Sneak Peek: Harry Potter’s Wizarding World Hits Hollywood

by Meghan RoseMarch 7, 2016

Harry Potter first entered our hearts in book form, then hit the big screen in delightful movies, and finally, Hogwarts heads to Hollywood as the new theme park The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens April 7. Don your robes, have wands at the ready (not in back pockets, we don’t want any blasted buttocks, as Moody would remind us) and get ready to enter a magical world. If you can’t wait until April, flip through to catch a sneak peek of what’s in store.

Welcome, First Years

Rising above tram lines and minions, the spires of Hogwarts looms above the village of Hogsmeade. The first sight gives you a tingle in your stomach – it’s actually here. Enter the gates and find out what lies ahead.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood opens on April 7, 2016. Admission is part of the ticket price for Universal Studios. Ticket prices vary depending on the day. Check their website for details, and be sure to check back here at Red Tricycle for our tips and wizarding tricks for getting the most fun out of your visit as soon as the park opens.

Online: universalstudioshollywood.com/harrypotter

Are you excited to visit this magical world? What is it you can’t wait to taste, try or experience?

—Meghan Rose

Photo credit: HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © JKR. (s16) ©2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

10 Things You HAVE to Do in Chicago This November

by Maria ChambersOctober 29, 2015

Halloween is behind us and all we can think about is the turkey and all its fixings we have coming. Hold off on slipping on your turkey pants just yet – Chicago is keeping us busy while we wait for that savory goodness. From gator encounters to miraculous journeys with dapper rabbits, read on for our Editor’s picks for family fun to make it a November to remember.

photo: World Pet Association’s Aquatic Experience

(1) Gator Encounters for the Reptile Lovers
Get up-close and personal with alligators at the world’s only traveling gator experience, Gator Encounters, at the World Pet Association’s Aquatic Experience. Show attendees can interact with gators at a touch tank and see new live octopus and piranha tanks. Check the website for details on the Kids Aquarium Contest where entrants are challenged to design an aquarium that reflects their personality.

When: Nov. 6-Nov. 8
Hours: various dates (check show schedule), 10:30 a.m.
Where: Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, 1551 Thoreau Dr. N., Schaumburg
Cost: $25/family; $10/person; free for ages 4 & under
Online: aquaticexperience.org

(2) LEGO Star Wars Day
May the Force Be With You at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Chicago for LEGO® Star Wars™ Days. Help build a large model of Yoda to display in the Center, make themed creations, compete in themed speed build competitions, take photos with life-sized LEGO Darth Vader and LEGO R2-D2 and participate in the MINILAND Scavenger Hunt. In addition to all that fun, you’ll have a chance to win prizes and giveaways.

When: Nov. 7-8
Hours: noon-7 p.m.
Where: LEGOLAND® Discovery Center, 601 N. Martingale Rd., Schaumburg
Cost: starts at $13.50
Online: legolanddiscoverycenter.com

(3) National Neighborhood Toy Store Day
Help local mom-and-pop toy stores across Chicago celebrate National Toy Store Day! Check in with your favorite toy shop to find raffles, giveaways, demonstrations, character visits, games and displays of the season’s hottest toys.

When: Nov. 14
Hours: Check the hours of your favorite small toy store
Where: Independently owned toy stores across Chicago, check with your favorite!
Cost: Free
Online: tinybeans.go-vip.net/chicago/neighborhood-toy-store

(4) Secrets, Lies, and Superspies: Fall Youth Circus
The Actors Gymnasium Youth Circus presents: Secrets, Lies, & Superspies. Leading a double-life can be tough, especially when all of your friends are doing it too! Join the world’s finest secret agents, who have no idea that their civilian best friends are actually their colleagues until a power-mad villain plots to turn them against each other. Will their friendship prevail or will the secrets and lies destroy them all? This mission- should you choose to accept it- includes: espionage, acrobatics, live rock music, comedic spyjinx, and DEADLY LASERS!

When: Nov. 14-15, Nov. 21-22
Hours: Sat., 4:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m.
Where: The Actors Gymnasium, 927 Noyes St., Evanston
Cost: $15/adults; $12.50/ages 12 & under
Online: actorsgymnasium.org

(5) The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is the story of a very dapper china rabbit named Edward Tulane who gets lost at sea, bounces from person to person and decade to decade until the audience is shown a true miracle, and Edward discovers the transformative power of love. Stuart Carden returns to CCT after his critically acclaimed debut outing last fall with Leo Lionni’s Frederick.

When: Now through Nov. 15
Hours: Various showtimes
Where: Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Magnificent Mile
Cost: $10-$39
Online: chicagochildrenstheatre.org

(6) Get Lost in the Magical World of Alice in Wonderland
Chicago Kids Company – Theater for Children (CKC) presents Alice in Wonderland, a musical adaptation of the classic tale! Discover the magic of Wonderland alongside Alice. Meet characters who grow “curiouser and curiouser,” including the White Rabbit, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts.

When: Various dates through Nov. 25
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Where: Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago
Cost: $12
Online: chicagokidscompany.com

(7) Play On! Chicago Toy and Game Fair
Navy Pier is hosting the 13th annual Chicago Toy and Game Fair! Preview and play with toys and games from around the world and meet Toy and Game Inventors! Check out the PAW PATROL Bus, Lifesize Tonka Truck, Giant Jenga, Settlers of Catan Tournament, Star Wars Lunch, GameTruck, Stage Events, Magic, Giant Bubbles, Contests, Giveaways, Maker Stuff, Game Café, Mascots, Laser Tag, Ride-on vehicles, Adventure Sandwich, Characters, ChronoBomb, Electronic Petting Zoo, Puzzle Hunts, Robotics, Young Inventor Challenge, and so much more!

When: Nov. 21-22
Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Navy Pier Festival Hall A, 600 E. Grand Ave., Navy Pier
Cost: $10/adults; $5/children; free for ages 3 & under
Online: chitagfair.com

(8) The Snoopy Snow Ball
Celebrate the season with this ultimate holiday experience, including a private performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and a delectable lunch reception, just steps away at the Ritz-Carlton and a meet-and-greet with the Peanuts gang. Enjoy musical entertainment and dancing, live and silent auctions for grown-ups and crafts and activities for kids.

When: Nov. 22
Hours: 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Where: The Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St., The Magnificent Mile
Cost: $125/single tickets; $450/family of 4
Online: emeraldcitytheatre.com

(9) McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Ring in your holiday season with the 2015 McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade! Enjoy gigantic balloons, the nation’s finest marching bands, majestic horses, festive floats, incredible performance groups, celebrities, and even an appearance from Ronald McDonald ® and Santa Claus! Individual Sponsorships for the VIP Experience are available, check out the website for details. Can’t make it down to State Street? Enjoy #ChicagosParade at home by watching the live broadcast on WGN 9 Chicago or WGN America.

When: Nov. 26
Hours: 8 a.m.-11 a.m.
Where: State St., Congress to Randolph, Downtown Chicago
Cost: Free
Online: chicagofestivals.org

(10) Holiday Fun Farmsgiving
Angelic Organics Learning Center invites families to mingle with and care for their livestock and makes gifts with materials from the farm.

When: Nov. 28
Hours: 10:30 am.-2:30 p.m.
Where: Angelic Organics, 1547 Rockton Rd., Calendonia
Cost: $20
Online: learngrowconnect.org

Big plans for November? Tell us all about it in the Comments below!

—Maria Chambers

Spark Your Imagination at Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities

by Erin LemFebruary 3, 2015

Between your kids tumbling from couch to couch and juggling after school schedules, parenting can sometimes feel like a circus. Take the night off from your own acrobatic feats and head to Cirque du Soleil’s newest touring show, Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities. Playing under the iconic blue-and-yellow Big Top at Marymoor Park through March 22, this kid-friendly show will ignite your imagination inside a mechanical world where curios come to life, contortionists twist and turn on a mechanical hand and dinner parties literally get turned upside down.

photo: Martin Girard/shootstudio.ca

The Show
Kurios serves up everything you know and love about Cirque du Soleil performances from high flying acts that make you gasp in wonder to dazzling sets with the most intricate of details. But, what makes this imaginative show so thrilling for kids is the combination between stunning acrobatics you’ve come to expect from Cirque and more subtle, humorous acts that showcase shadow puppetry and yo-yo masters.

photo: Martin Girard/Cirque du Soleil

From act to act, your kids will be transported into a magical world of curiosity as they marvel at “siamese twins” hanging in the air by straps soaring above the stage, an acrobat who is suspended in mid-air as she rides her bike upside down and an artist who tells a story with just his fingers as his shadow is projected onto a hot air balloon screen. The entire show is set to music (the musicians are located behind the stage) and an Industrial Revolution-inspired set that includes a mechanical hand, a train and a raised walkway.

While your kids may not totally grasp what each character represents or the intricacies of the show’s storyline, there’s no doubt their curiosity will be awakened by the thrilling acrobatics and amazing stunts.

photo: Martin Girard/shootstudio.ca

Good to Know:

• The show runs 2 hours and 10 minutes including a 25-minute intermission and strollers are not allowed in the arena.

• While a couple of toddlers were spotted in the audience, Kurios is best suited for kids ages six and older.

• The rows of seats are very narrow meaning if kiddo needs a bathroom break in the middle of an act or you need to step outside, you’ll need to climb over everyone in your row to exit. We suggest scoring a seat at the aisle or the very first row in sections 200-204 where you won’t have anyone sitting in front of you.

• Restrooms are located outside the tent so bring along a rain coat or umbrella if the skies are unforgiving. During intermission the restroom lines can get long, so plan accordingly.

• Parking costs $15 (cash) per car.

• Refreshments and snacks are available when you enter the Big Top and are allowed at your seat. No outside food or drink is allowed.

• No photography (of any kind) is allowed inside the Big Top, so leave your fancy camera behind. If you want to grab a keepsake photo, bring your iPhone and grab a pic in front of the Big Top or inside the entrance tent.

• If you really want to impress your kids, purchase VIP tickets. Not only will you have awesome seats, but you will get to enjoy delish food one-hour before the show and at intermission and will get to take home a show program and souvenir photo.

photo: Martin Girard/shootstudio.ca

Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities
Under the Big Top at King County’s Marymoor Park
6046 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy. N.E.
Redmond, Wa 98052
Buy Tickets: cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/kurios/tickets/seattle.aspx

Dates: Jan. 29-Mar. 22, 2015

Are you a big fan of Cirque du Soleil? Have your kids seen one of their shows? Tell us in the Comments below!

— Erin Lem

The New Exhibit That Lets Kids Explore the Extraordinary

by Allison RasmussenOctober 25, 2014

You already know kids are curious by nature. But did you know there is a new exhibit in town that not only embraces their curiosity, but also encourages it? Get ready to enter the world of strange, exciting, and never before seen as the largest and most astonishing exhibit, based on Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, embarks on the Pacific Science Center. From a life-size model of a prehistoric snake to a portrait of Einstein made of toast, explore the real science behind the extraordinary at this mind-boggling exhibit.