The CoreniaBug Fun Channel – Games, Jokes, and Challenges

  I went to Brews & Mews in downtown Lenoir for an iced coffee and some time in the cat room. I loved that the cats there are up for adoption too. ❤️ It got me wondering how a coffee shop with cats went from one place in Taiwan to hundreds of places across the U.S. Where did cat cafes start? The first widely recognized cat cafe opened in Taipei, Taiwan, in 1998. It was called Cat Flower Garden, also known as Kitten Garden. Japan got its first cat cafe in Osaka in 2004 and the idea spread to Tokyo. If you lived in an apartment that didn’t allow pets, you could still spend part of your afternoon with a cat. The U.S. got its first taste in April 2014 when Purina hosted a cat cafe in New York City for four days. That October, Cat Town opened the country’s first permanent cat cafe in Oakland, California. It gave visitors a chance to get to know shelter cats outside a cage. The team especially wanted to help older and shy cats that tended to get overlooked. How many cat cafes are in ...

  Arcade and retro game dad jokes If Pac-Man owned a chocolate factory, what would he call himself? Willy Wonka-wonka-wonka-wonka. (Say it like Pac-Man eating dots.) What are Mario’s overalls made of? Denim, denim, denim. (Say it to the tune of the underground theme.) When did Pac-Boy become Pac-Man? After he went through Q*Berty. How big a hit was Tetris ? It was a blockbuster. Why does Sonic skip breakfast? He doesn’t want to break his fast. Why didn’t Pac-Man get a second date? He got ghosted. How does the Doom Slayer get to work? On the Mancu-BUS. Nintendo, Zelda, and Pokémon dad jokes What does Zelda say when Link can’t open a door? Try force. Someone gave Link too much sugar. He ran around until he turned blue, then purple. He was a hyperlink. Will Zelda fans laugh at one more pun? It’s Hylian likely. “Grandpa, I got a Nintendo Switch!” “How did you turn on your Nintendo before that?” Why can’t you play hide and seek with Pokémon? They always Pikachu. How do you get Pikach...

I spent Halloween at the Classic Arcade and Pinball Museum in Gastonia, North Carolina. I wore my Mario shirt, paid $14.99 to play for the day, and headed straight for a game that had absolutely nothing to do with Mario. The first game I had to try I rarely see Blazing Angels at the arcades I visit, so I had to give it a shot. You sit inside the cabinet with the speakers right behind you, and the seat is so comfortable I could’ve stayed there a while. Then I flew my plane into the water. Turns out the comfy seat was doing more for me than my flying skills. A few games I was happy to see I took on the Death Star in Star Wars Trilogy Arcade, played Tetris on an Atari cabinet, and got to revisit Dig Dug. I also spotted a game called Lady Bug. Of course I wanted to play it, but it was out of order that day. The little drawing of a sick arcade machine on the sign was pretty adorable, though. What it costs to play The museum is at 3210 Union Rd in Gastonia, NC. Admission was $14.99 per perso...

  Name Brand vs Great Value Snacks: Professor Snape’s Taste Test I had a perfectly reasonable question: can you actually tell name brand snacks apart from Walmart’s Great Value versions? Then I made Professor Snape administer the test. That is how a table full of pretzels, chips and ice cream became an examination with a passing grade on the line. Miss Bug had to study each sample, smell it, taste it and decide which one was the name brand. At least the homework was edible. What Was on the Snack Exam? The comparisons included: Snyder’s pretzels vs Great Value pretzels Pringles vs Great Value potato crisps Cheez-It vs Great Value cheddar cheese crackers Pop-Tarts vs Great Value toaster pastries Hot Pockets vs Great Value stuffed sandwiches Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream vs Great Value vanilla ice cream Each pair gave her something different to consider. Sometimes the shape stood out first. Other times, one bite did more explaining than a close inspection ever could. The goal was to i...

  I took a trip to Dead People’s Stuff Antiques & Emporium in Hudson, North Carolina, to see what kind of oddities I could find. With a name like that, I was curious before I even got through the door. Inside, I found shelves filled with antiques, decorative pieces, and objects that made me wonder about their history. Some things were easy to recognize. Others needed a closer look. One highlight was seeing uranium glass under a blacklight. The bright green glow definitely gets your attention! I also checked out vintage medical equipment, historical portraits, and decorative knives. The old portraits brought up a different kind of curiosity. You’re looking at someone’s face from another time, often without knowing much about the person or how their picture ended up in an antique shop. Then there was the throne. Naturally, I had to sit down and see how royal I looked. I’m still waiting for someone to bring me snacks. 👑 There was plenty to browse, whether you’re interested in col...

I spent a rainy day at the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, North Carolina. There was jousting, mead, comedy and plenty to wander around and see. There was also an opportunity for a dad joke, and apparently I couldn’t leave that alone. The queen and the weather gave me something to work with. I’ll let the clip do the damage. 😂 Huzzah! Watch the quick joke: This was just a small moment from the full visit. The jousting was one of my favorite parts of the day, and I enjoyed the mead too. Then there was Vegetable Justice, where the person at the tomato booth had plenty to say about me. If you’re thinking about visiting the Carolina Renaissance Festival, or just want to come along and see how our day went, the full video has much more of the experience. Watch the full Carolina Renaissance Festival visit: A rainy visit to the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, NC, leads to a dad joke. Watch the clip and CoreniaBug’s full festival adventure.

CoreniaBug I went to the Carolina Renaissance Festival with a birthday-gift quest. I came home with muddy shoes, an adorable owl necklace, and a newfound appreciation for sweet honey mead. The gift was supposed to be for my mother-in-law. The owl necklace was a little bonus quest. Huzzah! Our 2026 visit to the Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, North Carolina, came with rain from beginning to end. Thankfully, there were still knights to cheer for, artisan shops to explore, and plenty of reasons to keep smiling. A little festival history The Carolina Renaissance Festival first opened in 1994 with just six acres of attractions and entertainment. It has since grown into a 25-acre village filled with cottages, castles, shops, kitchens, and pubs. That is quite an upgrade from a little gathering in the woods! For anyone looking for things to do near Charlotte, it’s a chance to spend the day somewhere that feels wonderfully removed from the usual routine. Getting dressed for the a...

  I tried two unusual Asheville Airbnbs: a mountain castle and a private retro arcade I’ve now stayed in a mountaintop castle and a private retro arcade in the Asheville area. Apparently booking a normal room is becoming difficult for me. 😂 The castle was Windswept Castle at Earth & Sky Dwellings, about 10 minutes north of downtown Asheville. Stone walls, a turret, chandeliers, vaulted ceilings, and a loft. They really committed to the castle thing. I showed up without a crown, so that’s on me. My favorite part, though? Those mountain views. With the big windows, you could just sit inside and take it all in. Even the little door peepholes reminded me of The Wizard of Oz. Also, let me clear up the drive there. I went in September 2026, and the road up was paved and easy to get to. If you have a really low car, I’d check with the hosts about clearance first. Colder months could be a different story, so check the weather and road conditions. The hosts say you’ll need four wheel d...

  I stayed at an Airbnb in Asheville, North Carolina, with an entire private arcade and three pinball machines right in the bedroom. Yes, the bedroom. Apparently, sleeping was going to have some competition. 😂 🎮 Here’s what was inside • Classic arcade machines • Three bedroom pinball machines • A huge projector screen • Labyrinth memorabilia • Retro game manuals and little details everywhere And I got the whole arcade to myself for the night! 🕹️ Just one more game… Having a private arcade was probably my favorite part of the stay. I could wander around, try different games and go back to the ones I liked without waiting for somebody else to finish. Then there were the pinball machines. Having them right beside the bed was hard to believe, and the Labyrinth pinball machine was amazing. That one alone could’ve kept me busy for hours. I’m pretty sure one more game is the biggest lie I told myself that night. 😂 🔮 A little Labyrinth love The games weren’t the only things worth look...

  I Stayed in a Castle Airbnb in Asheville NC 🏰 Windswept Castle I spent the night in a castle. My neighbor was a spaceship. And there was a little wizard village nearby. Asheville really said, pick your adventure. 😂 I found Windswept Castle on Airbnb. It’s one of 20 unique stays at Earth & Sky Dwellings in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and getting to spend a night in a castle was pretty hard to pass up. Come along with me for a look inside, the little details I loved, and exactly what my overnight stay cost. 🏰 Windswept Castle at a glance Where: Earth & Sky Dwellings near Asheville, North Carolina Sleeps: 4 guests Beds: 2 queen beds, one downstairs and one in the upstairs loft Bathrooms: 1 full bathroom and 1 half bathroom My overnight total: $360 The sleeping setup and amenities are listed on the property’s website. 🏰 Come on in The first things I noticed were the vaulted ceilings and that amazing chandelier. It feels grand when you walk through the door, but the liv...

  I went to Serenity Alpacas in Stony Point, North Carolina thinking I was going to spend a nice peaceful morning walking an alpaca. Well... apparently nobody told Carl that I was supposed to be in charge. 😂 Carl knew the trail, knew where the snacks were, and knew exactly where he wanted to go. I’m pretty sure I was just the person assigned to hold the leash while Carl handled the tour. And Carl wasn’t the only cute face around there. I got surrounded by alpacas, fed the herd, and met an absolutely adorable baby alpaca that was only around two months old. These animals have the funniest little expressions too. Half the time I couldn’t tell if they were curious about me, judging me, or just wondering why I was taking so long with the food. 😂 Either way, I wanted to hug all of them. A North Carolina Alpaca Farm Experience Serenity Alpacas is a family owned working alpaca farm in Stony Point, NC, not far from Hickory and Statesville and about an hour from Charlotte and Winst...

  5 Pickle Facts You Probably Didn’t Know 🥒 Apparently I’ve fallen pretty deep into the pickle world lately. 😂 After visiting The Pickle Fetish Company in downtown Lincolnton, North Carolina , I realized there is a LOT more to pickles than a jar sitting next to the sandwiches in your refrigerator. This place has more than 100 pickle flavors, pickle candy, dill pickle marshmallows, pickle fudge, plush pickles, pickle earrings and an entire museum filled with pickle history and memorabilia. I even came across what they call a haunted pickle , which was definitely not something I expected to see that day. So after seeing all of that, I started wondering just how much I actually knew about pickles. Turns out, not much. Here are five pickle facts I found pretty interesting. 1. People have been pickling food for thousands of years Pickles are definitely not a new obsession. Food historians trace pickling back to ancient Mesopotamia around 2400 B.C. People figured out that salt an...