Making Memories with @RinglingBros at The Q Arena Win Tickets! #RinglingInsider

Feld Entertainment

I received something of value from Feld Entertainment as part of the Insider Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I love the circus.  My fondest memories are of my parents taking me to Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey for my birthday.  It never failed to arrive in town for my birthday.

This year Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Legends will be coming to C-town October 22 - 26, 2014 at the Quickens Loan Arena, an early birthday gift to me and for the kids.  And, a gift for one lucky winner!  Enter to win at the end! 

The kids and I actually went this past April to the performance in Youngstown so we know what we will be seeing but that won't mean we enjoy it any less. The kids were amazed at the pre-show activities and marveled at the amazing acrobats and zany clowns. We truly enjoyed ourselves.

One thing I love, even the years we don't go, is the parade of elephants down East 9th Street.

Post by I Need a Playdate.

Seeing them in person is a really amazing event but if you miss the parade down main street (so to speak) I highly recommend taking advantage of the free to all ticket holders the All Access Pre-show!

4 Ways to Enjoy Cedar Point When It Rains #iheartcp #sponsored

We received tickets to facilitate this post.  We were not compensated in any other way.

Cedar Point is, for every Ohio kid and roller coaster enthusiast, the ultimate destination.  

We have been waiting to take the kids and new this was going to be THE summer to go.  So, I requested the time off, got the tickets, told the kids, and gassed up the car but - it was raining!  What would you do?

If you are like us, whose schedules, never seem to sync you go anyway.  It's Northeast Ohio, give it five minutes and the weather will change.  In hindsight, I wish we would not have left so early.  We only live an hour away and the park is open late so waiting a few hours to go would have made a world of difference.

Friend and blogger at Clue into Cleveland, Amanda Hicken, is a dedicated Cedar Point aficionado who had a ton of suggestions after we went.  Also, studying the website would have given me a better idea of what to do if it rained.  Since I did none of that I am sharing what I learned.

Before you go, check their website.  

Cedar Point has a live webcam and it may be raining where you are but sunny there.  If it is rainy there, go later in the day.  Of course, if you are staying at one of the many hotels in the area all you have to do is look out the window but the same advice holds true to go later in the morning or early afternoon.  There is no rush at this point and the park is open most days till 10:00PM.  Yes, many of the rides will run in the rain.  Some of the coasters will not run because of lightning and wind conditions, but there are rides that are covered like bumper cars and the carousels.

We were wimps and only made it to 1:00 PM before throwing in the towel so here are the four things I wish we would have done that would have made our rainy day even more enjoyable.

4 Ways to Enjoy Cedar Point When it Rains

Our #LEGO Adventure at @GLScienceCtr was Awesome

You've probably been wondering why I have been so quiet lately and it is not because I've given up and packed it all in - on the contrary!  The family and I have been spending some much needed quality time together and had a staycation.  So much better than a fakeaction any day of the week.

The Great Lakes Science Center graciously gave us tickets to explore their new exhibit LEGO® Travel Adventure to facilitate this post and as part of our staycation, it was pretty awesome.  And, yes, everything is awe-some.

The exhibit itself is produced by The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis in cooperation with LEGO® Systems, Inc. and is visiting the Great Lakes Science Center until September 7.

While we were there we were able to meet Arthur Gugick, a local math teacher and lifelong LEGO enthusiast, who was in the process of creating a portrait of Einstein.  Many of his works of art hung from the walls and are on display. He was mesmerizing to watch, not only because of his concentration but because he was capturing the essence of a man using LEGO!

Catch the Final Performances of #DinosLiveCLE at @TheQArena Before They Become Extinct! #sponsored

We were provided with tickets to the opening night performance to facilitate this post.  Opinions are my own and this is not a paid endorsement.

When we were asked if we would like to see Walking with Dinosaurs Live, I must admit I was not all that excited.  Baby girl on the other hand was beside herself and my son, who is older and wiser than his sister could not imagine how good it could be since they were not real dinosaurs and that they are extinct.  

All that changed when we walked into the Q Arena and saw the simple but massive set.  The massively glowing teeth was enough to convince me this was not just mechanical dinosaurs.  

Traveling back in time 165 million years. #DinosLiveCLE @theqarena pic.twitter.com/xGi1fj9aDM
— MryJhnsn (@mryjhnsn) July 9, 2014

Once the show started, I started to feel like we were being sent back in time and I was pretty mesmerized by Andrew Blackman's Australian accent.  He plays Huxley the paleontologist and he guides us thought the Cretaceous, Jurassic, and Triassic periods.  It was awe-inspiring to experience our world, new, and all of the amazing things it went through to be the world we see now.

The show also pulled at the heart strings sharing the joys, triumphs, and sadness that the dinosaurs must have experienced.  The show successfully brought to life the wonder of the massive creatures gone so very long ago and it was certainly enough to capture the imagination of my oldest who was a lot less critical of seeing a show with "robot dinosaurs."


There is still time!  Don't let this opportunity pass you by - who knows when the dinosaurs will be walking in Cleveland again!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW ONLINE, BY CALLING 888-894-9424, AT THE QUICKEN LOANS ARENA BOX OFFICE OR AT ALL NORTHERN OHIO DISCOUNT DRUG MARTS.