellevue, WA)

While I was searching for a place to travel, the words “medieval village” of Camlann Medieval Village caught my attention since I was a little tired with nature travel. So I decided to visit Camlann Medieval Village.

I liked that the Village is not far from where I live, and it is also close to Washington State’s famous Snoqualmie Falls. 

Located in the town of Carnation, Camlann Medieval Village is a living history museum that recreates rural life in 1376 England circa 1376. The village is run by the Camlann Medieval Association (a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational corporation, founded in 1981).

Camlann Medieval Village features actors who take on the roles of medieval persons living in a small British village around the year 1376. The village is dedicated to offering visitors personal experiences of history, including multiple opportunities for learning and performing arts. In-depth research about rural communities in 14th century England have enabled Camlann to provide visitors with a deeper understanding of the relationship between those historical events and modern western society.

Open each weekend from May until the end of September, visitors can explore the buildings and speak with volunteers playing the part of villagers going about their daily business. Besides the everyday tasks of cooking, dyeing, and practicing archery, others villagers perform blacksmithing, carpentry, and sewing. They have trained to speak to visitors from an authentic point of view about their personal histories and local events for a more life-like experience. On special festival days, the regular villagers are joined by minstrels, puppeteers, magicians, and even armored knights.

I guess it is easy to get disappointed if your expectation is high. I was disappointed even from the entrance of Camlann Medieval Village, but I did not want to judge too early, so I went to the parking area that was crowded with cars. The people guiding visitors at the parking area were nice though. 

Admission was $10 per adult, and I had to exchange money to medieval era currency to participate inside village, so I exchanged $20. If you don’t use all the money you exchanged, you can exchange it back again when you leave.  

When I saw people in medieval costumes, I was excited with expectations for the new experience. But I got almost immediately disappointed again by the old, dingy, and crude atmosphere in Camlann Medieval Village, even if it had a medieval setting.

An old, chubby guy, who looked like cartoon character, was explaining things eagerly and attracting attention with magic tricks. There was a shop where people could rent medieval costumes, and many people were going around in the rented costumes.

There were many places to enjoy activities such as a smithy, candle making shop, flower arranging place, and restaurant where visitors could spend their exchanged money. Those places were placed around a circular area so it was easy to go around. 

But I could not get rid of feeling that the people working there were inexperienced. It made sense later when I found out that most of them were volunteers.

To my opinion, I think Americans have talent to make history even with such a short history compared to other countries. Although, truthfully I was disappointed at Camlann Medieval Village, I am certain it would be a perfect place to take kids with a casual mindset.

* This posting was translated. Click here to read the original version.