A Trip North
My oldest daughter is an adrenaline junkie like me, so her trip was an amusement park extravaganza, though we did work in some other cool stops too.
We early in the morning and drove to Cincinnati. We had planned to rent bikes, but didn’t reserve them in advance and the bike shop was closed for lunch. Instead, we parked in the parking garage close to the bridge and then walked the park and the suspension bridge. After that, we walked the park on the other side, enjoyed the swings, and relaxed on the grass.
Relaxing at the suspension bridge
On the way out of Cincinnati, we stopped at the Root Beer Stand restaurant that someone had suggested since Emma loves root beer. There, we enjoyed lunch and Emma had a root beer float. It was a great stop!
Even with the Cincinnati stop, this was a terribly long drive for one driver in one day, especially one who is exhausted from the ending of a school year. I decided that day that I would never drive that distance again. Then I turned right around and did it again on Kelsey’s trip. Oh well.
From there we headed north to Holland, Michigan. We arrived early evening at the Dutch Colonial Inn, the most fabulous bed and breakfast EVER. I cannot recommend this place more highly. We had dinner in town, drove around a bit, then spent the next 2 days exploring the adorable downtown area of Holland, hiking Mt. Pisgahand going to the beach, plus some fantastic boutique shopping.
We went to CedarPoint the next day and it was our absolute favorite. We adored that place! Since we were also going to King’s Island, we found a combo pass that saved us a little money. As a sidenote, if you want to hit the PERFECT time at amusement parks, with NO crowds… it’s the end of May.
Kings Island Entrance
That night, we drove down to Mason, Ohio, and stayed in the Kirkwood Inn. Again, HIGHLY recommend. This place was clean and safe and nice and historic, with beautiful grounds and gardens that we didn’t get to enjoy much, and a delicious breakfast. Our King’s Island day was ok, but it was nowhere near my favorite amusement park I’ve visited. After a whole day of coaster riding, we drove home, arriving around 10 PM.
Athena Davis loves to make memories with her people in special places. She believes in shared time and experiences over things, and she wants to help you make beautiful memories of your own on this gorgeous planet that God created! She is a mom to five, a wife, a writer and a reader, a high school English teacher, and somehow a homebody who loves to wander. Her personal travel passions are national parks/outdoor travel, mission work, and educational/theme trips such as Holocaust education, literary tours, and historical sites. She would love to help you plan the trip of your dreams or just a quick jaunt to make some memories between the day-to-day of life! Athena would love to help you plan the trip of your dreams or just a quick jaunt to make some memories between the day-to-day of life! Contact her at athena@tailoredtravel.vacations or call 423-284-3755!
