FLSharon
07-09-2003, 12:28 AM
Just incase anyone is heading to this area which is our previous hometown, I wrote up a quickie TR..
Cast: DH and I
Purpose: Family reunion in Ohio on Lake Erie
Road Trip up I 75 towing 27 ‘ boat.
Well, our non-disney vacation to Ohio turned out quite well. The trip north on I75 was fun watching all the southbound decorated cars and RV's on their way to WDW. Seemed a little strange though that we were not going! LOL. Compared to last year we had a great trip with only one flat tire on the boat trailer. Fortunately DH is great and very prepared for changing tires. Frequently he had to check those tires and bearings and whatever else is back there ...LOL..
This trip has become an annual family reunion for DH's family. In Lakeside Ohio, we had a huge cottage with 11 bedrooms (think rooming house) and two bathrooms. Yes I said two bathrooms. However, thanks to Twinks I had my disaster plan ready (bottle of Imodium...LOL) Each bedroom having a sink made this work. Five families stayed here the whole time and various nieces and nephews would pop in for a night or two. Thank heavens we only had a full occupancy the last night.
Now to Lakeside.. It's a gated turn of the century resort area. Very old fashioned type of family oriented place. Our house was very close to all the action. We could walk one block to the gift shops, one movie theater ( that will not allow food or drink), restaurants, and an auditorium which has a program every nite in season. We took our bikes, plus there's all kinds of sports for the kids (and adults) including tennis courts, mini golf, basketball courts, and shuffleboard. Swimming is in the lake off a pier and a very small beach. We could have spent our whole vacation here without leaving the gates. However there are no boat docks so we had to leave most days when we used our boat. FYI: Lakeside's website: www.lakesideohio.com
Just a few miles into Lake Erie is a really cool place called South Bass Island which has the famous town of Put- in-Bay. Website: http://www.put-in-bay.com/ It's a gorgeous island which is unsuccessfully (IMHO) trying to loose it's reputation of being a party place. We were able to run our boat there three different days for the best pizza, perch, and lobster bisque on earth. Close by is a relatively laid back Kelly's Island where we rented Golf Carts for a day. We also dove off Kellys in some very, very chilly water. It was really fun to dive in fresh water for a change.
We went to Cedar Point by boat on a Monday morning. We arrived by 9am eager to hurry in to ride the Mellinnium. After an hour we got the ride of a lifetime! 90mph and a 300 ft drop. It's such a smooth coaster!! No jerking, but just plain FAST. The lines for this ride never slow down. CP does have a fast pass system (free ride), but it has a lot to be desired. At 11 am, they open little stands at all the rides that offer the "free rides". Of course there is a line to get a stamp to avoid a line. LOL. However once 11 am arrives , the line moves quickly. Here's how it works: They stamp the back of your hand with your ride time in HUGE colored numbers. Then after you ride they stamp over the time with a black "ride". YUK!! Also with this system each person has to show up to get stamped. Utilizing the "free rides" we later rode the mellinnium again and also the magnum. Because they hurt my neck and back, I skipped most of the extreme rides. . If I go again, I'll see the shows and just ride the mellinnium. Over and over again.. It's just the BEST. The new dragster won't be open all season... at least it looks like it won't so that ride will be saved for next year. Also, it really didn't seem like a lot of people but anything we wanted to do had at least an hour wait. However, I did only wait 10 min for the ferris wheel! LOL... Oh they also have "character meets". I wonder when they'll start character dining. I hope they copy more of Disney's better ideas like an improved fast pass. . We didn't intend to stay so late, but there we were watching the laser show at 10 PM. Once again, it was ok, but not Disney's quality. I'm soooo spoiled. After the show, we enjoyed a wonderful boat ride home in the moonlight leaving CP's bright lights behind us.
Well, after several trips to the islands, riding my nephews wave runners (a first for me), visiting with family, our day in Cedar Point, and a safe journey home, I've concluded we had a really great trip. If only I could have made a real quick stop off I 4..............
Cast: DH and I
Purpose: Family reunion in Ohio on Lake Erie
Road Trip up I 75 towing 27 ‘ boat.
Well, our non-disney vacation to Ohio turned out quite well. The trip north on I75 was fun watching all the southbound decorated cars and RV's on their way to WDW. Seemed a little strange though that we were not going! LOL. Compared to last year we had a great trip with only one flat tire on the boat trailer. Fortunately DH is great and very prepared for changing tires. Frequently he had to check those tires and bearings and whatever else is back there ...LOL..
This trip has become an annual family reunion for DH's family. In Lakeside Ohio, we had a huge cottage with 11 bedrooms (think rooming house) and two bathrooms. Yes I said two bathrooms. However, thanks to Twinks I had my disaster plan ready (bottle of Imodium...LOL) Each bedroom having a sink made this work. Five families stayed here the whole time and various nieces and nephews would pop in for a night or two. Thank heavens we only had a full occupancy the last night.
Now to Lakeside.. It's a gated turn of the century resort area. Very old fashioned type of family oriented place. Our house was very close to all the action. We could walk one block to the gift shops, one movie theater ( that will not allow food or drink), restaurants, and an auditorium which has a program every nite in season. We took our bikes, plus there's all kinds of sports for the kids (and adults) including tennis courts, mini golf, basketball courts, and shuffleboard. Swimming is in the lake off a pier and a very small beach. We could have spent our whole vacation here without leaving the gates. However there are no boat docks so we had to leave most days when we used our boat. FYI: Lakeside's website: www.lakesideohio.com
Just a few miles into Lake Erie is a really cool place called South Bass Island which has the famous town of Put- in-Bay. Website: http://www.put-in-bay.com/ It's a gorgeous island which is unsuccessfully (IMHO) trying to loose it's reputation of being a party place. We were able to run our boat there three different days for the best pizza, perch, and lobster bisque on earth. Close by is a relatively laid back Kelly's Island where we rented Golf Carts for a day. We also dove off Kellys in some very, very chilly water. It was really fun to dive in fresh water for a change.
We went to Cedar Point by boat on a Monday morning. We arrived by 9am eager to hurry in to ride the Mellinnium. After an hour we got the ride of a lifetime! 90mph and a 300 ft drop. It's such a smooth coaster!! No jerking, but just plain FAST. The lines for this ride never slow down. CP does have a fast pass system (free ride), but it has a lot to be desired. At 11 am, they open little stands at all the rides that offer the "free rides". Of course there is a line to get a stamp to avoid a line. LOL. However once 11 am arrives , the line moves quickly. Here's how it works: They stamp the back of your hand with your ride time in HUGE colored numbers. Then after you ride they stamp over the time with a black "ride". YUK!! Also with this system each person has to show up to get stamped. Utilizing the "free rides" we later rode the mellinnium again and also the magnum. Because they hurt my neck and back, I skipped most of the extreme rides. . If I go again, I'll see the shows and just ride the mellinnium. Over and over again.. It's just the BEST. The new dragster won't be open all season... at least it looks like it won't so that ride will be saved for next year. Also, it really didn't seem like a lot of people but anything we wanted to do had at least an hour wait. However, I did only wait 10 min for the ferris wheel! LOL... Oh they also have "character meets". I wonder when they'll start character dining. I hope they copy more of Disney's better ideas like an improved fast pass. . We didn't intend to stay so late, but there we were watching the laser show at 10 PM. Once again, it was ok, but not Disney's quality. I'm soooo spoiled. After the show, we enjoyed a wonderful boat ride home in the moonlight leaving CP's bright lights behind us.
Well, after several trips to the islands, riding my nephews wave runners (a first for me), visiting with family, our day in Cedar Point, and a safe journey home, I've concluded we had a really great trip. If only I could have made a real quick stop off I 4..............