Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus at Time Warner Arena in Charlotte

Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus in Charlotte NC © Katrena

Lions and tigers and elephants. And acrobats, aerialists, dogs, Shaolin Warriors, horses, motorcycles, and of course clowns. We didn't travel down a yellow brick road or on a roller coaster this time because we were headed to the "Greatest Show on Earth" on E. Trade Street in Charlotte, North Carolina.

JMan the Clown Gets Kids Excited About Circus at Salisbury Library © Katrena

When we saw that Rowan Public Library had teamed up with Ringling Bros. to offer free circus tickets for children who read five books, my kids were turning pages as quickly as the motorcyclists in the metal circle at the show. This year, 2013, marks the 142nd year of this famous circus that travels from city to city.

Circus at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte North Carolina © Katrena

We decided to leave early after getting a tip from JMan the Clown that the pre-show begins an hour before the circus. We were in good company as we waited for the doors to open on a rather chilly Groundhog Day in 2013. Budget alert: be prepared to pay through the nose for parking (about $10) and make sure to bring correct change.

Meet Clowns and Other Performers in Ringling Circus Pre-show © Katrena

Before the show, guests were invited to come down to the main floor and mingle with many of the people we would later see dazzling the audience. Many of the performers had a few moments to provide an autograph and pose for a picture.

Barnum and Bailey Circus in North Carolina © Katrena

If you really like the elephants, plan to head to the ring that is closest to the Barnum and Bailey sign before the show. They brought out one of those majestic animals for everyone to see. One lady who waited outside with us had a seeing eye dog named Princess Wiggles. She was particularly excited about the pre-show because she was going to get a chance to pet the pachyderm. Her smile said it all as I caught a glimpse of her as that portion of the show ended.

Fun Ways to Get Fit at the Circus © Katrena

The pre-show offered some inflatible slides. The clowns encouraged audience participation with a game of limbo and lots of dancing and a bit of silliness. A Shaolin Warrior gave everyone the opportunity to practice a little bit of Qigong, a form of Kung Fu. This not only got the kids interested and involved but also provided a great opportunity for a little physical fitness.

Dragons Circus Show © Katrena

After the pre-show, we headed upstairs to our seats. For those who are on a tight budget, you can get great seats upstairs for significantly lower prices. Viewing from the side gave a great vantage point, and those with small kids might be glad to know that the bathrooms were less crowded up there before the show. I made all of these pictures higher pictures from my seat.

Ringling Bros Blue Circus Tour © Katrena

The circus was themed around Dragons as Paulo Dos Santos, a charismatic and talented midget, proved that he possessed wisdom, courage, heart, and strength to summon the elusive beast. My kids were particularly impressed when they learned that he had been in a production of The Wizard of Oz in earlier years.

Circus Elephants and Performers © Katrena

The animal shows were amazing. The Asian elephants came out several times as they performed a variety of feats and provided rides for various performers. My girls particularly enjoyed seeing an adorable calf come out near the beginning of the show. Smaller animals like dogs, cats, goats, and miniature horses also entertained guests.

Cossack Riders - Horseback Riding in the Circus © Katrena

The Cossack riders performed some difficult riding tricks on horseback. The horses were beautiful, and the riders possessed an amazing amount of strength, agility, and timing as the horses raced around the ring. Both men and women participated in the horseback riding stunts.

Lions and Tigers in Circus Together © Katrena

Alexander Lacey summoned an impressive show as lions and tigers followed his commands. These magnificant cats watched Mr. Lacey's every move and responded so quickly to the cues! This is a one-of-a-kind mixed cat show in America.

Acrobats on Teeterboard in Circus © Katrena

The Mighty Asadullins and Soaring Scalas offered incredible performances with a teeterboard, and some audience members had the opportunity to sit in the ring as they performed. The acrobats demonstrated awesome strength, balance, and timing.

Hanging by Hair at the Circus © Katrena

Part of the show was performed high above the floor as trapeze artists entertained and aerial artists showed impressive flexibility. My girls thought it was amazing how two ladies hung by their hair while performing. The sirens of the sky portion looked like huge Christmas tree ornaments hanging high above the arena with a woman inside of each ball. I noticed that instead of safety nets, a very watchful man stood under each performer.

Kung Fu Masters with Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus © Katrena

It was only after the show that I began to realize some of the feats of the Kung Fu masters as I looked at my pictures and read about their history. These young men displayed amazing concentration as they performed feats that most would think were impossible. According to the program booklet, they have been guided by Shaloin Monks since they were four years old. The picture above shows one balanced on top of spears.

Circus Clowns Encourage Audience Participation in Pre-show © Katrena

What is a circus without clowns? These entertainers delighted kids and adults with many antics throughout the show. They tried a few of the Kung Fu stunts clown-style and did a comical scene reminiscent of Rapunzel.

Torres Family Motorcycle Act with Barnum and Bailey Circus © Katrena

Motorcycles have also made their way under the Big Top with the Torres family and a couple of aerial troupes. Ringling Bros. has set a world record as eight riders circle a 16-foot steel globe traveling 65 miles per hour. My daughters were particularly impressed that one of the riders was a lady!

Air Troupe with Motorcycle on High Wire © Katrena

The entire show was illuminated with lights, videos, and sound effects. A live band played as well. A huge amount of work has gone into the choreography, costumes, and planning for this traveling show.

Blue Tour Ringling Bros Circus Performers Take a Bow © Katrena

Ringling Bros. also offers opportunities to learn more about their animals, a Facebook page, and interactive ways to enjoy the circus during the pre-show or after the show through videos, ringtones, the CircusFit program, conservation efforts, and more.

Fun Photo Opportunities at Charlotte Circus © Katrena

This was my daughters' first trip to the circus. It was a show that I am sure we will never forget! Learn more about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus at their official web site.

"The Greatest Show on Earth" in Charlotte NC © Katrena

Read more of Katrena's articles at Love 2 Travel With Kids and Travel NC With Kids.

Tanglewood Festival of Lights Christmas Show in North Carolina

Tanglewood Festival of Lights © Katrena

If you enjoy seeing holiday light shows and are in the Southeastern United States, the Tanglewood Festival of Lights show offers a large display of color, music, and festivities. The largest holiday light show in the Southeast attracts an average of 250,000 visitors each year from mid-November through January 1.

Christmas Light Show at Tanglewood © Katrena

Tanglewood ranks in the top 20 events in the Southeast and the top 100 in North America and has been delighting guests since 1992 with a peak year in 2001 with 300,000 visitors. They offer nearly four miles of nearly one million brightly colored LED lights with about 100 different displays. Yep - this is a big one!

Largest Light Show in Southeast © Katrena

The park is located near Winston-Salem off I-40 and can be reached via exit 184 or 182. We have tried both exits and it seemed like exit 184 moved a little faster. If you have a flexible schedule, I would highly recommend going on the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving or having plenty of fun activities for the kids to enjoy during the wait. We cut our wait time from over two hours on a weekend near Christmas to two seconds when we visited on the Monday before Thanksgiving! Tanglewood also offers Throwback Nights during the season where visitors can enter at discounted rates.

Holiday Light Show Near Winston-Salem © Katrena

Many people ride through the Festival of Lights in a car, truck, van, or bus, but they also offer hayrides for large groups on horse-drawn wagons and smaller carriage rides for an extra fee. Those wishing to set up a wagon or carriage rides may inquire about an alternate route for entry. Runners in the family might be interested in the Running of the Lights, held at midnight on December 31.

Light Show in North Carolina © Katrena

Many of the lights are timed with animations. Soldiers might salute while fishermen may throw their catch. The rocking horse rocks, and Frosty waves as the little ones wave back, smiling with wide and wondrous eyes. My kids particularly like going through lighted tunnels and seeing reindeer jump over the car!

Drive-through Holiday Light Show © Katrena

Just past the big lake with the mermaid was a wooded section with brightly blinking bells. Roll down the windows and visitors can enjoy original music composed by Music Technology students at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Winston-Salem Festival of Lights © Katrena

After traveling through part of the light show, guests may park and head to the Holiday Gift Village. The building is loaded with beautiful handmade crafts, jewelry, baked goods, and much more. They also have a large fire outside so that folks can enjoy roasting marshmallows over the open flame. Santa is also ready for a photo opportunity with the kids here as well.

Christmas Crafts at Tanglewood © Katrena

My kids loved looking at the wide variety of ornaments and clothes in the Holiday Gift Village. The wooden pieces and winter-themed artwork were quite festive and fun to see. My youngest would have gladly stayed with the little baby dolls nestled in crocheted beds. The scent of homemade breads and fudge beckoned everyone who entered.

Volunteer at Tanglewood Christmas Light Show © Katrena

Tanglewood's Festival of Lights offers a huge display, but the volunteers give the winter wonderland a hometown feel and lots of personality. They are quick to offer a smile. Many of them come back year after year, even when temperatures call for winter coats or even rain gear. The guys at the gift shop just laughed and smiled when I asked if I could take their pictures. All of my girls and I agreed that their generosity and efforts are a special gift!

Largest Holiday Light Show in NC © Katrena

If you would like to take a test drive of the Festival of Lights, here is a fun video of the Festival of Lights set to music that EmilyElzbth posted in 2006. Many of the displays are the same, but each year, you can expect to see something new. Those interested in visiting the Festival of Lights can find hours, prices, directions, special discounts and more at the Festival of Lights web page. Those visiting or living in Forsyth County might also consider visiting Old Salem, the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem, or Adventure Landing.

Fun Christmas Activities for the Family © Katrena

Readers may also wish to read about Tanglewood's Gift Village that is located in the park. Find more of Katrena's travel articles at Love 2 Travel With Kids and Travel NC With Kids.

Traveling With Kids – How to Enjoy the Journey

How to Enjoy Traveling With Kids © Katrena

Some people dread traveling with kids. Driving down winding mountain roads with a kid who gets carsick easily? I feel your pain. Have the whiners, grumblers, fighters, front seat kickers, and multiple bathroom breakers? Hang in there. Can't afford a GPS and realize the MapQuest directions aren't exactly what you expected after driving for miles into what seems like nowhere? I can relate.

Enjoy Nature While Traveling © Katrena

Despite the many challenges of traveling with children, I still love to hop in the car and explore with the kids. It can be so tempting to focus only on the destination, but if we never look out the side windows, we might miss the spectacular, yet fleeting, array of colors painted on the edge of the sky. Perhaps that unexpected stop might offer an unusual adventure or ensure that an accident waiting to happen doesn't.

Going Unplugged on a Car Ride - Photo by eleliam at Wikimedia Commons

Although modern technology has many advantages, sometimes the devices tend to divide people into individual worlds. If everyone is wearing earbuds or watching a screen, conversation may evaporate. Going "unplugged" for at least part of the journey may feel risky, but we might grow to have a deeper relationship with the family.

Enjoy Unexpected Detours When Traveling with Children - Photo by Richard David Ramsey at Wikimedia Commons

Traveling with children can be a humbling experience, but those little people in the back seat may all too soon be behind the wheel themselves. Allow extra time for breaks. Be open to the unexpected. Who knows? Maybe the journey will be one of those quirky parts of a trip that everyone fondly remembers years down the road.

Read more of Katrena's articles at Love 2 Travel With Kids and Travel NC With Kids.

Southern Rose Buggy Tour of Beaufort South Carolina

Horse and Buggy Tour of Beaufort SC © Katrena

Learning about history can be awfully dry with a bunch of facts and figures or it can be exciting, fun, and quite memorable. When I told the kids I would like to learn more about the history of Beaufort, SC, they were a bit nonchalant. After they realized we were going on a horse and buggy tour of the Southern town in South Carolina's Low Country, they suddenly decided this might be one of my better ideas!

Learn about South Carolina History © Katrena

We made reservations. The buggies leave at regularly scheduled times, and some of the time slots may fill up. During hot summer months, it might be best to schedule an early morning time if possible. Parking is available in the same lot where the tours leave...for a steep price. You can save money if you park on one of the nearby streets.

See Beautiful Southern Homes in Beaufort SC © Katrena

They have bathroom facilities in the parking area as well. That is very helpful if you are going on a tour with small kids. If you have extra time, a fun playground is right by the bridge and another, larger one is nearby – we walked to that one but my youngest one got a bit weary on that walk. My kids enjoyed visiting the Chocolate Tree after the tour as well.

Learn History the Fun Way! © Katrena

I discovered the Southern Rose Buggy Tour via the internet. I believe two different tour companies leave from the same area – Southern Rose has blue buggies and I believe Carolina Buggy Tours  has red ones. Someone who was staying near us at Hunting Island Campground went on a buggy tour through the other tour company and said they also thoroughly enjoyed the tour and found it to be very informative.

SC Low Country History © Katrena

I particularly like the web site for the Southern Rose Buggy Tour. Half of the fun is the expectation! My girls loved reading about their various horses and could not wait to see which horse would be pulling for our tour. Jake was the beautiful white steed who took us on the rolling history lesson.

See Homes Where Famous People Stayed in Beaufort SC © Katrena

The company does seem to care for the horses well and checked them before and after the 50-minute ride. I was particularly impressed with some of the guys who were doing some construction work beside the road who stopped their power tools while we rode by. Hats off to those guys!

Learn About Rich Southern Heritage © Katrena

I found it interesting that our tour guide said one of her parents was from Beaufort, SC while the other was from Beaufort, NC. The pronunciation of the SC town sounds like "beautiful" while the pronunciation for the NC town sounds like "bow tie." She began talking as we pulled off and continued to share the history of the beautiful town until we arrived back where we started. I was impressed with all of the various details she shared about the architecture, plants, famous people who had visited and lived in the area, older and more recent historical events, and much more.

Tour of Beautiful Southern Town Near Hilton Head © Katrena

My daughters were ages 10, 8, and 4 at the time that we took this tour, and all of them thoroughly enjoyed it and loved having the opportunity to give Jake a treat at the end. I believe they might have even learned a bit about some of our Southern history. When you can experience history in memorable ways, it can be an amazing educational opportunity for folks of all ages!

Learn About Southern History © Katrena

Those traveling with kids to Beaufort might also consider camping at Hunting Island State Park, which is located about 30 minutes away. Find more of Katrena's travel articles at Love 2 Travel With Kids and Travel NC With Kids.

Southern Rose Buggy Tour © Katrena

Visit the Southern Rose Buggy Tour web site for current prices, times, information about their horses, reservations, and more. Readers might also be interested in reading Katrena's article about horse therapy.

How to Enjoy a Staycation With the Kids – Five Quick Tips for Finding Local Entertainment

You have a vacation from work but not enough extra money to travel to a great vacation destination...or do you? The family budget is tighter than a tick on the dog, but there are many low cost ways to enjoy a vacation while staying near home. Taking short day trips can be a great way to create fun family memories while saving on accommodations. Pack a picnic lunch and you can also forgo expensive restaurant bills.

Here are five tips for finding local spots for entertaining the kids near home:

Find Fun Family Activities Near Home © Katrena

1. Ask friends/family members who live nearby. 

This is a great place to start because they often know your interests and may be able to give you the inside scoop on a nice variety of day trip ideas in the local vicinity. Many folks live within a few miles of a park, museum, ball field, or other recreational opportunity. Some of my friends may remark that they have never been to a place featured in one of my articles that is a short distance from their home.

Find Fun Local Places and Activities at Chamber of Commerce © Katrena

2. Check out your local Chamber of Commerce. 

Many counties, cities, and towns offer free services at the Chamber of Commerce. They often feature a calendar of events in the community and surrounding areas. Many have online services. I also like to visit the Chamber of Commerce in person and find brochures with coupons. Some offer free maps – I realize most folks have GPS now, but some maps include information about recreational activities.

Free Kids Activities at the Local Library © Katrena

3. Visit your local library. 

Many libraries offer free programs for the kids throughout the year. We have enjoyed a wonderful mix of activities at our library, such as Mad Science, animals, music, meet the author, magic shows, story time, and much more. Future library funding may be tied to number of participants, and it would be a real shame to lose resources simply because people were unaware of the great wealth of free programs offered at the public libraries. Libraries also offer books, videos, music, online resources, and much more.

Fun Outdoor and Indoor Activities at Local Parks and Recreation © Katrena

4. Look at your local Parks and Recreation Program. 

Many people look at the parks and recreation program only as a way to sign the kids up for sports. Local parks and recreation give the family a great opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the scenery and time together. It doesn't have to be fancy. Pack a Frisbee, athletic shoes, and a picnic lunch. You might also find classes and other interesting activities through these programs. If you haven't visited a local park in recent years, you may be surprised to find new resources awaiting!

5. Find your local Smart Start program. 

In my early years of raising kids, I avoided Smart Start. I thought it was another program altogether. Finally, someone clued me in on the wonderful resources at the Smart Start office that are available to local families with young children. Our office offers a great toy library where you can check out a themed box of toys. The kids play with the toys for a couple of weeks, and then we return the box and search for another one. They also have many other resources. This is where I signed my kids up for Dolly Pardon's Imagination Library, a program where the kids younger than 5 receive a book in the mail each month.

Equipped with these five resources, you can quickly transform a boring TV-watching staycation into an amazing time of family fun and adventure. By utilizing local resources, you may help your community to keep adding more opportunities for future generations while creating fun family memories to enjoy together without busting the pig.

Find more of Katrena's travel ideas and reviews at Love 2 Travel With Kids and Travel NC With Kids.