Tips for Taking Kids to Cedar Point

Tips for taking kids to Cedar Point along with all you need to know about Cedar Point's 150th anniversary celebration!

Have you been to Cedar Point before? It had been a few years since we had been and we recently took the kids and had the absolute best time ever! The kids thanked us over and over for taking them and told us it was the best vacation that they had ever been on. They said it was the best day ever. Does it get better than that for parents? I want to share all about our trip with you in case you want to take your kids to Cedar Point.

Cedar Point is located in Sandusky, OH and is a short 2 hour 10 minute drive from my house. It can easily be made into a day trip or you can stay overnight in a hotel like we did. We normally just drive home but I truly loved staying in a hotel because it gave us this carefree feeling to stay as late as we wanted since we didn't have a long ride home. We stayed at the Express Hotel which was really nice. I don't have too much to say about the hotel because we only were there to sleep.

We got season passes for the season because we knew we wanted to come back later this year, especially for Halloweekends! They let you come as often as you want to Cedar Point and to Cedar Point Shores (their waterpark). It also gives you free parking which is a big money saver as well.

Tips for Taking Kids to Cedar Point

-Bring a backpack- We packed a backpack loaded with unopened water bottles (they let you take these in), sunscreen and a couple of bars for the kids if they got hungry. 

-Take a stroller even if the kids are a little older- We went to Cedar Point with my 6 and 4 year old kids. We debated on whether we should take the stroller or not and decided to bring it and I'm so glad I did. We ended up being at the park for THIRTEEN hours so the kids got tired of walking and I was happy to be able to give their legs a break.

-Plan ahead- Look up the rides online so you know what your must-do activities are. Adalyn just hit above the 48" height requirement and was able to ride many of the rollercoasters- SO FUN! We talked to her ahead of time and asked if she wanted to do the Millennium Force since it gets so busy. We said if she wanted to do it, we would head to that first. She did and loved this major thrill seeking ride.

On our 2nd day at Cedar Point, we planned to go to the water park for awhile so we only went to Cedar Point for a few hours. We made a game plan of our must-do activities. If you plan to go on a bigger roller coaster, I recommend doing that first before it gets busy. The day we had a game plan, we fit in our must do rides so quickly! 

-Download the app- This is my #1 tip for making your trip amazing and stress-free. The app was incredibly helpful for seeing wait times for rides, height requirements for each ride, giving you directions to each ride or restaurant, finding bathrooms and places to eat. It had everything. I used it all day long. So helpful!

-There is something for everyone- There are rides for a 2 year old who just wants to go on something like the carousel and rides for grownups who want a huge thrill. I love that there are so many rides so everyone can find something they love.

-Consider all-day dining passes- We had all day dining passes which were so nice! They allow you to get a meal every 90 minutes and since food can be pricey at Cedar Point, is a great way to go. We tried the Texan sandwich at The Corral, finally tried Chick-fil-A for the first time ever, grabbed a walking taco for Troy and had a great cheeseburger. It was a great way to try a variety of food. We ate a ton all day because we were walking and walking and definitely got hungry.

-Visit Highground when parents need a break- We stumbled across this new giant playground on accident and it was one of the kid's favorite parts of the trip. My daughter's quote "it was amazing!". It is the biggest playground and my kid's did not want to leave this part. They got to run around crazy and Troy and I got to sit and chat for 10 minutes. There was only 1 other family there at the time so it was really quiet and gave us a nice break from all the excitement.

-Buy a drink pass- My kid's favorite part of the whole trip was probably the drinks. We don't drink many drinks besides water and milk and this pass allowed them to get a new drink every 15 minutes if we would have wanted. It was near 90 degrees out when we want in the straight sun and we needed those iced drinks badly. It was a lifesaver many times during the super hot day. 

-Visit the water park- This was my firs time to Cedar Point Shores and it was so much fun! I want to spend more time there next time because my kids love water slides. Unfortunately, since Oliver is not 48 inches yet, he could not do many of the slides. Adalyn could do them all and it was a blast.

Cedar Point's 150th Anniversary

We visited during Cedar Point's 150th Anniversary celebration and are so glad that we did. It was a blast! It goes until August 15th so I want to share some of our favorite parts in case you want to hurry there before it is over.

-Taste of the Point- My favorite part of the trip was Taste of the Point. It is a special event where you can purchase tasting cards and try either 3 or 6 different special foods through Cedar Point. Some options include waffle fry nachos (my absolute favorite thing we ate that day), crazy cherry shake and a funnel cake hot chicken sandwich. We had so much fun sharing these dishes with each other and trying lots of new foods. The kids and Troy loved it as well. Hurry, hurry, hurry to Cedar Point to try these options ASAP.

We tried most of the Taste of the Point items over the two days (there are 15 options) and here are my favorites:

-Waffle fry nachos from The Corral- we had them twice and the kids asked for them a third time!

-Signature Mac Shack Bowl- the most delicious mac and cheese with barbacoa, brisket, BBQ sauce, green onions and more.

-Herbed focaccia caprese sandwich from Hugo's

-Cinnamon and sugar cheesecake chimichanga from Sagebrush Sue's

-Night celebrations- On the way out of the park, we got to see the best parade with amazing music, costumes and dancing. It starts at 8:45 each night and we really enjoyed it.

-VIP Lounges- During the 150th celebration, there are really nice lounges set up around the park where you can sit by a fan in nice outdoor seating, drink some water and get a snack as well as watch TV if you like. We only did this for a few minutes because there was SO many things we wanted to do in our two days there but if you love to sit back and relax, this may be a good option for you.

This was one of my favorite trips we have ever taken. This is going to sound crazy but honestly, I didn't realize that I would have so much fun there. My kids really impressed me with how long they could go all day long in the park. I literally cannot wait to return.

The biggest thank you to Cedar Point for this wonderful partnership that created lasting memories for my family!