Kings Landing opens for 43rd season

Popular tourist destination Kings Landing Historical Settlement opened for its 43rd season on Saturday.

The village which specializes in historical reenactments complete with actors in period clothing, was built after construction on the Mactaquac Dam started and was originally meant as a new home for many heritage buildings that would have been flooded by the dam.

The site is still a popular destination for tourists according to Rachael Biggar, the marketing and content specialist for the site.

"When I came in the parking lot was full, I actually had to drive around and park somewhere else. So, we're happy with the turnout," said Biggar.

Biggar said the settlement printed out the same number of tourist maps as on their opening day last year, but this year staff ran out by 2 p.m.

Kings Landing incorporates a display with interpretive elements, and buildings set up like a working nineteenth century village. The settlement also offers workshops.

"We've expanded our workshop series to include some more specialized workshops where you can learn skills from the nineteenth century that are still useful today," said Biggar, adding the blacksmith workshop was full within 20 minutes of online registration opening.

The buildings at Kings Landing endure the full brunt of each winter season, and a lot of work goes into making the settlement ready every spring.

"There's a lot of maintenance that goes into keeping heritage homes up and running and safe for the public," said Biggar.

Even for those who have been to the settlement before, Biggar said there's a new reason to come back.

"We have 43 new exhibits this year on our exhibit experience. They're stories that we haven't told before," said Biggar.

Kings Landing is open every day until Thanksgiving Monday.