That kingdom is Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, at 149 Polito Avenue, just a few miles from American Dream. From the outside, it already looks like a castle. Once you step inside, the modern world begins to disappear.
Of course, it is not a real medieval kingdom. But the moment you sit down in the large oval arena and see knights on horseback, waving banners, pages, and a queen in front of you, the line between performance and reality slowly begins to blur. For a few hours, it truly feels as though you have stepped into another century.
The audience sits around the oval arena, divided into sections of different colors. Each color belongs to a particular knight, so every part of the audience has its own favorite to cheer for throughout the tournament. When the knights enter the arena, their sections erupt in support. That is exactly what makes the whole event quickly stop feeling like an ordinary show and start feeling like a real medieval tournament.
The program is much more than a traditional jousting competition. The knights demonstrate different riding skills, perform acrobatics on horseback, and then move into duels. They enter carrying banners, represent their colors, greet the audience, and then race across the arena as they try to outdo one another, sometimes even attempting to knock an opponent from his horse. Everything is accompanied by music, cheering, and an atmosphere that pulls you in very quickly.
Although it is a modern production, very little about it feels fake. The knights ride real horses, fight with swords and lances, and everything happens live in front of the audience. There are no screens hiding what is happening, no cameras behind the scenes, and no repeated takes until everything looks perfect. If a horse suddenly bolts forward, if a knight falls, or if a lance breaks, the audience sees it at that exact moment. That unpredictability gives the entire event a special kind of energy.
A particularly memorable part of the experience was Queen Isabella, seated in the central section of the audience. Her presence made it feel even more as though we were not simply watching a show, but attending a real medieval tournament. The knights addressed her and saluted her from the arena, just as they might have done before a royal court.
At one point, I put a crown on my own head.
And I felt like a queen.
Maybe only for a few minutes, but those are exactly the kinds of details that make the experience special. Everything is designed so that you are not simply a spectator. You become part of the story.
Even the meal was part of that story. A medieval-style lunch was served in the same spirit as the rest of the performance — simple, without unnecessary modern touches, and perfectly suited to the imagined world of the Middle Ages. As knights, horses, banners, and cheering filled the arena, even the food became part of that little world. There was no clear dividing line between the show and the rest of the evening. Everything was connected into one experience.
For a few hours, New Jersey really did seem to disappear somewhere beyond the walls of the arena.
Inside, there were only knights, horses, a queen, the colors people cheered for, and an audience loudly defending its favorite.
A little kingdom in the heart of New Jersey.
By Jenny