So I recently spent a long weekend away I’ve been wanting to tell you about!  I was planning to take my family with me to Bloggy Con, and we knew we wanted to arrive a little early and stay a bit longer after the conference wrapped up.  But what we didn’t know was what to do and where to stay during the rest of our visit to the Lake Erie Shores & Islands area.

Enter, Lake Erie Shores & Islands visitor’s bureau – Not only were they incredibly helpful in planning an itinerary for us, both before and after the conference, they also arranged our accommodations and event tickets for the remainder of our trip.  Here are some of the great family fun attractions we were able to experience in our long weekend getaway!  {Naturally, all opinions about our experiences are my own.}

We started our trip up north with a stay at the beautiful, Sawmill Creek Resort.  It is a cozy hotel on 235 acres adjacent to a nature preserve, situated on a private strip of Lake Erie beach!  Granted, it was too cold and windy for us to enjoy any time outside as we happened to arrive during a major September cold snap, but from what we could tell it looked glorious 😉  Plus there was just so much to enjoy indoors … from the cozy fireplace, gift shop, indoor pool, to the delicious food at the resort restaurant.  Yes, it was this extravagant we lingered long past how long we usually do over meals.

After getting to know the hotel, a good night’s sleep in our family suite, and a decadent breakfast – the next morning we hopped the Miller Ferry boat for the quick jaunt from Sandusky over to Put In Bay.  We planned to spend the day cruising the island and hanging out at family fun center destination!

After we arrived, it was a super short walk to E’s Golf Carts.  The kids were pretty stoked about our sweet ride for the day  🙂

We explored a bit here and there, but spent most of our time at the super-fun, family friendly Perry’s Cave Family Fun Center. We loved how much there was to see and do for all ages, all in one spot!  There is a butterfly house, rock climbing wall, giant maze, miniature golf course, and an antique car museum to be enjoyed.  We did all of that plus explored Perry’s Cave, all with our family fun pack admissions. There is also gemstone mining available for an extra charge.

We made it back to the resort that evening and spent another luxurious morning at Sawmill Creek before heading over to check in and get ready for my conference.  So while I was busy learning and connecting, my family stayed busy at Cedar Point for two days.  I think it’s safe to say they pretty much didn’t miss me one bit!  😉

After the fun times at Bloggy Con and Cedar Point wrapped up, we were off to spend the day at the Merry Go Round Museum and African Safari Wildlife Park before driving home.  This was our first time at the Merry Go Round Museum and we loved everything about it!  It was a short but sweet addition to our trip!  The staff is personable and helpful, and the experience is educational and fun for all ages.  Looking at and learning about the vintage carousel animals was such a uniquely fun experience. And as a bonus – there were no lines in sight!  😉And what’s not to love about great big, furry animals who trot along beside your car and will do whatever it takes to snag a quick snack?!  We love African Safari Park — the shows, the little zoo, the wide variety of animals who roam free — there’s not much quite like it in Ohio.  Or much quite like it in these United States?!  It feels like our own sweet slice of Africa right here in the USofA.  Must do experience – you just have to see it to believe it  🙂

It was an amazing trip and we would love to return someday to the Lake Erie Shores & Islands area!  Thanks to Sawmill Creek Resort, Miller Ferry, E’s Golf Carts, Perry’s Cave Family Fun Center, Merry Go Round Museum, African Safari Wildlife Park, and Lake Erie Shores & Islands for hosting us. We can’t wait to go back!