Thursday, September 27, 2018

Eating Our Way Through The Big E

I have wanted to go to The Big E for a long time and recently I finally got to check it out! The Big E is a very large Fair with so much to do, see and EAT! Two tips, prioritize what you want to see and bring your appetite!
Lauren even got to meet The Big E mascot.
It is a good idea to check out the schedule in advance to know what you want to see at what time. You  can go here to plan your day. We started out by just taking a walk around to see what was at the Fair. There is so much food! We got to try a bunch of different items that I want to share. First off was Moo-Nuts from Moolicious Farms.
This little beauty is a glazed donut filled with soft serve ice cream in either vanilla, chocolate or swirl. Then you can top it with wet ingredients like hot fudge, peanut butter sauce, marshmallow. Then you can add on a dry topping like toffee, sprinkles, Reese's pieces, and more. It was so good!
I love being able to eat some small bites of different things and that is exactly what we did. Next we headed to Chompers which have three options - Bacon Cheeseburger, Chicken Parm and Taco.
We tried the Chicken Parm and Taco and they were so good.
We also had some amazing sliders from the Bud and Burger Pub. Again a small slider leaving more room to try other foods too. They had a ton of different flavors. We got one with pulled pork and BBQ sauce. It was so good.
We also tried these yummy tator tots from Captain Nemo's.
There was even a cheeseburger on a donut! We didn't try it.
Another thing we didn't try but intrigued me was Fried Kool-Aid.
Of course you can't go to fair without getting fried dough! We got this yummy fried dough from Anna's Fried Dough which also had a taco on top of a fried dough.
These chocolate chip cookies were so good. They were so  warm and soft.
These were from Stella's Milk and Cookies.
This Froze drink from Craft Cocktails Inc. was refreshing. It had rose wine, vodka and strawberry puree. Remember this is just a sampling of food and drink, there is so much more I just didn't want to get a tummy ache.
We also enjoyed going to Collector Car Live while we were there which was free with admission. Mike Brewer of Wheeler Dealers and Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars were the emcees.
We got to see so many cool cars and learn all about them.
We also went to the Circus with Bello Nock.
There were so  many great acts and it was about an hour show.
Cute little piggy in the show.
There is also a daily Mardi Gras Parade which we enjoyed.


We even saw the Budweiser Clydsdales.
 
We had to leave The Big E, but we got to bring a little piece of it home with us. Make sure to stop by the bakery and pick up some of these cream puffs, they were amazing!
We had such a fun time! Make sure to check it out as it is here until September 30th!
Disclosure: I was provided with admission to The Big E in addition to tastings of food, parking, slide tickets and an allotment for hotel. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Take Walks Tours in Rome Italy

Recently we traveled to Rome, Italy. Travelling any where internationally is a little intimidating to me so I was excited to see a wonderful introductory tour of Rome through Take Walks! There are several tour options but we did the Welcome to Rome: Twilight City Stroll and Gelato Tasting. It was a great introduction to Rome and I highly suggest booking it within a day or so of arrival in Rome.
The tour started at Piazza Navona where we received headsets and learned a bit about the history.
We learned about the Fountain of the Four Rivers which is the centerpiece.

Here is another fountain.
So beautiful.

Next we headed to the Pantheon however it started to rain so our tour guide took us for Gelato first in an effort to keep us dry. My kids had no complaints.
Gelato is a staple in Italy and being there in August meant we should have some every day.

Next we headed to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a church so make sure to dress appropriately.
We learned a bit from our tour guide and then had free time to walk around on our own before meeting back up with the group.
It is so gorgeous.
Look up and you will realize there is an opening in the building.
When we were there they had ropes up in the middle as rain had fallen in to the building.
Next up is Trevi Fountain.
Both kids made sure to throw coins in to the fountain.
Here are a couple pictures during the day. This fountain has been restored many times.
It is so beautiful.
Last we then walked to the Spanish Steps. All of these areas are fairly close but the whole tour takes about 2 1/2 hours. We did stop along the way to hear bits of history and information about Rome.
There are 135 steps with a church at the top.
Here is the Fountain of the longboat.
So pretty.
Here we are climbing the stairs.
Here is the church at the top.
What a wonderful tour, go and have some Gelato for me.
I highly recommend checking out Take Walks for tours in Rome or throughout the US or Europe!
Disclosure: I was provided with the Twilight Stroll Tour of Rome through Take Walks for promotional purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.