Hilarious in a Bad Way – The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon - Charlotte

How could a show get away with people giving God the middle finger? Or sexually explicit baptisms? Or even more inappropriate… holy books being shoved into unmentionable parts? Then there’s female genital mutilation, dysentery, AIDS, and unspeakable acts done to babies and frogs. And in such a religious area as Charlotte nonetheless. Well, The Book of Mormon did it and did it well. The entire Belk Theater was teary-eyed from laughter during opening night in Charlotte. All of these blasphemies are set to song and dance in a performance that I will not soon forget.

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Feast on a New Sleeping Beauty

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty

Photo credit: Simon Annand

Stephanie Meyer fans watch out; there are other undead in town and these ones have klout. Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty, which made its North Carolina debut at Belk Theater, is edgy, entertaining, visually stunning, and modern with a vampire twist. It has depth, drama, and a ton of smoking hot vampires. If that isn’t enough draw, it’s the classic story of Sleeping Beauty. Known and loved by all, there is no guess work with this ballet. I was able to sit back, relax, and soak up the eye-candy in Bourne’s reinvention of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet. Continue reading

Where are all the Good Guys? At Charlotte Motor Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway Goodguys

You got me; I admit it! I don’t know much about “Good Guys”, at least not the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association. Goodguys promotes and produces some of the world’s most dynamic automotive events, but I couldn’t tell you what’s under the hood of a custom car or what would make a car stand out for an award. So why did I want to go to the Goodguys Annual Southeastern Nationals at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend? Well, I don’t have to be a car expert to appreciate their beauty. Strolling along pit road looking at the top cars in the “Builder’s Choice” corral, I thought about the type of person that owned each car and the care they put into making it so special. I imaged what cars would make it to the top ten. But I’m not an expert; you tell me which cars are “top ten worthy”. Why would one make the cut over another? Use these photos as clues. Are there any “goodguys” car experts out there? Don’t blow a gasket, but I based my choices on a similar scale for judging hot men. I looked at the body, the muscle under the hood, the originality, its performance, and the overall maintenance.

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I Need a Cold Shower After That One

Carmen - NC Dance Theatre

Striking, angry workers and sultry ill-fated passion are the backbone of Carmen, a North Carolina Dane Theatre production in Charlotte this week. I’ve left the ballet filled with awe plenty of times before, but I never left feeling like I needed to take a cold shower. Carmen is hot, hot, hot! Continue reading

The World is at My Doorstep

Third Rock Fire Pit Art

When I’m responding to other travelers, I usually sign off with, “May the world be at your doorstep” and a few days ago it arrived at mine. Continue reading

20 acres of 16th Century European Entertainment

Renaissance Festival

20 acres of 16th century European style art and entertainment combining outdoor theater, circus acts, charming cottages and castles, an arts and crafts marketplace, a jousting tournament, kitchens and pubs, a petting zoo, and an unusual collection of people-powered rides and games of skill come together to form The Carolina Renaissance Festival. We went last year for the first time and now we’re lifers. As a family, we took advantage of the character interactions, animal encounters, and a jousting tournament. The festival was both unique and entertaining with enough “bizarre” to keep us guessing what was going to appear before our eyes next. Continue reading

Where Racing Lives – Charlotte Motor Speedway

Bank of America 500

Food and drinks, inflatable slides, bounce houses, face painters, caricature artists, remote control cars, a Ferris wheel, balloon twisters, jugglers, pit tours, ride-alongs, driver introductions, tightrope walkers, and a Goo Goo Dolls concert were all a pre-show to the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race hosted at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina this weekend. The actual race is held as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup and is 500 miles (800 km) long, lasting almost four hours, but the whole experience begins and ends well outside the race hours. It was like attending the most overwhelmingly amazing fair or festival with over 100,000 devoted, happy, excited fans. I had no idea what to expect when attending a NASCAR race but never in my wildest imagination could I have envisioned such an elaborate adventure. Continue reading

Up Close and Personal at Lazy 5 Ranch

The Lazy 5 Ranch, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina, offers a unique 3.5 mile tour of Lazy 5 Ranchover 750 animals from all over the world. We explored the ranch on a horse-drawn, open-air wagon and went eyeball to eyeball with a Texas Longhorn cow as well as dozens of other animals. Lazy 5 Ranch was the most unique animal ranch that I’ve ever experienced. Have a look at a few of my up-close encounters below. Continue reading

Discover Childlike Wonder

Discovery Place, CharlotteStepping into a world where science is brought to life through interactive exhibits and explosive experiments sounds like a fun day for me. I love science and exploring how things work, but making that exciting for a 1.5 year old is difficult. The Discovery Place in Charlotte, however, manages to do just that. Yesterday, we spent the day immersed in a world of wonder where there was something for everyone… even Athena.  Continue reading

Can Carowinds Amusement Park Be for Parents?

As parents of a toddler, at least I think our 14 month old is considered a toddler, we still Carowinds Amusement Parkwant to experience life to the fullest without being restricted to kiddie rides, swing sets, and play-dates. Not that I mind hanging out with my daughter and taking her to explore new places and things, but we do enjoy adult experiences as well. I spend the better part of my day listening to Toddler Radio on Pandora, teaching Athena the new word of the day, today was “blue”, strolling through the neighborhood, and watching Athena attempt new feats like climbing on the Joovy trike and standing on the seat (I kid you not; that was the challenge of the day). So when an opportunity arises to have an adult day, we take it. Although amusement parks might not be considered “adult”, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend Father’s Day. Darren and I love the rides more than most teens and the whole park is one big adventurous playground with 13 coasters, Drop Tower, and Xtreme Skyflyer. Is it possible, though, to visit an amusement park with a toddler and still have fun? At Carowinds, heck yeah! They have programs in place to make the entire experience more enjoyable. With a Parent Swap Program, a Baby Care Center, plenty of shaded areas, and tons of dining choices, we stayed from open to close and everyone had an enjoyable day. Continue reading