Fall is probably my favorite time of year. I just love everything about it: the hayrides, apple picking, and trips to the pumpkin patch— so many things that my family enjoys together every year! But of course, with Halloween just around the corner, taking in a few haunted Halloween activities for the whole family is a lot of fun too!
And recently, we did just that. We took a weekend trip to Lake Erie Shores & Islands— and had a blast!
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Not-So-Scary Halloween Activities for the Whole Family
Our reason for going, was for more than just a family get-a-way, this was also a celebration of our oldest son’s 12th birthday! Instead of having a birthday party this year, Chase wanted to go to Cedar Point. Living in Ohio, we have been to Cedar Point before, but I wanted to make this visit a little more special, since this time we are celebrating a birthday, so I started planning… that’s when I found Lake Erie Shores and Islands Welcome Center. Even if you are familiar with this area, you may not know all of the great events and destinations that are available. I was so glad to work with the great people at the visitor’s center to find out about other attractions that we could visit on our weekend mini vacay. While I got a lot of the information online at ShoresandIslands.com, there are two visitor centers in the area as well, so we decided to stop by…
There are lots of brochures, maps of the area, and of course, very useful information from the local perspective by those working at the visitor center.
Things to do in Sandusky
To really get in the haunted Halloween mood, we kicked the weekend off by heading to Ghostly Manor Thrill Center. This thrill center is probably not like any other that you’ve ever been to; this family entertainment center has been featured in The Travel Channel’s “Best Places I’ve Ever Been.” And if you are brave enough, you can journey through one of the scariest haunted houses in the country— rated one of Forbes top 10 haunted attractions (this is only recommended for ages 10 and up).
Chase wanted to go through the haunted house, so my husband went with him… and I took our two younger sons to the not-at-all scary play zone.
So in case your family has some younger ones that don’t want to be scared, there are lots of other activities too!
We watched a 3D movie in the XD Theater, played 3D black light mini golf, and the boys even went through the new laser maze! Oh, and they also have an Escape Room that is now open!
Where to Stay while visiting Cedar Point
After we had a few hours of fun at Ghostly Manor, we decided to head back to the hotel for the evening, so the kids could swim. We don’t have a pool at home, so anytime we are on vacation, we always have to stay at a hotel with a nice pool! The Comfort Inn Sandusky had an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a sauna, and hot tub— so the kids were in heaven! And as great as the amenities were, the room is probably what the kids liked the best. It was a huge open room with three double beds! This may not sound like much, but when you have a family of five, someone is usually sleeping on a roll-away bed or a pull-out sofa— and we all know how uncomfortable those can be! So for everyone to get to sleep in a comfy bed was really nice. And the rates were very affordable (only $100/night this time of year)… as a money savvy mom, that was probably my favorite part!
Enjoy Halloweekends at Cedar Point…
Cedar Point is probably the best place I can think to go for thrill rides. Roller coaster after roller coaster awaits! According to Golden Ticket Awards, Cedar Point has four roller coasters that rank in the top 25 steel coasters in the world! Yes, we’ve ridden them all—and they don’t disappoint!
But the thrills don’t just stop with the coasters. In the fall, you can visit Cedar Point for Halloweekends—and experience scary thrills as well!
During the day, you won’t really see it, but at dusk, the spooky starts to happen, as costumed cast members dressed-to-scare begin appearing throughout the park.
If you have little ones with you or just don’t want to have a cast member jump out at you after dark, you can buy a green light-up pumpkin to indicate that you don’t want to participate in the scaring…
There are also lots of fun fall decorations and a parade in the afternoon featuring your favorite characters from the Peanuts, so there is plenty for the kids to enjoy all day long.
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What haunted Halloween activities will you and your family do this year?
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