Cedar Point Family Adventure: Carnival Games & Fun in Sandusky

After reconnecting with family and new friends in Michigan, our honeymoon road trip carried us to Sandusky, Ohio — home of Cedar Point, the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World.” This stop was significant because it wasn’t just about the rides; it was about sharing a piece of my past with my husband.

Back in college at the University of Akron, Cedar Point was practically a second campus for me. My roommate, a mechanical engineering major with a passion for roller coasters, made sure we spent many days & nights here. I had built so many memories between the towering steel tracks and endless school nights that I couldn’t wait to introduce my husband to the park finally.

This time, though, we weren’t going alone. We were meeting up with my best friend and her family for a day at the park. Her kids, ages 9, 7, and 2, were buzzing with excitement as we walked through the gates. We were ready to take on the coasters — or so we thought.

The excitement quickly turned into nerves when the kids realized just how big (and fast!) the roller coasters were. After braving just two rides, they decided they had had enough thrills for the day. Instead, our Cedar Point adventure took a different turn. We spent the rest of our time wandering the midway, playing carnival games, and laughing at the silly prizes we won along the way.

Sure, it wasn’t the adrenaline-packed roller coaster day I had once imagined sharing with my husband, but in its own way, it was even better. We got to experience the park through the kids’ eyes — full of wonder, laughter, and simple joys. And at the end of the day, those memories mattered far more than the number of rides we went on.

From there, we packed up the Airstream and pointed it toward Sullivan, Ohio — a stop that carried a different kind of excitement. After two decades, I was finally going to reconnect with my college housies, friends who had been such a huge part of my life but who I hadn’t seen in over 20 years. It was the perfect next chapter in our honeymoon adventure, blending nostalgia, laughter, and the joy of picking up right where we left off.

This was one of the rides my husband wanted to go on but never got to.

Llama at the petting zoo in Cedar Point

Bailey our cat making the Airstream her home as well