Once Upon an Adventure

 Welcome to the Year of the Snake!      The last Asian Lantern post we did was in a peak COVID year, and I felt it deserved an updated experience.This is my year for the festival as I was born in a Chinese Snake Year, so it's the best year to go back! You can visit the event page for pricing and dates (this year's is over, but you can always plan for next year!) as this is a separately ticketed event that isn't included with general zoo admission. The event offers walking nights and drive-thru nights, and this year they offered a Wild Ride night where guests could ride their bike through the event. They also have some Asian-style food and drinks available in the picnic area during the event, as well as a live acrobatic show. This festival has a reputation for the displays getting bigger and better every year, and I would have to agree. I am a fan of any type of nighttime event, and it's a great opportunity to see the nocturnal animals and beautiful lights whil...

Salutations!     Is it Spring yet? It is my birthday week and I am currently fighting a cold. I have regretted not making a Florida trip this winter at least a thousand times by now. A week in Florida does wonders when you live somewhere where winter feels like it lasts a year. [Update: It is April 1st and I started this post a few weeks ago. Other than I'm no longer sick and it's not my birthday week, winter hasn't officially left because it's in the 30s today.]     A lot of people were interested in our Ashland post, so I wanted to run an experiment. I am not sure if it was the fact that it was a historic downtown or a college town that intrigued people, so I decided to try the historic downtown route and see how it goes. One of my favorite towns to spend the day is in Medina, Ohio. It is designed to look like a New England-style small town with the original buildings and architecture. The public square holds events like art festivals, weekly farmer's markets (Sp...

 Hello Market-Goers and Lake Lovers!      This summer, I had the pleasure of attending The Summer Market for the very first time. It's an outdoor festival and fundraising event featuring more than 100 vendors that sell vintage, handmade, and homegrown goods. The fundraiser supports Girls Give Back, which is a non-profit that benefits local families and organizations in need. There is also live music, food trucks, and drinks that you can enjoy along the Black River in Lorain, Ohio. It is free to attend and pet friendly. I have heard of this event in the past, but never made it because it is one weekend only every July. You can check out more about the event on their website .      Before going, I checked out their website to see what vendors I definitely wanted to make sure I found their booths. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of lake/nautical goods because I want to decorate my future lake house in that theme. There was a nice v...