One of my personal ‘mommy’ goals for the year was to try new things with Trent. He turned 3 this year, so the nap schedule is a little more flexible, he has a better ability to pay attention and understand things, I’m a little {emphasis on that} less neurotic. So far we’ve already tried a few things that have been very successful. Our latest adventure? A trip to the Ringling Bros. Circus! I haven’t been to the circus since I was about 10 (although it was also a Ringing circus at the same venue in Austin). I was excited to see it, and I was especially excited to see what Trent thought.
There was a lot I thought was great and a few things that weren’t so great. So I present ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ of the circus.
{And forgive the photo quality. I need to take Katie’s advice and download some apps instead of just snapping with my phone.}
The Good
I thought the performers were (mostly) very impressive. There were great acts with fire juggling, acrobats, the tight rope walkers (my favorite), just to name a few. Trent seemed pretty entertained with a lot of them but not all…but no one act was long enough for it to be bothersome. So score!
The Bad
I hate saying this, but I thought most of the animal tricks were not very impressive. Lots of horses running in circles and elephants and tigers lying down. Honestly, I’m not sure how the animals are treated, so I am going to pretend they are treated great, so with that statement, I thought overall yawn. Trent enjoyed the elephants a lot but not so much the tigers.
The Ugly
The prices! It cost us $40 for the 2 of us to go, then $10 to park, and then food and souvenirs were outrageous. Trent asked several times for a toy, but I just couldn’t do it. I spent enough money on a few snacks for us. Cotton candy was $12 because they all came with a hat! Seriously, people, it’s spun sugar. Delicious, yes. But still…sugar.
Overall, I would say it was a fun experience, and I’m sure we’ll go again in the future. I just can’t imagine when we’re a family of 4 trying to go! We’ll need a loan!
Did you go to the circus? What did your family think?
We did the circus a couple of years ago (when Hudson was about Trent’s age). He really enjoyed it! And I loved the costumes, LOL. My best friend and I totally wanted to pack up our families and go on the road as circus performers. 🙂 I remember feeling the same about the outrageous prices, though! We got a discounted ticket somehow, so it wasn’t quite as bad…but the crap they sell was ridic. Somehow we managed to get out of there without spending much excess – we got a picture frame and picture of H with his friends, and that was it, thank goodness!
I took Kadon when he was little too, but we haven’t been back. Have great intentions on going, but some thing always comes up. Prices are always nuts…so irritating! Glad y’all had a good time 🙂
I had been wondering about taking a little one to the circus lately– I was trying to decide if it would be fun or weird. Turns out the answer is “pricey”! Yowsa!