Our review of Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky, Ohio

This was our third or fourth time visiting this great wolf location. Usually we can find a Groupon to help save money but this time one wasn’t available. If you book weekday nights it’s less expensive and less crowded.  We paid $194 including taxes for our family of 5 for the one night stay. 

We decided to pull the kids from school and go up on a Friday morning checking in around lunch time. The thought process here was that it would be less crowded due to kids being in school and people at work. We got subway sandwiches to go right before we arrived so we could eat lunch inside the water park! The signs say no outside drink or food but we brought it in anyways.  

Our room was close to the main lobby and was recently renovated - new carpet and paint.  We had two queen beds and a pack and play that we put in the sitting area away from the beds. There’s a half wall that helps break the room up a bit. We were really only in our room for sleeping. The room was clean and the beds were comfortable. At check in all the kids got Halloween edition bear ears which was fun! 

And the whole place was decorated for Halloween with activities for the kids including trick or treat through out the hotel.

The water park was great and the crowd was minimal which was awesome for keeping an eye on the kiddos. They changed the seating areas up, so the tables on the first floor were for people eating at the snack stand only. This was a little annoying because the other picnic tables were on a balcony which only had stair access. We had a stroller with us and had to carry it up and down. I always have a stroller with me in hopes that Emmy can nap on the fly. Which thankfully it was on this trip too. I was able to push her stroller around the balcony and get an hour plus nap out of her 😊

Our 5 and 7 year old could ride all the slides and our almost two year old loved the smaller slides. She was able to wear her puddle jumper on those with no issues. For dinner we ordered pizza from the pizza place in the hotel and brought it into the water park. The pizza was good. 

And the park had a happy for drinks too.  We also got ice cream for the kids right before story time in the lobby.  

The doughnut shop in the lobby sells the doughnuts for next to nothing at night so they have less to throw away.  We bought a dozen for $3 before bed so we already had breakfast ready to go the next day. The nail spa they used to have, which I had planned trying, was gone. But there is still plenty to do. We had planned to go to cedar point the next day but didn’t because of weather. Bummer! One down side of the water park is it doesn’t open until 10am. So we didn’t do any swimming before we left. Our friends however stuck around and played and swam until lunch time Saturday and had a blast!

All in all this is a great place for a quick weekend get away fun for all ages.

Girls only trip to Nashville

                          

Just got back from a girls only birthday Nurses bash! A friend booked a vrbo for 13 of us and it was awesome!! We stayed in a really nice updated 3 story house 1435 Electric Ave. It was gorgeous and perfect for our group. The kitchen was large and a perfect hang out space for us. There were bed rooms and bathrooms on each floor. It accommodated is all perfectly. We were just across the bridge from the city which was a quick Uber ride back and forth. We all took turns ordering and paying for rides. The location was also nice because it was close enough for some of our party to come back early if they wanted.

Saturday morning we did the “Nashville Pedal Wagon.” This was awesome!!! Hands down worth the money. Our driver was Dan. He was the man! He seriously made the trip so much fun we wanted to pay him for the whole day and never get off. His energy from the minute we got on was awesome! Took pictures for us, made drinks, picked the music and danced and sang with us the whole two hours. I picked this company based on the length of time provided. Not many other companies offered the full 2 hours. This bike also had a pedal assist for hills, provided coolers, ice and music. We passed two other companies out on the road and this companies bikes also looked the nicest. The silver rockets just looked chincy in my opinion. Everyone of us said it was the best thing we did - our ages ranged from late 20s to 40s. Book these EARLY!! They book up so fast. We were supposed to go at 10:15 but they had a public tour at 10:30 they were able to make private and accommodate our group. This was so nice of them. We were afraid 10:30am was still too early but it was the best time! We finished downtown just in time for lunch with a nice buzz which got us ready to take on downtown Nashville!

From here we ate, bar hopped, drank, shopped, sang and danced our selves silly!

Delaware State Park Fall Festival

After seeing my friends photos each year of her awesome camping trips I knew we had to go!!

The last weekend of September is the fall festival at Delaware State Park(Ohio). We had to get on line 6 months to the day in advance to book our spot! Everyone has such a great time each year they all come back, so I was anxious to say the least! I had it marked in my calendar forever and was on in March at 7am! The park is huge and has a bath house in each camping section so we never had to wait to use the bathroom.

We weren’t sure how this trip was going to go with kiddos ages almost 2, newly 5, and almost 7. I was mainly worried about the almost 2 year old who still naps and is in a crib but climbs out of pack n plays. We were supposed to stay Friday and Saturday night. However, the temps began dropping before this weekend and the nights were in the 40s. So with that being said we decided to only stay Saturday night. Friday night we missed popcorn and a campfire movie. Saturday was when the majority of the fall fun was happening! We got there at 9am and set up camp!

There was a decorating contest which I decided not to enter when I saw how great some of the other sites were haha. Last year I had stocked up on some silly stuff at the dollar store after Halloween sale.

                                                   

After setting up our site we caught the wagon ride, that started at 11, to the check in gate. Here they had all kinds of treats and crafts set up by park volunteers. Some were free and some things cost a few bucks. Each kid made a Buckeye necklace for $1 a piece.

Then we all got free ice cream and made fun treasure hunt bottles. We also did a guided nature walk searching for pipe cleaner spiders and learned about the woods as we went. They also had fun contests at the check in gate for the kids to enter.

Right next to our site was an easy hiking trail we did as a family which led to Delaware Lake. It’s was a nice little walk and great getting to admire the outdoors and do something different with the kiddos.

Later in the evening around 5 they shut down all the driving around the sites so all the kiddos could trick or treat safely. At check in you get a tag to show that you were participating in handing out candy.  Just about every camp site handed out candy. All their little baskets were full after just doing our section of sites.

Sleeping:

Being super new campers we didn’t have all the gear needed for sleeping. I know based on the truck pic you’d think we have everything every camper needs! But some how we have 4 tents and no sleeping bags. The kids had their little sleeping bags with their names on them that we set up on patio chair pads. And Emmy we set up in a pack and play. Again worried here because kids her age never stay under the blankets. Keith and I slept on a queen air mattress and we brought and had a bunch of extra blankets. It was still chilly!

Food:

We under estimated ourselves here. We were planning to use the camp fire and this little two burner stove Keith got from his parents a few years ago. The night before the trip Keith was inspecting it and seeing if we needed propane etc... and left it set up in the garage. Later that night after picking up snacks and food, I pulled into the garage with the Jeep and ran right over the stove! Opps!! So while I got the kids showered and put to bed Keith went back out to try and find parts to fix the stove before the morning. 😩

We mostly brought easy foods for snacks and breakfast that didn’t require cooking - cereal and mini doughnuts. After doing soup and hot dogs for lunch and mac and cheese for dinner we definitely realized we could have done a nice hot breakfast on our stove. We also brought s’mores stuff and jiffy pop for around the fire. Some how it took us 3 packages of jiffy pop to get it right. The first 2 ended up being trash.

A few other fun tips to make things extra fun for the kids:

We brought some Halloween crafts to do during the day, glow sticks for the evenings, and fire additive that changes the flame colors. 

All in all it was a great first camping trip and we are already looking for new camp sites to try this spring!! We will also be going back here next year 🎃

Family friendly things to do in Columbus, Ohio

So far we have been writing about fun places to go and ways to get there for less. We are always looking for fun things to do on vacation and places we can travel to next. Well now we want to share the fun things we do in our own home town.  Maybe you can turn it into your next getaway. 

Columbus, Oh has so much to offer. The other day I was nagging Keith about how we never do anything, but looking back at scrap books we do a lot.

I can remember going to the zoo as a kid maybe a handful of times. But here in Columbus we are zoo members and go all the time! We have so many great exhibits, shows, and also a 4d theater. Attached to the zoo is also an awesome water park that we also try and visit at least once a summer. The zoo also offers a summer camp for kids. 

Columbus also has a minor league baseball team - The Columbus Clippers (Triple A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians). Our stadium is the 4 time minor league ball park of the year winner. Great food and drinks=fun family night out. 

During the fall and winter visitors can catch a Blue Jackets NHL game downtown surrounded by fun bars and restaurants in the arena district. 

Columbus has two theaters down town where we’ve caught a few plays. I’m looking forward to taking my daughters to some travel versions of Broadway shows that come through. Like beauty and the beast! 

The Marysville hot air balloon festival is another fun event we’ve been too. We’ve enjoyed the food truck, bounce houses and picnic dinner while watching them set off tons of fun hot air balloons. And don’t forget the suvioners available! 

One year as a fun trip before school started the kids and I took a tour of the Anthony Thomas chocolate factory just minutes from our house. I think I was more amazed during the tour than the kids. They may have been a little young. Luckily the admission price went towards a candy purchase at the end. Then of course the kids were having a blast! 

In the spring the memorial golf tournament visits Muirfield golf course in nearby Dublin. This is always an exciting time with lots of golf and busy bars in downtown Dublin. 

For the outdoorsy people, Hocking Hills is an hour drive from Columbus. There are a bunch of hiking trails and zip lines here. You can also rent cabins and camp. Great outdoor adventures. 

Buckeye Lake is also 45 min away and Indian Lake an hour away from Columbus. Both are awesome spots for camping and boating activities. We got lucky and have some friends with a house on Indian Lake and had a wonderful trip there this summer. 

We have an amazing science center, COSI. They have tons of great exhibits, a big play space with water area, a new outdoor play ground, fountain park and an Imax theater. We are also members here! 

There is also the only remaining metal whistle producing factory in the U.S. in central Ohio. They do tours as well. I planned to set up a neighbor group trip here this summer but never got around to it. Definitely on my list of things to do! I think I subconsciously didn’t set it up because they give each kid a whistle at the end of the tour and I really didn’t want three kids with loud metal whistles at my house. 

Franklin Park conservatory is home to tons of gardens and butterflies. They also have an amazing new kids area with water features. We have yet to go again since the renovations. 

We are also the home of the Buckeyes!! This means big football Saturdays and lots of tail gates! OSU

also has lots of other big sporting events to attend as well. 

And since we have such big indoor and out stadiums we are able to host lots of concerts! 

The more I think about it the more I think of! Needless to say when you can’t take a vacation check out what’s around you. And if you’re ever in Columbus hopefully you can try one of the things/places listed above.

What's in our wallets?

We currently have 9 credit cards open.  That doesn't mean we carry them all around in our wallets.  We only carry 4 of these around for everyday spending.  Below you will find a quick description of each card:

Chase Sapphire Reserve

This card gets us 3 points per dollar spent on travel and restaurants. And when redeemed for travel those points are worth 50% more. You cannot beat 4.5%!! This card comes with a $450 annual fee but I believe it is worth it. $300 of that comes back in the form of travel reimbursement. The first $300 spent towards travel gets credited back toward your account automatically.  

I also like to use this card when I’m traveling for work. I get to pay for everything but air travel on my personal cards and then I get reimbursed.  Last year Chase was offering 100k points sign up bonus.  They have since reduced it to 50k.  It is still a very good card to have in your wallet.  Here is a link if anyone is interested in signing up for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.  

Capital One Venture:

We use this card for everything but gas, travel, and restaurants. There are some exceptions to this rule mostly for Chase freedom quarterly bonus purchases which I will get to later in the post.  This card gives us 2% back on all purchases.  We have used this card for down payments on cars, any big medical bills, child care, or any other big purchases.  I love using these points to erase travel purchases.  For every $1000 you spend you get $20 cash back.  This 2% can really add up over time and has a low annual fee of $95 starting the second year.  Recently Capital One has added another perk to this card - free TSA Precheck or Global Entry reimbursement.  

Chase Ink Preferred:

We have had this card for many years.  We continue to get 5 points back on everything we purchase in the business category.  These categories include cable, internet, and phone.  We also get 2 points per dollar spent at gas stations with this card.  This card cost $95 annually but the 5x bonus easily makes up for that.  The current offer for this card only gives you 3 points per dollar spent on business categories and no longer gives double points at gas stations. Combine the cash back with an 80k point bonus and this card should be in everyone's wallet.  Read this past post to learn more about business credit cards.  You can sign up for the Ink card here.  

Chase Freedom:

We have also had this card for years. It has no annual fee so there is no reason to close it.  The Freedom gives 1 point per dollar spent on everything.  It also has quarterly spending categories that give 5 points per dollar on the first $1500 spent.  This is a great bonus.  Here are this years categories:

If you are interested in signing up for the Chase Freedom you can find more information here. 


Let's look at an example for a potential points accumulation scenario using the cards described above. 

Family "fun":
Monthly spend:                                 

Groceries                      $500     x  2 Points (Venture)       = 1000 pts
Gas                               $150     x  2 Points (Venture)       =  300 pts
Eating Out                     $200     x 3 Points (Reserve)       =  600 pts
Cable, Internet, Phone  $200     x 3 Points (Current Ink)   =  600 pts
Everything Else             $1000   x 2 Points (Venture)        =  2000 pts

Let's say this family keeps similar spending patterns year round.  They would rack up $390 in cash back on the venture and 14,400 (= $144) Chase Ultimate Points which could be redeemed for $216 ($144x1.5 if you have the Chase Reserve since you get a 50% bonus) worth of travel.  Now these points would just be from everyday spending.  These numbers don't include any sign up bonuses.  **wife comment this is why I'm not in charge of the cards just the spending!**

If you signed up for all four cards as a family you could accumulate a minimum of  154.5k Chase Ultimate points (85K for Ink, 54k for Reserve, 15.5k for Freedom).  You would also get $500 from the Capital One Venture sign up.  In all a family could sign up for these 4 cards and get nearly $2900 worth of free travel. 

Disclaimer – We are not experts, We are only going off our experiences.  We have followed expert bloggers for years but are not experts ourselves.  DO NOT OPEN CREDIT CARDS FOR POINTS UNLESS YOU CAN PAY THEM OFF IN FULL EVERY MONTH!!!   I may also get a bonus if you sign up through links on this page.  

Cost Report #3 - Ocean City, MD

Today's post is a continuation of our cost report series.  We are back from our trip to Ocean City, MD and we have tallied up the actual costs.  The trip report can be found here. 

Hotels:
Holiday Inn Suites Ocean City
The nightly cash rate is roughly $535 during the peak summer weeks.  The total for our 5 nights should have been $2,675 just for the room!  That is a ton of money.  Luckily IHG hotels, which the Holiday Inn hotel chain falls under, has great offers to buy discounted points throughout the year.  We took advantage of the USTA's Daily Getaways annual deals.  I purchased 200,000 points for $1160.  That was enough for 4 nights.  The 5th night was booked using points I have accumulated of the past year staying at IHG hotels.

Marriott Residence Inn Salisbury, MD
This one night stay cost us nothing since we used our annual free night reward for being a Chase Marriott credit card holder.  We stayed here on the way to the beach.  It was only a half hour from Ocean City and much less expensive compared to staying on the beach.

Total cost for hotels - $1160

Food and drink:
As our kids continue to get older our food costs continues to rise on vacations.  Here is a breakdown of costs for our family of 5:

Fish Tales - $102
Seacrets - $92
Hotel lunch at the pool - $42
Ice cream at Dumsers - $15
Higgins Crab - $95
Dinner on the boardwalk - $52
McDonalds on the road - $19
Panera on the road - $16
Sheetz on the road - $22
Groceries (Walmart) - $130
Beer & Wine - $42

Total Food and Drink cost - $627

Activities & Souvenirs:
Mini Golf - $29
Souvenirs - $30

Total A&Ss - $59

Gas for Mini Van:   $247

Total cost for the trip - $2,093

I was surprised this trip cost over $2000.   We usually try to use points for hotels but we have been saving them for next summers' trip to Hawaii.  Overall for a 6 night trip the cost wasn't outrageous.  I'm hoping our trip to the Caribbean in the fall will cost much than $2000.  Stayed tuned for more information on our upcoming trips.

Trip Report #8 - Ocean City, Maryland

Hi all!  We just got back from the beach and wanted to share our trip report with you.  We have been going to Ocean City each summer for the past 5 or 6 years.  So you will see pictures below from various trips over the years.  Each time we have stayed at the Holiday Inn & Suites on 17th. This is probably the best kid friendly hotel on the boardwalk. You may wonder why? 

Pools! Two pools, one with a bar and the other with a toddler boat slide and big windy slide. There is also a zero entry for kids, fountains, a whirlpool area, and a mini lazy river. To top it off for parents they have servers walking around taking food and drink orders. Kids also eat free! Yes FREE!  With each adult meal paid you get 2 free kids meals. The only issue is getting the kids out of the pool long enough to eat. They also have mermaids come swim with the kids and give them glitter tattoos. I’m pretty sure my son thinks he’s dating one of them and that they are totally real! 

Room type! This is one of the only hotels where you can get a two room suite. Meaning a full kitchen and a separate family room with a pull out sofa. For our family of 5 I still think it’s tight but for prime boardwalk location on the beach you aren’t going to find one bigger. To save money we stock up the fridge and cook breakfasts and pack lunches to take to the pool or beach. We even do a dinner in the room one during the trip after a long beach day.  Now this hotel isn't the Ritz but it is perfect for our family. 

And the last reason that the Holiday Inn is the best hotel is the location! Walking distance to the inlet and tons of shops, restaurants and mini golf locations. You can walk the whole boardwalk from here but are far enough out you can’t hear or see the crowds of downtown OC. You’re also a quick drive from the bridge in and out of town. 

Restaurants and places we’ve tried:

Fractured prune doughnuts: A must on every trip there’s one on the board walk two blocks down from where we stay. Melt in your mouth doughnuts covered in yummy glazes and toppings. 

Seacrets: 48th and bay side. This place is awesome! I used to work here so I’m partial to it ha! It’s about 4 blocks long with bay access. When you aren't with kids they have rafts and tables set out in the bay for day drinking in the sun. There are multiple bars and seating for inside and outside dining. It has a real beach feel since most of the restaurant floor  is sand with palm trees all around. They also have great drinks and food! I suggest the crab dip, crab toast, and a dirty banana. But you honestly can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. 

Fishtails: 23rd and bay side. This place also has seating in the sand so wear flip flops. This place gets busier every year! They have fun hammock swings and a big play ground for the kids which is awesome when they get restless.They have a face painter in the evenings as well. If you get their early enough you can see all the fishermen bringing in their catch and checking their weights. The kids meals are served on frisbees which our kids love. I personally like the food at other restaurants more but the atmosphere here is great. I’ve also heard Ropewalk is a similar set up with a playground but we are partial to fishtail because we can walk. 

Mini golf: There is a course just about every block. We’ve played embers on 24th which has great obstacles and visual effects. This year we played nicks with the dinosaurs on 19th. We got a buy one get one coupon from our hotel lobby. Which thank goodness, because it was a bust with kids age 6, 4, and 20 months. We won’t be golfing again until they are older and can stay interested. I suggest you go early because these places get packed in the evening! 

Endless summer surf shop: 38th street. This shop has an awesome snowball stand.  It was the only one we could find in Ocean City. It's a cute little shop with super friendly owner Noah. He also does surf lessons if anyone is interested. 

Maryland Blue Crabs: We’ve come to realize that it’s tough or impossible to pick crabs with young kids. We now order in the morning from where ever we find good sizes for a good price. This year we ordered from Higgins and got 10 supers for $95. We order these for pickup after the kids bed time. One person puts the kids to bed while the other picks up the crabs. We pack a lantern and eat the crabs on the hotel balcony. We can take our time and supply our own beers. It’s not fancy but it works and crabs are a must have!! Friends suggested next time we try the Crab Stop.   

Stayed tuned for a post detailing our total cost for the 6 night trip.  Thanks for reading!