A Trip North

As the details start to fade, it occurred to me that I need to document information about various trips we have taken in order to remember the details if I ever want to replicate them. Below is the itinerary from Emma's 13th birthday trip in 2016:

Left early in the AM 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.

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 this past week 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. Pisgah and going to the beach, plus some fantastic boutique shopping.

We went to CedarPoint the next day (after a night at a terrifying hotel that I DO NOT recommend) 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.

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.