How many times this winter have you dreamed of a tropical family getaway? I’ve definitely lost track of my wishes for a warmer climate or a respite from the winter blues! If you live anywhere close to Northern Ohio, a trip to Castaway Bay in Sandusky is not only an awesome weekend road trip, but the temperature is always 82 degrees. Now that’s an Ohio winter I can get on board with!
What’s Castaway Bay?
Castaway Bay is a four-season water park and resort just outside of Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Actually, Castaway Bay is owned by and is an official property of Cedar Point which gives families the perks of staying at a water park and the benefits and Peanuts-themed activities. I, for one, have loved Snoopy and the Gang for as long as I can remember and thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Castaway Bay last weekend for a #BloggingatCP event. Now through the beginning of May, Castaway Bay is open on weekends except for Mid-March through Easter week. Looking for particular dates? Here’s the calendar.
What Makes Castaway Bay so Family-Friendly?
Let’s get this out of the way: you don’t have to have small children to have a great mini-vacation at Castaway Bay. My 13 year-old daughter and I had a blast during our visit and I would recommend it for families with kids of all ages.
Castaway Bay Waterpark
Castaway Bay Waterpark is filled with all sorts of water activities including tube slides, an extreme raft slide, wave pool, kiddie pool, obstacle course, and my favorite, a giant bucket that empties out every few minutes! Don’t worry about bringing towels to the park, either. There’s plenty of grab-and-go towels for guests.
We did spend a lot of time in the wave pool, which makes calm waves suitable for the wee ones but intense enough closer to the back wall for older kids like my daughter. When the waves stop, the pool becomes a zero-depth entry pool that’s great for swimming in or dancing in the water like we did.
If you’re brave enough to take your iPhone into the water like I did, there’s plenty of waterproof cases that guarantee to keep your phone safe like the LIFEPROOF waterproof case.
There’s plenty of seating everywhere, but the bank of chairs near the wave pool was our home base for the day.
Once again, a waterproof case is the way to go for in-water photos and videos.
Castaway Bay Resort Lodging
Super fun! The rooms and suites have a beachy, tropical theme and are packed with family-friendly amenities including a microwave, mini fridge, comfy beds, a spacious bathroom, and my favorite, a balcony with a screened-in porch. Oh, and did I mention free wifi? Yep, that, too!
Check out all of the Canadian Geese, sea gulls, and Mallard ducks that take up residence in the bay during the winter!
Crabbie’s Quarterdeck Arcade
Crabbie’s is a 6,000 square foot, all indoor arcade filled with top-notch games and prize machines. Each games offers tickets that can be turned in for kid-themed prizes.
I had to show off this fun pic of The Kid hugging an octopus in Crabbie’s. Have you hugged your octopus today?
Dining
There’s plenty of dining options when you visit Castaway Bay Waterpark including Big Daddy’s Snack Shack, Ebb & Eddy’s (they serve Starbucks!), and Mango Mike’s where we had the pleasure of dining at for breakfast. In a few months, a Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant will be on-site as well.
The breakfast buffet was everything you’d expect from a great breakfast buffet. It was packed with several kinds of eggs, breakfast meats and potatoes, sweets breads, cereal, yogurt, and my favorite from our visit, biscuits with sausage gravy.
Pirate Ship Show in the Lobby
This one might go overlooked by your family unless you happen to be walking by the fireplace area in the lobby at exactly the right time. Right around the top of every hour during the day, a fun, “Cheeseburger in Paradise”- themed show complete with animatronic birds happens directly on the giant pirate ship in the lobby. the show lasts for just around 10 minutes and is a fun way to get kids to sit still for a couple and maybe even join in with chorus of birds!
Castaway Bay Waterpark also has tons of daily indoor activities, an outdoor pool, shops, Club Castaway, & Camp Castaway.
Disclosure: My daughter and I were hosted by Castaway Bay and given a complimentary breakfast buffet in Mango Mike’s to give you fine folks on what makes it so cool for families. I was not asked to state a particular point of view and, as always, my opinions are all my own!