This past weekend our family was drawn back to the Cincinnati area on last minute notice thanks to receiving some tickets to ride Thomas the Tank Engine courtesy of Family Friendly Cincinnati. Visiting the traveling show was the same as I remembered it from 2 years prior when it stopped in the Cleveland area. Only this time it was a different setting in the Lebanon, OH area.

After arrival, and securing of our tickets, we headed into the park adjacent to the train line to wander throughout the exhibits. Among them were the typical huge tent dedicated to purchasing every Thomas the Tank engine contraption ever made, an area with train tables for little hands to enjoy, a storytime tent, volunteers applying cool temporary tattoos, and a playground/blow-up area. The boys favorite part of the exhibit though was the hay maze near the back. Surprisingly, with so many trains around, they were more mesmerized by trying to help each other find their way through. After seeing them quickly master the hay maze, I guess maybe we should have taken them into the pineapple maze in Hawaii!?

After chasing the hale devils, we headed over to get in line to board the train. As is typical for these events, Thomas the Tank engine is hooked up to the standard passenger line, in this case the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad, with six passenger cars. For those that may be wondering (spoiler alert), Thomas the Tank Engine is not really the workhorse, as there is an engine on the opposite end of the train moving the whole train.

The insides of the passenger cars were pretty standard, sterile, and nostalgic. The boys quickly chose our back-to-back seats, and shortly thereafter, we were on our way. Pulling away from the station was beautiful, leaving small town Lebanon, Ohio. However, after traveling down the track a couple of feet, the ride became less scenic as we progressed through an abandoned industrial area. The scene was quite the contrast compared to riding the train back home through the Cuyahoga Valley. It kind of is a rough comparison when it comes to the environment. However, the kids knew no difference, and had a wonderful time with their pal Thomas!

The nice thing about the event in Lebanon was everyone could get a lot closer to Thomas (when he was not moving) than we remember at the Cleveland event. As soon as Thomas pulled back into the station, people began to gather and get in line to take their official picture with the blue puffer-belly.

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Hofbräuhaus Newport for Oktoberfest

It was our destiny to return to the Cincinnati area, after just being here back in May. The nice thing is, the Hofbräuhaus Newport invited us back, and this weekend we happy to be lucky enough that they were celebrating nothing other than…Oktoberfest!

I do not drink bier/beer, but can enjoy the authenticity of my mother country, Germany. Add on some great, German cooking, and you have my family sold. This trip I ventured outside of my favorite Wiener Schnitzel (Breaded Pork Cutlet Fried and served with Cranberry Sauce, German Potato Salad and Fried Cabbage), and chose a Heidelberger Rahm Spätzle (Pulled Chicken and Spätzle Sautéed with caramelized Onions and Field Mushrooms tossed into a Marsala Cream Sauce). Fortunately, Mrs. InACents chose the former!

I was glad I tried something different, because it was FANTASTIC! The chicken was not so much “pulled” and rather just “sliced,” but the only thing that would have possibly made my Spätzle any better is if they would have substituted the Wiener Schnitzel for the chicken. Next time I return, remind me to see if I can make a special request.

The good thing of arriving for an early dinner (around 4:30 PM) is the main dinner crowd has not shown up yet on a peak Saturday night. Within a half hour, there was a line out the door waiting for reservations. The downside, is even after trying to look it up, there was nothing special going on celebrating the historic Oktoberfest. We did get to briefly see a magician, and there was a super-friendly “statue” girl at the front of the store, but unfortunately, not even the live music was playing until we left. We had just wished there would have been a better schedule available to better plan our visit.

The other surprise during our visit was happening to get smacked with a valet parking fee after we had parked for free previously. While not a tremendous amount of money, considering the parking spaces were only 20 feet away, and we were coming in to spend money, it kind of threw us off guard. I understand why Hofbräuhaus charges for parking, especially during Oktoberfest weekend, but when you are used to getting something for free…oh I digress. My belly was full and happy, which is all that really matters.

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Gap Distribution Center Outlet

Mrs. InACents search for high-ranking TripAdvisor activities sometimes finds some great gems. While on the ride down, she happen to by accident (i.e. not even through TripAdvisor) find out about the Gap Distribution Center Outlet. Previous visitors had raved about their $0.25 cent finds throughout the store on Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic brands. While I normally would encourage the Mrs. to find another suitable option, I was intrigued, and decided to head to the outlet after dinner.

Located in a distribution center environment (i.e. not a shopping complex or outlet mall), in an unassuming building, was definitely what others had talked about. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a super, friendly staff directing us right to where the bargains were located. Right by the door was a bin full of woman’s tank tops, all marked $0.25 because one of the straps may not have been connected. I feel pretty safe in saying even I could figure out how to sew a strap onto a tank top.

While the entire store was not the bargains I had really expected, we still ended up walking away with a major haul of over $100, all for the boys and my wife. So much for our cheap, weekend trip. 🙂

The boys for sure had a great time playing dress-up when they got home with all of their new mismatched apparel.

Save Money, Travel More!

Thanks to Family Friendly Cincinnati for providing our family with a four (4) pack of tickets to visit Day Out with Thomas, and the Hofbräuhaus Newport for providing our family with a $25 gift card.