Our "Northcoast Ohio Adventures" About This Page:

[mfirst]

It's been a while since I've really done a trip report, and after feeling awful for having to cancel our intended WDW trip this past June because of the extended school year (too many snow & cold days), unexpected car repairs and life in general, we finally decided to make several "mini vacations"

The main cast of characters:
Me, Melissa, planner, over-analyzer and "cruise" director as my husband jokingly refers to me. I work two part time jobs, and hold down the fort for our three kiddos. I also turn 41 mid-adventures

Brian, aka "Coach" who values family vacations because he never really had any growing up - one trip to WDW when he was five, and several trips to his grandparents cottages in the Irish Hills of Michigan and in Canada. He was really bummed about Disney and not very excited about our replacement park, Cedar Point, because he's not a "ride" person That changes by the way.

Nolan, 9. He has two trips to WDW under his belt and is avidly saving and planning for a return trip next summer. He LOVES to read - and LOVES anything about history, and science. The side trip he was looking forward to the most? Our trip to the Great Lakes Museum of Science in downtown Cleveland. He's a very cautious person and needs to study things before he decides to ride them. In fact, we had to carry him on to Peter Pan on our first WDW trip because he was afraid the ride would fly to high

Patrick, 6. He barely remembers his first trip to WDW, and still talks about the amazing pool at the Beach Club he experienced on our 2nd trip. He is my dare devil and will ride anything we let him. At 43 inches, he isn't going to be tall enough for the "big rides" at Cedar Point, but can't wait to try out the smaller roller coasters. He's also a Lego nut - he can glance through the instruction booklet, close it and build from memory.

Cullen, 4. He doesn't remember much about our WDW trips. He has been diagnosed with PDD -NOS, and a pretty significant language delay in the area of expressive speech. His receptive language is "off the charts" according to his doctors, and his hearing beyond perfect - equivalent to someone with 20/10 vision. Loud noises can prove problematic, as can over stimulation and changes in his schedule.

My younger two also have a severe milk protein allergy, so part of this report will be talking about how the various places we visit handle or accommodate not only the food allergies, but Cullen's special needs.

We had to plan our extravaganza in two separate trips because of my teaching schedule at the college. The first trip was over the July 4th holiday, and included Memphis Kiddie Park and The Great Lakes Science Center. the 2nd trip was July 31st - August 1st and focused on Cedar Point.

I've attached a more recent picture of the boys, taken at the start of the summer at our local swimming pool.

[dutchdisneyfamily]

Great start! Can't wait to what happens next!

[chezp]

Great start!

[lauriep]

Sounds like fun! I did a double-take when you said Nolan is NINE. I do know that kids get older every year (even if we don't!) but that took me surprise!

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

Great start! Can't wait to what happens next!

You shouldn't have too long to wait Of course, you've seen quite a few of the pictures already.

Originally Posted by chezp

Great start!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Cam22

Great start and description of your characters!

Thanks Cam!

Originally Posted by lauriep

Sounds like fun! I did a double-take when you said Nolan is NINE. I do know that kids get older every year (even if we don't!) but that took me surprise!

It's crazy to think he's 9 already....and the "baby" will be five in a couple of short weeks .

[Cam22]

Great start and description of your characters!

[Colexis Mom]

Great start!

[pamcarey]

Great start!

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by Colexis Mom

Great start!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Great start!

Thanks

[mfirst]

We left home on July 2nd and it was H.O.T. - Florida hot with temps in the upper 80's in the morning. We had "the great debate" part 1 trying to decide which route to take. Generally, we travel up I-75 to Bowling Green, Ohio then head west on Route 6 weaving our way to Fremont and the Turnpike, but the winter had done a number on I-75 and from Shelby County through Lima, it was one, giant construction zone. Because I'd had to teach first, we weren't leaving until the afternoon, which meant we'd hit Columbus during rush hour if we traveled I-70 West to I-71 north. Finally, about ten minutes before we left, we decided to take our typical route because we knew we'd need to stop and feed the kiddos on the way.

Notice how I said it was hot? We left home wearing shorts and tank tops, but by the time we arrived in Cleveland 4 hours later, a cold front had moved through and the temps were in the upper 60's Luckily, I'd packed the kids and I sweatshirts and long pants. Coach refused stating it was July and because it was July, shorts and t shirts should only be worn.

The drive up was uneventful - minus the traffic delays on I-75 and we arrived at my parent's house around 6:30 that night.

Dad LOVES chalk art, and always makes a drawing for the boys that depicts something that we'll be doing. This time, he was most looking forward to fireworks on the 4th.

While Coach unpacked the Van, the boys rode their bikes and met the neighbor kids from across the street. It was an uneventful night and our first adventure was set to begin early the next morning.

[pamcarey]

Cool chalk art! How fun that your dad did that!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[lauriep]

Your dad is great to do the chalk art to greet the kids! What a nice welcome.

[mfirst]

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Cool chalk art! How fun that your dad did that!
Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

Originally Posted by lauriep

Your dad is great to do the chalk art to greet the kids! What a nice welcome.

Thanks! The boys really look forward to it and it helps them pass time once we swing off the turnpike onto I-90 for the last 30 minutes of our drive. They spend it speculating what Papa will have drawn for them

[mfirst]

We woke up early on July 3rd, and unfortunately, my mom was really under the weather. She has a weak immune system after her most recent surgery this past winter - she'd had to have her thyroid removed after a routine screen showed a cancerous growth. My mom had already been through one bout with cancer in the fall of 2012, so I was really worried. We altered our plans for that day, and my Aunt came to take Mom to her doctor and we took Dad with us to the Science Museum. Why the split? Dad doesn't handle doctor visits with mom very well at all so it makes a tough situation even more stressful for everyone involved.

After Mom (aka Lala) and Aunt C. left for the clinic, we piled into the van and made the short drive to the Great Lakes Science Center. The boys were excited by the glimpses of the lake and of Downtown Cleveland. It was a gorgeous morning, though cool enough to feel like a really nice fall day.

As we drove, we decided to purchase just the general admission tickets. . General admission is $14 for adults, and $12 for youth ages 2-12. My Dad also qualified for the youth price using his Golden Buckeye Card. So, for the three adults and three children, it was $76 to enter for the day of fun. General admission also included the special Lego Travel Adventure Exhibit which was on loan from the Indianapolis Children's Museum.

There are several other ticket options which include an Omnimax movie and or the William G Mather Steamship Museum which is docked on the lake between the Science and Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Museums. We'd already visited the steamship on an earlier trip, and the boys had seen the Omnimax movie, Islands of Lemurs of Madagascar, narrated by Morgan Freeman, at the zoo during the previous summer.

Parking can create a bit of confusion - particularly if there are events happening downtown. On this occasion, the Tall Ships were also in port, and the Indians had a home game. The lot attached to the museum was charging $15, but we were able to get our parking validated for a reduced rate with our museum admission for $8.00 on that visit. This was a bargain considering other lots nearby were charging $20.00.

The parking lot does connect to the basement of the museum and this began our confusion. It had been 7 years since I'd set foot in the museum and wasn't sure where to go. The first area we stumbled on in the basement was the Lego exhibit and the attendant told us we needed to go to the ticket counter to purchase our bands. Somehow we missed the signs and stumbled into the 2nd basement area - which is under construction as it is to become a S.T.E.M. high school. A kindly contractor helped us backtrack to the very LARGE escalator that we all somehow didn't notice.

After I purchased our wristbands, we had a bit of a wrestling match with Cullen because he didn't want to wear anything. We finally got him settled, banded up and entered the first exhibit. It was an interactive musical floor. As the kids stepped on the "white cells" they were working to make a "person" healthy.


The next nook we came to after destroying the germs, was a really cool exhibit on loan from the Glenn NASA research center in Cleveland. It showed the history of space exploration, had a life size model of Mercury One and had several displays of very large Moon rocks. There was also a station where you could try your hand at landing a space shuttle. We all tried, and failed miserably. It's a good thing I'm not in charge of space travel, my space shuttle ended up crashing.

Up next: Hands on activities and the "tiny tike" area

[pamcarey]

Sounds like you got a bargain with the parking!