Puy du Fou Historical Theme Park (Part 2): 18th Century Village

I wandered through the charming 18th century french village and imagined what it was like to live in that era. At one point, I thought I walked inside one of Thomas Kinkade's paintings. This village is one of the attractions inside Puy du Fou.

The Grand Parc of Puy du Fou is a 55 hectare historical theme park offering shows and adventures for the family. During the day, visitors choose which historical period they would like to experience. Since there is so much to see, today, I'm only going to talk about the 18th Century in La Vendée.

La Vendée is a department in Pays de la Loire Region in Western France. It is roughly 4 hours away from Paris by train. It is where the theme park is located. Anything related to La Vendée is called Vendéen.

Each shop within a traditionally built house offers something unique. Artisans clad in period costumes were busy hand-painting ceramic table ware. A calligraphy artist was engrossed in her masterpiece. A shoe maker sold Vendéen wooden shoes in his humble shop.

Spending time browsing on your own or with your family will leave you a sense of calm while partly wishing to escape and experience living in such a peaceful period in history.

There is Hotel Le Logis de Lescure within the theme park grounds, an 18th Century village lodge where you can check in and experience how it's like staying in an 18th century suite. Le Relais de Poste is an 18th century themed restaurant serving popular traditional cuisine during that period.

By the hour, traditional musicians will lure you to dance to the tunes of Vendéen village music. I stayed here in the village for more than an hour. Holding a mug of coffee one cold afternoon, people-watching and listening to french country music were relaxing .

When the Grand Parc announces it's closure, visitors prepare to watch the premier night show Cinéscénie on Friday and Saturday nights.

Otherwise, there is a night show called Les Noces de Feu on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is a 30-minute show that starts at dusk by the lake. A captivating wonderland of fire and water, that tells the love story between the virtuoso pianist and his violinist muse. The show features actors gliding over water and an incredible ball of dancers emerging from the lake.

There is much more to come since this is a grand park from the Roman Empire, Medieval Ages, Renaissance and etc.

Is a historical theme park something that would interest you?