We arrived at Amalie Arena at about 6:10pm. We had no trouble picking up our tickets at will call. We headed to our seats, and then down on to the show floor for the awesome interactive pre-show activities. It was so much fun to watch Luke’s face light up as the animals, clowns and acrobats performed right in front of us. The pre-show is so worth getting to the arena early for, make sure you plan on it for your trip to the circus.

Next, Luke had to buy his souvenir, he had money burning a hole in his pocket and he bought a $20 sword…it wasn’t even a light up sword! We headed back to our seats as the pre-show ended and Luke bought himself some $14 cotton candy that came with a souvenir hat. He was a happy kid!

I love that the circus starts with asking everyone to stand and sing the National Anthem while the American Flag is paraded around the arena by a girl on an elephant. It is a great way to kick things off before the grand parade begins. During the parade I was talking with Luke about some of the acts he would see during the evening. His eyes were as wide as saucers when the elephants paraded out.

The first half of the show included acrobats, The Torres Family in the Globe of Steel, the big cats, clowns, more acrobats and the elephants. Oh and the Legends…a Pegasus and a Unicorn!

After intermission, the show started with the Menagerie. There were performing pigs, dogs, llamas, goats and donkeys! The pigs were my favorite, they were HUGE! Then there were more acrobats, a high wire motorcycle act, trapeze artists, horse back acrobats and more clowns before the closing parade.

There are still more shows in Tampa this weekend! There are 3 shows Saturday, January 9th at 11:00am, 3:00pm and 7:30pm and 2 shows on Sunday, January 10th at 11:00am and 3:00pm.

The rest of the Legends Tour is:

• Orlando, FL January 14-18
• Jacksonville, FL January 21-24
• Birmingham, AL January 27-31
• Greenville, SC February 3-7
• Greensboro, NC February 10-14
• Philadelphia, PA February 17-21
• Brooklyn, NY February 25-March 6
• Newark, NJ March 9-13
• Norfolk, VA March 31-April 3
• Hampton, VA April 6-10
• North Charleston, SC April 13-17
• Worcester, MA April 22-24

Tickets are available online at ringling.com. If you would like to see more pictures and some videos of the show, check out my Instagram!

We had a great time at The Greatest Show on Earth and we know you will too!

The post Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Present Legends appeared first on The Mom Maven.

All-Access Pre-show

The All-Access Pre-Show is a fun and sometimes interactive 45 minutes spent on the arena floor with the circus performers. There adults and children can see some of the acts close up and sometimes even participate in them!

When we headed to our seats we were very disappointed in the location. Our seats were in the 6th row in section 118, right near the curtain. We had a great view of the band and the upcoming acts that were being staged but it was difficult to see the acts in he far ring, which at times led to a very squirmy 7yo because he couldn’t see what was going on.

Our seats were approximately the X in section 218.

While we had a pretty good time at the circus, even most of the acts in the ring in the center of the arena had their back to us, especially my favorite, the big cats.

The Theme for this year’s show was Legends! and I just didn’t feel they pulled the theme off again. Yes they had a Pegasus, Unicorn and Woolly Mammoth each parade through the arena once but that was it. The Pegasus was well done, the Unicorn was sad looking and while we thought the Woolly Mammoth looked good, 7 yo Matthew said, “That looks like an elephant dressed up.” Ha!

I do recommend a visit to see Legends! if it comes to your area. Please make sure you sit in the middle of the arena so that you can ensure you see the entire performance.

Disclosure: I received 4 free tickets to the event for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 00% mine.

The post Ringling Bros Circus Legends Show Re-Cap appeared first on The Mom Maven.

About Legends!

Behold the living legends! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® brings the unbelievable to Children Of All Ages in an all-new show — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & BaileyPresents LEGENDS^SM. Experience unimaginable family fun, as amazing performers from around the globe perform awe-inspiring feats of daring, spectacles of strength and thrills of wonder to summon the mythical and the mysterious: a Unicorn, a Pegasus and a Woolly Mammoth! Join us for an unforgettable family night of legendary proportions!Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents LEGENDS!

Ringmaster Jonathan Lee Iverson

Legends! Tickets-Tampa

Tickets for the Tampa performances are on sale now, and make a great Christmas gift. The circus will be in Tampa January 1-5, 2014 for 8 shows. By using code MOM4 you can receive $4.00 of select performances. Offer not valid on Front Row or Premium seats. Not valid day of show.   Only valid for these performances: Thurs 7:30pm, Fri 7:30pm, Sat 11am, and Sun 5pm.

See you at the circus!

Disclosure: This is a compensated post. All opinions are 100% mine.

The post In 2014 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Present: Legends! appeared first on The Mom Maven.