Trip Report

A Thanksgiving Getaway with Christmas Spirit on the Mind

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Sometimes what a family needs is a nice, simple day trip to some area within driving distance to get away and refresh. Over Thanksgiving weekend, we were reminiscing about our long weekend last year at Disney World. Some part of us was sad knowing that rather than sitting and eating with our families, we were enjoying the Disney magic last year at the same time. Last years Thanksgiving was one we will never forget, but we wanted to make some new memories for ourselves this Thanksgiving.

My wife had heard that the Toledo Zoo had a great Christmas light display this holiday season, and since our zoo stopped having any several years ago, it sounded like an excellent option. My wife had also planned on a stop at the Port Clinton African Safari on the ride out, as well as some other surprises along the way. I am all about road trips, so lets go driving.

The Toledo Zoo did not open until 5:00 PM, so we had plenty of time earlier in the day to plan additional stops. We left around 11:00 AM and on the drive out towards the Safari, we decided to stop in a little lake town community called Vermilion. The City had a small, old-fashioned downtown area, and we decided to have lunch at a place called Woodstock Cafe. The whole theme was based upon those days from the 1960’s based upon that one concert in history that set the stage for future music festivals for years to come. We tried their Phish tacos and Cajun shrimp BLT, and both were tremendously incredible. We also ordered for Bug (2-year old) the grilled cheese sandwich, which was HUGE, and he devoured almost every last bite of it.

Afterwards, we walked around the downtown area, and purchased a small selection from the old-fashioned Brummer’s Chocolates, which is a third generation, locally owned small business. While we do not have Amererican Express credit cards, we still partook in Small Business Saturday, and it felt good giving back to the small businesses that might not get all of the hype from the traditional Black Friday promotions.

On the way out of town, we also stopped at the Papermoon Winery to sample some of the local wines, as well as pick up some Christmas gifts. All of that, and it was barely after noon. Onward we go to see where the GPS can take us.

111126 Port Clinton Safari

111126 Port Clinton Safari

111126 Port Clinton Safari 2

111126 Port Clinton Safari 2

Following our lunch, we went to the Port Clinton Safari Park. I have written about our travels there before, and it never gets old. How is not funny to have a giant animal that you normally would have no involvement around sticking their heads in your vehicle to get to the food. I know at least Shark (the 10-month old) loves it; Bug, the 2-1/2 year old seems to have a more enjoyable time sitting on daddy’s lap as we drive through the park. (Note: You literally inch along and it is far from “driving” in case anyone is concerned.)

The next stop on our agenda was the Bass Pro Shop (BPS) store located in Rossford, OH. First let me clarify. We were not going to the BPS because I am some manly male that feels the need to shoot something. Quite the contrary actually as I have no interest in hunting, or anything involving stalking some prey (except my wife). We were headed to the BPS for of all things, Christmas Wonderland. Mrs. InACents had read that there was a whole area inside the BPS decorated for Christmas, complete with FREE photos with Santa, and various stations for kids to out different products and activities. Kids could make Christmas crafts (at the time it was a Santa bobber), color various pictures, and have a fake snowball fight inside a special tented area. It was wonderful and really helped us get into the Christmas spirit! We had never been to a BPS before, and were quite impressed overall. It actually dawned on me while walking among the stuffed bears and pheasants that quite possibly outdoors-man are excellent conservationists in that they are all about maintaining animal environments so they can continue to hunt. Outdoors-man have no interest in cutting down all the forest or depleting the animal population as it would take away from their time outside. It is not my thing, but to each their own.

111126 Bass Pro Shop

111126 Bass Pro Shop

111126 Bass Pro Shop Christmas Wonderland

111126 Bass Pro Shop Christmas Wonderland

111126 Bass Pro Shop Shoot'n Range

111126 Bass Pro Shop Shoot'n Range

I had never been inside of a Bass Pro Shop before, only their counterpart, Cabela’s. It is quite incredible to say the least at not only the square footage of the building (they are huge) but also what they manage to fit inside and display. The BPS had an indoor electronic Shoot ‘n Range, which the Mrs. and I both tried. It was the type where you shoot an electric light at sensors that then trigger animation. I felt like a kid again, and all of this inside a store. The boys loved seeing all of the large river fish swimming through the streams. For a moment, I felt the urge to go out and catch something, even if it was just a couple containers of sausage gravy mix.

Afterwards, it was finally time to head off to the zoo. While getting our tickets, we gave the attendant our Cleveland Zoo and Port Clinton Safari Park passes because of the reciprocal benefit of 50% at the Toledo Zoo. However, we were turned down because the Lights Before Christmas event did not qualify for the discount. Prior to leaving home, we had researched the Toledo Zoo website, and there was no mention of the reciprocal zoo discount not being applicable, despite the gate agent telling us it must be on there. When I got home, I searched again, and it was not on the page for the Lights Before Christmas, but hidden on the Toledo Zoo reciprocal list. I am hoping after writing a note to the Toledo Zoo that they consider adding language to all the pages associated with the Lights Before Christmas that reciprocal zoo benefits will not be honored. I do not know if it was a simply overlook on the zoo’s part or deliberate poor marketing, but I hope they correct it so others do not show up at the gate to be surprised that there is no discount for reciprocal zoo members. Besides the gate issue, once inside, we were actually quite blown away at the amount of Christmas lights, over a million.

111126 Toledo Zoo Lights

111126 Toledo Zoo Lights

111126 Toledo Zoo Lights 2

111126 Toledo Zoo Lights 2

111126 Toledo Zoo Train

111126 Toledo Zoo Train

The boys loved the cheap ($1 and $1.50 respectively) train and carousel rides. What also really added to the enjoyment of the night was the fabulous weather we were experiencing. At the point when we left at 9:00 PM, the weather was still 66 degrees, which for Ohio, is warm in November.

In addition, Bug really enjoyed the large train layout that was the last thing we saw of the night. Thank goodness it was, because by that point the Christmas spirit of the boys was growing old, and it was time to pack it in the for night. My wife planned an awesome day out, and on the drive back home, we felt relaxed, connected, and confident the feelings associated with the Christmas holiday had started to settle into the boys memories.

Family Vacation

Cedar Point and African Safari Trip Report for Families (Part 2)

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This is my second post on our outing last weekend to the Sandusky, OH region to visit the African Safari and Cedar Point. In the first part of this trip report I detailed the Safari. This part of the report highlights our time at Cedar Point, thru the eyes of a family.

I somehow had a change in mind as soon as entering the park to not rent a wheelchair. I figured since we had the double stroller, I could slowly walk and sit when needed while our son rides or we watch shows. For the most part that worked for the day, since we had a family itinerary planned.

On a quick side note, Cedar Point does rent strollers, that are the same ones available at Disney Parks.

110828 Cedar Point Stroller Rental

110828 Cedar Point Stroller Rental

Neither my wife or I had been to Cedar Point in years (me since college 10+ years ago). We were at the park simply to enjoy everything through our kids eyes. We had little to no interest in riding the major coasters Cedar Point is so known for in the theme park industry.

110828 Camp Snoopy

110828 Camp Snoopy

I was overwhelmed by how family friendly Cedar Point has become, or maybe it is only because I see things differently with kids. There were four separate areas exclusively dedicated for kid rides. Most could accommodate adults if needed for those nervous kid passengers. While lots of them had height requirements, if the child was with an adult, they let them ride. I was actually quite surprised by how they actually had height requirements for rides designed for kids. Is it just me, or shouldn’t all kids be able to ride the rides if they choose?

110828 Cedar Point Snoopy Train

110828 Cedar Point Snoopy Train

The really disappointing part of the children rides is the protocol for securing the children in the seats. Every single safety belt had to be unlocked with a special tool by the attendant. I can understand the purpose of the safety system to prevent little ones from pushing the seat belt buttons prematurely, and possibly getting hurt. However, what the system did was take a normal child ride and extend the time required to load and unload each time. Children are impatient by nature, and the safety system added a horrible amount of time to the process. We saw countless parents get frustrated with how long it took to get in and out of the rides. Surely there has to be some automatic safety belt locking system that could be implemented in lieu of the special tool, and slow high school to college aged attendants that do not want to be there.

While we did not have a need to use them, there are special family areas if needed within the park.

110828 Cedar Point Family Center

110828 Cedar Point Family Center

A couple quick pointers that we learned from friends and our time in the park.

1) The bathroom/first aid area in Planet Snoopy is wonderful. There are two private spaces for breastfeeding. There are bottle warmers and a microwave. There is also a really nice diaper changing area.
2) All food stands that have fountain pop will give you free cups of water. We took advantage of this all day once we had a cup/bottle.
3) The Cedar Point website is excellent for pre-planning the rides that your little ones can ride.
4) No food at Cedar Point is a great value but we have found that the Midway Market really isn’t too bad (buffet style includes drink and dessert).

Overall though, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of activities for kids. While Cedar Point is marketed towards the big rides, we found it nice to have an overwhelming amount of choices for little ones. Unfortunately we did not even get to see any of the shows.

Cedar Point and African Safari Trip Report for Families (Part 1)

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I am exhausted! I love the experience of being able to go into an amusement park, and getting the feeling of being in another place and time, with little thought of the outside world. Except this time I brought the outside with me…it was my company work party, being celebrated at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Overall, when I should have been excited to travel on someone else’s dime, I was kind of dreading the day.

A little over a week ago, I had to have surgery on my ankle, and since have had limited mobility while it heals. I can get around but need to wear a boot since I still can not wear a normal shoe due to all the bandages. So I knew if I did go to Cedar Point a week after my surgery, I might need to rent a wheelchair to really get around. While I would do what I could so the rest of my family could experience the park, I was not necessarily looking forward to it. However, as long as I had my wife and kids with me, we would make the most of it.

Since Cedar Point did not open until 11:00 am, we had plenty of time to kill in the morning; however, I wanted to make sure we got there as early as possible so we did not have to park far back in the parking lot due to my limited walking range. So what did we decide to do?

We stocked up on African Safari Groupon vouchers earlier this year. On a quick side note, these guys amaze me. The Sandusky African Safari runs on Groupon more than any other Groupon I have seen. The reason is they can sell a TON of them every time! It is unbelievable how many thousands of vouchers they can sell when they run their discounts with Groupon. No other deals regularly sell anywhere near the numbers of the African Safari. The deal is traditionally $5 per person for an admission, and luckily our two boys are still free. So for $10 it makes for an entertaining hour or two.

The secret though is to make sure you come prepared. Your admission includes one cup of feed per vehicle. Buying more is expensive, and the animals do not even really like it, let alone it is difficult to hold and the animals rip it out of your hands. They also sell very expensive 1 pound bags of carrots, which the animals prefer. So prior to leaving for the safari, we run and grab 3 pound bags of carrots in bulk, typically less than $1/lb. About 12 pounds is more than enough for our family of four.

110828 Feeding Animals

110828 Feeding Animals

This was our second trip to the safari this year, and it was a great hit with the boys! Our two-year old finally was not scared of the animals and was not sick. He loved feeding the animals the carrots, except when a giant river ox or buffalo would stick his head in the window. On the opposite side of the car, my wife had our six-month infant. He was completely mesmerized by the entire process, yet seemed to be more concerned about holding a carrot. He is at the age where he just started eating baby food, and is fascinated by anything food. When one of the animals stole his carrot, he was really upset because he lost his carrot. It was pretty funny.

That is one thing that is the most memorable experience every time we have been to the safari…the laughs. We laugh so much when we have gone because it always presents unique situations. Where else can you see a buffalo sticking their head in your vehicle, blowing snots all over the place, or letting out a nasty carrot burp?

The best part is always the end where there are giraffes. We open up the moonroof, and let the giraffes stick their heads inside as we dispose of the last of our secret carrot stash. The one giraffe this time was flickering its tongue waiting for another carrot. Of course our carrot infant had one in hand, and the giraffe used his giant tongue to lick the back on his head. It was so funny, and creates a lifetime of great memories.

110828 Feeding Giraffes

110828 Feeding Giraffes

Overall it took us 45 minutes to go through the safari, which put us at the Cedar Point gates just after opening. Perfect. Luckily I was able to park at the front in the handicap section (I guess this surgery thing pays dividends). After meeting up with my administrative assistant, who came to help and assist us watch the boys in case we wanted to ride anything with our two-year old together, we entered the park.

The second part of this trip report will have more detailed information on the Cedar Point leg of this trip. Stay tuned for more information.

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