My husband and I were both born and raised in Ohio so we like to get back there when the opportunity is available. The Roadtrip itself takes most of the day. Luckily the navigation is pretty easy as it is one straight shot up 77 so even I can’t screw that up….right? Well OK, I will confess when we stopped for gas and I took the wheel I did miss the onramp back to the highway and had to do a U-turn. It took me 6 whole seconds to screw it up, HA!
We also always make a stop at Tamarack so Bear can get his picture with the bear in the gift shop…..priorities! My husband is a huge fan of stopping at the busiest rest stop along the way! Unfortunately, we were also stopping to try to find some kids medicine as B man was starting to get a sore throat.
Every time I go back to Cleveland I am always surprised by all the family friendly activities. Then I realize I spent much of my time in my 20s in bars around the area so maybe that is why. Thank goodness I have matured out of those bad habits! Just joking, I simply find it unbearable to deal with my screaming banshee boys hungover. Plus I am at the age where my hangovers seem to last 3 days, ugh.
We stayed with family in the burbs west of the city. The boys had an amazing time running around with their cousins. They were in heaven. As a matter of fact, our youngest son is adamant that he is moving in with his cousins. Good luck Auntie! The weather was perfect there and the kids were able to enjoy being outside. It has been too hot lately to play outside for extended periods of time at home so we were over the moon. Unfortunately, B man’s sore throat wasn’t going away and one night he started getting feverish. So the next morning we spent a couple hours visiting an Urgent Care. Of course the poor kid had Strep Throat. It is no fun being sick on the road but he was a trooper. Despite this we were still able to enjoy some fun outings!
Lake Erie Nature Center
This is a great facility that has no admission costs. They have snakes, fish, birds, rabbits, turkeys, turtles and even cockroaches (yuck) to name just some of the animals. The kids favorite was the fox. He would start to come out and then the kids would get excited and scream and then he would hide again. This continued a few cycles and kept the kids entertained for a while. It is not huge and occupied us for about an hour. The best part was it was not crowded so the kids could get up close and never had to wait.
Play CLE
This is an indoor adventure playground that is fairly new (at least for us). I believe it has been open for over a year now. B man weighed enough for the harness but Bear missed it by less than a pound so that ruined his day. All the boys missed the requirement for the ropes course and zipline. However, there were plenty of climbing walls and obstacle course to keep them busy. Unfortunately since Bear didn’t make weight for the harness he could do most of the climbing structures with his older brother and cousin. The older boys were bouncing from one thing to another and I couldn’t keep up. Meanwhile I was stuck with Bear as he attempted some obstacles. He tried the warp wall and crumbled like a cookie. It was very painful to watch….and a bit funny. The sad part is the boys take parkour lessons!
Lake Erie
There are a number of public beaches in the area such as Edgewater and Huntington. This trip we ventured to Clifton Club for the first time. It had an old school playground with a pirate ship right by the water. How cool is that? The swings were the big ones where you can do underdogs so the kids were in heaven. The beach was fun there as well. There were some perfect sized waves for the kids. The water was a bit cold for my southern blood but the kids didn’t mind. My boys were fascinated but the perfectly round smooth rocks everywhere. They snagged a few to bring home and paint to share with the neighbors.
Along the way back we stopped at Beardens in Rocky River to get some grub. It had a old diner feel and serves such favorites as onion rings, milkshakes, and steakburgers. It was delicious and didn’t break the bank. They also have a train running along the ceiling which was a big hit.
The Flats
While we didn’t visit the flats this trip, I do want to point out that it is a happening spot now-a-days. I visited the area about a year ago and didn’t even recognize it. The area lies along the Cuyahoga river and used to be rundown and a lot of the entertainment spots had closed down. However, it is now thriving. As I strolled along the walkways there were people out everywhere. They were playing corn hole and bocce ball while eating tacos and enjoying adult beverages. Margaritaville and Thirsty Dog have even moved in. There is a water taxi to shuttle you between the east and west banks. I was highly impressed with the revitalization. The Flats are back!
Summary
Of course no trip would be complete without a stop at Walmart to pickup some Cleveland sports gear. We were lucky enough to grab a couple Mayfield jerseys just in time for the winning season to begin. We hope to come back again soon to Ohio. We still want to visit the Horseshoe to cheer on the Buckeyes and Cedar Point. We will be back!
Other fun things to do in the area with kids:
- Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame
- Metroparks
- Aquarium
- Zoo
- Great Lakes Science Center
- CLEVELAND SPORTS!!!
