Directions to Medieval Times

Staying in Arlington VA. Will have car. Would like directions/tips on how to get to MT including what time to leave for 7:00 show with 1-1/2 early arrival time. TIA

Directions to Medieval Times

Medieval Times is located in the Arundel Mills Mall. The Google Maps link (from which you can get directions) is at http://tinyurl.com/3xx3x4

The only tip I can offer--the GM directions are fairly straightforward--is to listen to traffic reports on WTOP radio 103.5 FM as you set out. If you hear that traffic on the northbound Baltimore-Washington Parkway (a.k.a. 295 in Maryland) is bad, you might want to take I-95 instead.

GM will tell you it%26#39;s 48 minutes from Arlington to the Mall. On a Saturday or Sunday, that%26#39;s about right.

If you want to arrive around 5:30-6:00 on a *weekday*, I%26#39;d count on the trip taking at least 90 minutes since you%26#39;ll be dealing with in afternoon rush hour traffic. Or leave a lot earlier and don%26#39;t deal with rush hour, there%26#39;s plenty to do in the mall. http://www.arundelmills.com

Directions to Medieval Times

As you didn%26#39;t give the address you%26#39;re staying at in Arlington, I plugged in the address for the Holiday Inn (1900 Fort Myer Drive) close to the Key Bridge into Mapquest. Here are the directions it gave me:

Start out going SOUTH on FORT MYER DR toward WILSON BLVD. 0.3 miles Map

2: FORT MYER DR becomes N MEADE ST. %26lt;0.1 miles Map

3: Merge onto ARLINGTON BLVD / US-50 E via the ramp on the LEFT toward WASHINGTON. 0.2 miles Map

4: Take the GEO WASH PKWY ramp toward MEMORIAL BR. 0.3 miles Map

5: Merge onto GEORGE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL PKWY S / GW PKWY S (Passing through DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA- then crossing into VIRGINIA). 1.6 miles Map

6: Merge onto I-395 N toward WASHINGTON (Crossing into DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA). 1.7 miles Map

7: Keep LEFT to take I-295 S. 1.1 miles Map

8: Keep LEFT to take SOUTHEAST FWY toward PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. 0.7 miles Map

9: Merge onto PENNSYLVANIA AVE SE. 0.6 miles Map

10: Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto FAIRLAWN AVE SE. %26lt;0.1 miles Map

11: Merge onto DC-295 N toward DC-295 N (Crossing into MARYLAND). 23.4 miles Map

12: Take the ARUNDEL MILLS BLVD exit. 0.2 miles Map

13: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto ARUNDEL MILLS BLVD. 0.9 miles Map

14: Turn LEFT onto ARUNDEL MILLS CIR. 0.7 miles Map

15: End at 7000 Arundel Mills Cir

According to Mapquest, it should take you 46 minutes to get there. Mapquest doesn%26#39;t take into account rush hour traffic. You gave a show time of 7 p.m. which means you%26#39;re going to the show on either a Wednesday or Thursday which means rush hour traffic on Maryland-295. I would guess because of that it will take twice as long so I would leave Arlington by 4 p.m. If you arrive before the 5:30 check-in time, you can always check out the mall. If you arrive after the suggested check-in time, you should still be able to get good seats as the Wednesday and Thursday shows tend to be the least crowded. Saturdays are the busiest day there. Remember, until you check-in, you don%26#39;t have an assigned seat. The later you check-in, the further back you sit. That%26#39;s how they work it.

Let me know if you have any questions on the castle itself. I worked there at one time (it was fun), know quite a bit about it and would be glad to answer any questions. I hope you have a great time at Medieval Times. It is a lot of fun.

If you take Tubman%26#39;s alternative suggestion of taking I-95 up, you%26#39;ll have to take either MD-32 or MD-175 over to MD-295. There isn%26#39;t a road from I-95 that will take you directly to Arundel Mills Boulevard. Between MD-32 and MD-175, I would take MD-32 as it doesn%26#39;t have any stoplights. MD-175 does and would be slower. When you arrive at MD-295, take the ramp for Baltimore and follow the directions I have you from there.

You might want to take Tubman%26#39;s suggestion and leave even earlier so you don%26#39;t have to mess with the rush hour traffic at all. Arundel Mills Mall has a Dave and Buster%26#39;s which has all kinds of arcade games that would keep your kids entertained. You can also win tickets playing the games which you can redeem for various prizes. Personally, I like playing their trivia game.

Actually Rt. 100 connects Arundel Mills very quickly with I-95 (three miles away) with no lights. In fact, it%26#39;s the suggested route on the Arundel Mills website.

I completely forgot about MD-100. It is a good way to reach the mall if you%26#39;re coming from Baltimore, Ellicott City or Glen Burnie. If parentsof5 wanted to avoid MD-295 altogether, she could reach the mall that way. He/She would take the off ramp there, at the light turn right toward the mall, turn left at the three way intersection and go around the mall to where they see the castle.

FYI parentsof5, the castle entrance is inside the mall. Please don%26#39;t try to enter the castle through the drawbridge/porticullis. The door at the drawbridge actually leads into the stables. The place where you%26#39;ll check in is between the two stone lion statues. There will be 2 lines. One for groups of 14 or less people and one for 15 or more. The line heading toward the shoe store is the one for 14 or less. You%26#39;ll present your tickets to the person at the check-in counter who will scan them in, present you with your seating cards then, you%26#39;ll receive your crowns. The crowns are important as they call you by their color into the arena where the show and dinner are held. Your seating cards show you what table you%26#39;ll sit at. Serving serfs and wenches in the arena will direct you to your table. In order to be served your food, you must present your seating card to your serf or wench. If you get a wench, you can actually call them that during the show. I thought that kinda neat.

Thanks for all the tips. I had pulled up the directions on rand mcnally, but knew there would be some insider tips out there!

When is rush ';hour';? I definately want to get there at a good time as we are celebrating one of my daughters birthdays and would like to be up closer for the show!

I think rush hour starts around 3:30 and goes till at least 5:30. Tubman might be more knowledgeable on that.

Concerning your daughter%26#39;s birthday, If you%26#39;re willing to pay the money, you can have them wish your daughter a happy birthday during the show for $10 (I think) or you could get your daughter knighted. The knighting ceremony consists of the person going up, kneeling on the royal cushion, getting the royal cloak put around their shoulders, King Alphonso the Conqueror tapping them on both sides of the shoulders with his sword, getting their picture taken, everyone gives the new knight a huzzah, the new knight will also receive a scroll proclaiming them a knight of the realm and during the show, they will announce whatever the special occasion is. The price for the knighting ceremony is something like $20 plus tax. You can also arrange for the King to present the knight with a gift. How much the gift costs depends on how much you want to spend. The ultra-deluxe package is a full length Tizona sword and scabbard. I don%26#39;t know what those cost now. If you%26#39;re interested in the knighting ceremony, you%26#39;d see the scroll mistress to sign up and pay for the ceremony. There are two knighting ceremonies before the show.

If you%26#39;re birthday girl is the shy type, you could skip the announcement or ceremony and buy her a princess hat for $15 or they have these fancy cloth covered head band thingies. I don%26#39;t know what you would call them or what they cost. They are pretty.

Oh, one other thing, since you%26#39;re going on a Wednesday or Thursday, there should only be one show. In that case, the show cast will come out after the show and you%26#39;ll be able to get an autograph from your knight. Also, your birthday girl could get her picture taken with her knight at no cost as long as you use your camera. The castle will do it but it will cost you $10 (I think).

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