Brian Miser is the Human Fuse

What: Circus in Atlanta Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is Fully Charged
Where: Philips Arena Feb. 15 – 20 and Gwinnett Arena Feb. 23 – 26, 2012
Cost: Tickets start at $14 (plus service charges) and can be purchased through ticketmaster.com
Click the link to learn more about Fully Charged and enter to win vouchers for four tickets to see the show.

Come one hour before showtime for the Free All Access Power Up Preshow

I love the circus and this year’s show is electrifying! Fully Charged, the all-new surge of circus entertainment from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey where megawatts of thrills explode off of the arena floor with breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts and never-before-seen performances that energize Children Of All Ages.

Feld Entertainment, the producers of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus are clients of mine, so I had the pleasure of seeing the show a few months back. My favorite are still the elephants, but I loved the guys on the regular stilts and the neon glowing bounce stilts. I know my children will love the human fuse who shoots out of a cannon on fire and the Turbines of Terror.

One of my favorite parts of going to the circus is the All Access Power Up Pre-show. One hour before show time, guests are allowed on the floor to try on costumes, get up close with animals and performers. If you’re lucky, you might become part of the pre-show. We always grab a few clown noses and pose for a photo with one of the clowns before taking our seats.

Atlanta on the Cheap has some great discount codes and updates these often, so check out how to get discount tickets.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What: Lunch with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Elephants
When: Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011 at 12 noon
Where: Centennial Olympic Park
Cost: FREE (Bring Your Own Lunch)

It’s supposed to be a beautiful day today, the kind of day for a picnic. However, why just have any old ordinary picnic, why not lunch with elephants. And not just ordinary elephants, but the elephants from the Greatest Show on Earth. The elephants from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus will be enjoying the beautiful weather and a healthy spread at Centennial Olympic Park. The public is invited to join them at noon for a Pachyderm Picnic!

We went to this several years ago and it was a blast! I’ll admit that I actually took my son out of school for lunch and we went down to the park to see the elephants eat. It was probably a lot more educational than his school lunch room. It was fascinating to see the elephants pick up entire watermelons with their trucks and gulp down whole loaves of bread. The kids still remember it.

This year they’ll be noshing on more than 15 loaves of bread, 25 pounds of carrots, 25 heads of lettuce and 10 watermelons! It’s a relaxing afternoon before the opening performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents BARNUM 200, where the pachyderm superstars will be joined by more than 150 performers, 10 tigers, 6 miniature horses, 2 llamas, and 5 diamondback pythons! Tickets for the Circus are still available at Ticketmaster. This year you can see the show at Philips Arena downtown Feb. 17 – 21 or at the Arena at Gwinnett Feb. 24 – 27.

Professor Atom Smasher aka Mike the Clown

What: Science of the Circus w/Professor Atom Smasher
Where: Children’s Museum of Atlanta
When: Fri., Jan. 28, 2010 at 2 pm
Cost: Free with Museum Admission. See the Museum Partner Pages for an $8 ticket discount to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

Everyone is talking about the upcoming Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus coming to town Feb. 17. Field Trips with Sue has a giveaway for tickets to the Ringling Bros. show.

If you can’t wait til February for your Circus fix, head to the Children’s Museum of Atlanta on Friday and visit with Professor Atom Smasher, aka Mike the clown. He’ll entertain young guests with a look at the Science Behind the Circus. The interactive 30 minute show explains how physics plays a part in what you see in the Greatest Show on Earth.

While you’re there, watch the museum put the finishing touches on their latest exhibit set to open on Feb. 5 – From Here to Timbuktu. Children will learn about West African culture, language, and geography through this national traveling exhibit.  They’ll explore the differences of cultures a world away while celebrating some of the similarities that cut across oceans.  The exhibit’s goal is to develop understanding and appreciation of other cultures through discovery and exploration. We’ll bring you more on that soon.

What: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Where: Philips Arena and Gwinnett Arena
When: Philips Arena (Feb. 17 – 21) and Gwinnett Arena (Feb. 24 -27)
Costs: Tickets start at $14 Order at www.Ringling.com or Ticketmaster (Win tickets to Opening Night, Feb. 17, 7:30 pm at Philips Arena)
All Access Pre-Show is FREE with a paying ticket

I love the circus. There’s so much going on you never know where to look and I just adore the elephants. This year’s Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is supposed to be one of the best ever – and that’s from performers, not just the publicity folks.

The show features 130 performers from six continents^, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids. It’s a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can’t miss it!

Try on costumes at the All-Access Pre-Show

Make sure you arrive early. One hour before showtime is the All Access Pre-show, which is FREE with your ticket. The pre-show allows guests to go down on the floor and experience the circus by trying on costumes, interacting with the clowns and seeing some of the acts and animals up close. The pre-show can be crowded, so get there early and know what to expect. The ring by the curtain is the most crowded and is where the animals come out, but there are lots of fun things to do on the other side. Here’s a video I took a few years ago of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus All Access Pre-Show, so you can see what it’s like.

How You Can Win Tickets
Subscribe to Field Trips with Sue by email (and be sure to follow-up and verify your subscription by clicking the link that comes to you via email. You aren’t subscribed until you click that link)
Leave a comment: Let me know you’d like to win by leaving a comment below.
Like Field Trips with Sue on Facebook: Post something on the wall about the Circus
Follow @suerodman on Twitter: Tweet – See Ringling Bros. Circus @PhilipsArena or @GwinnettArena. @suerodman has a giveaway on Field Trips w/Sue
Email: Invite two friends to subscribe to Field Trips with Sue and join our Facebook community. cc: sue(at)fieldtripswithsue.com on the emails.

What: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents Zing Zang Zoom
Where: Philips Arena
When: Feb. 12 – 21 (win tickets for Sat. Feb. 20 at 11 am)
Cost: $14 – $130

If you follow Field Trips with Sue on Facebook, you know I’ve been posting a lot of circus pictures and video this past week. If you’d like to win 4 tickets to the Sat. Feb. 20 show at 11 am, just leave me a comment below. We’ll pick a winner on Thursday and your tickets will be waiting for you at Will Call.

I took my boys on Sunday to see the show and my 12 year-old pronounced it the best circus show he’d been to in the past three years! I like the combination of magic and traditional circus. I also like the All Access Preshow, but I must say, the word has gotten out, because it was very crowded the day we went. If you want to enjoy the pre-show on the floor, get there early. The ring by the curtain is the most crowded and is where the animals come out, but there are lots of fun things to do on the other side. I witnessed kids trying their luck at walking a tightrope and parents having a blast balancing on a giant ball, all at the other end of the floor.

For a preview of the circus, see Monday morning’s Good Day Atlanta Road Warrior segment with Stacey Elgin.

Winner: Kimberly Minter, you are the winner of the Mamma Mia! tickets. You may pick up your tickets at the Media Will Call. Email me at sue@fieldtripswithsue.com to let me know you can make it tonight.

The Circus is in town! I waited in the cold until midnight last night to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus train roll into town. I mean, how long does it take to go those last four miles! It was worth it (now that I’ve thawed). I met several great circus folks and got to see them unloading the elephants then walking them, holding tails, to their Atlanta home for the next two weeks. I’ll upload the video to the Field Trips with Sue facebook page. If you’d like to see it, check there later today. My day job is public relations and marketing. Ringling Bros. is one of my clients, so I’ve got a busy two weeks. I’ll also have access to a lot of circus fun. I’ll post the videos and pictures I take up on Facebook, so you can follow.

Tell me about your Circus memory. I’d love to hear about your favorite circus memory in the comment section below. If you’d like me to interview someone, tell me. If you just have a question for a clown – I’ll do my best to get it answered. I’ll start with a comment below about my favorite circus memories (and probably one of the reasons I love elephants so much.)

What: Freebies from the Ringling Bros. Barnum Bailey Circus
Where: Philips Arena
When: Feb. 12 – 21
Cost: Tickets are $14 – $130

My favorite part of the Circus, in addition to the elephants, is the All Access Preshow. One hour before the show, ticket holders are invited to a FREE preshow. Go down on the floor, try on real costumes, clown around with the clowns and get your picture taken, view acts and animals up close.

To avoid crowds, get there as soon as they’ll allow you in. The ring closest to backstage is generally where they bring the animals and the elephants. It’s also the most crowded, so if you don’t care about seeing animals, go to the other rings. If all you want is to get close to an elephant, get there early and stake out your spot.

If you’ve recently had a baby, Ringling Bros. has a baby present for you. Baby’s First Circus is a program that gives children 12 months and younger a voucher for a free circus ticket. Children under two don’t need a ticket for the show, but the voucher is good anytime, there is no expiration date, so send away for it and then use it when you child can remember what’s going on. Your child must be under 12 months old to receive the voucher, so don’t wait. It takes 12 – 14 weeks to get the voucher, so you won’t be able to use it for an older child to see this year’s show.

What: Win Circus Celebrity Tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus through Gas South
Where: Philips Arena (FYI – the video above is from the show in another city)
When: Feb. 12 – 21, 2010 (contest ends Feb. 5)
Cost: Circus Tickets are $14 – $130, GasSouth has a 20 percent discount code too!

We use Gas South and each month with our bill is a great newsletter filled with deals. This month they’re hosting a contest to win a family four pack of Circus Celebrity tickets to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus. (scroll down when you click the link, the contests are near the bottom) It doesn’t appear that you have to be a Gas South customer to enter, but I’m sure you’ll be solicited soon if you aren’t. As a Circus Celebrity you receive premium seating and the opportunity to step into the spotlight for 15 minutes during the show.

If you don’t win, Gas South is also offering a 20 percent discount on your tickets to see the Zing, Zang, Zoom show in Atlanta or the Illuscination show at the Macon Coliseum. To buy the tickets go to Ticketmaster and use the promo code GASSOUTH. The 20 percent discount doesn’t apply to Circus Celebrity, Front Row or VIP seats and the limit is six tickets.

Want to get your kids in the Circus mode? Kohl’s is selling Dr. Suess’ If I Ran the Circus with a plus toy for $5. One hundred percent of the net profit is donated to support children’s health and education intiatives through the Kohl’s Cares for Kids program.

I started my morning off meeting a real live Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Clown. You can’t help smiling when you’re hanging out with a clown. Mike (the clown and the anchor) was in the Better Mornings Atlanta studio talking about getting Circus Fit and promoting the upcoming Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus.

If you missed Better Mornings Atlanta this am, here is a recap of the segments. We talked about:

• The Georgia Aquarium’s Mommy and Me Deal – extended through February
• My Best Finds in 2009 – specifically Georgia Perimeter College’s Observatory Open House
• Cheap Movie Ideas – See the comments on this post for another cheap movie option in Duluth
• More Best Finds in 2009 – Free Admission to Callaway Gardens in Jan. and Feb.
• Free Pit Passes to Monster Jam
• The Field Trips with Sue Birthday Party!!! Join us for an offline party at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta next Tuesday. Then, tell your family, friends, neighbors, church group, playgroup, preschool, elementary school, sport team (you get the idea) to subscribe to FTWS and check back next week for some FABULOUS give-a-ways during our online party!

What: Ringling Bros. Barnum Bailey Circus
Where: Philips Arena
When: Feb. 12 – Feb. 21
Cost: $15 tickets (excludes VIP, Front Row and Circus Celebrity) — offer ends Dec. 24!

Are you looking for a last minute gift for Christmas? How about tickets to the Circus for $15. Use the coupon code Z3962 to get $15 tickets for the Friday, Feb. 12, 7:30 performance. Order tickets online at ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000. The dreaded Ticketmaster “convenience charge” and other taxes are not included in the price.

This looks like a great show. In addition to traditional circus acts and my favorite, the elephants, this year’s show features an illusionist they call the Zingmaster rather than the traditional Ringmaster. Be prepared to see levitating parents, disappearing elephants and transformations from man to tiger.

If you go, plan to get there early for the FREE All Access pre-show. One hour before show time, ticket holders are allowed on the floor and into the three rings. Try on circus costumes, interact with clowns and see acts up close. The video above is from last year’s pre-show.