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3/21/2020 Coasting with Culture Guide: Cedar Point
Can't Miss at Cedar Point:
What's Nearby?  A Christmas Story House Arts & Entertainment > A Christmas Story House (Cleveland, 62 mi.) - Visit the house that was used as the home of Ralphie and his family in one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all-time. Guided tours are offered to share more detail and stories of the timeless classic, and a gift shop offers a variety of A Christmas Story items. > Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, 66 mi.) - A museum that celebrates the history of rock music over the years, with inductees who have influenced music over the years, featuring memorabilia and musical instruments from some of the biggest names to have performed on stage Festivals & Events > Biggest Week in American Birding (Oak Harbor, 37 mi.) - The spring festival held in the beginning of May (around the time Cedar Point opens for the season each year) hosted by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (see more about the observatory in Natural Wonders below) which coincides with the peak of the spring songbird migration in Northwest Ohio. Over 90,000 people come each year to see and hear these bird each year. > Milan Melon Festival (Milan, 17 mi.) - An annual tradition of the small town just down the road from Sandusky, the Labor Day Weekend festival features the Milan Melon Festival 5K, one of the oldest road running races in Ohio, and festival patrons can try the watermelon sherbert and cantaloupe ice cream. > Pyrate Fest (Put-in-Bay, 27 mi.) - The town of Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island is taken over by buccaneers and swashbucklers in Late June. Festivities of Pyrate Fest include costume contests, a parade, black power firing and sward-fighting demonstrations, and the cardboard boat race. > Walleye Festival (Port Clinton, 20 mi.) - A festival for one of the most common types of fish in the area, the Memorial Day Weekend tradition includes a 5K/fun run, a parade, carnival rides, a variety of vendors and food options, and one of the signature events, the Kids Fishing Derby. Food > Berardi's Family Kitchen (Sandusky, 6 mi.) - A place to go when your traveling but want to feel like your back at home. This American homestyle restaurant offers a wide range of options at all times of the day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant was created by the family that had owned several rides and the original french fry stands at Cedar Point in its early days, and you can enjoy their fries the way they were made in the park! Hand-washed and fresh-cut. You can even add some flavor with Rosemary Garlic Parm., or get them with a house made beer cheese! > Chet & Matt's Pizza (Sandusky, 6 mi.) - For those wanting to try out a local pizza join, one of the best options in Sandusky is Chet & Matt's Pizza, voted the top dine-in pizza restaurant in the area for over 18 years, making their dough for their pizzas and calzones fresh and in-house everyday. You can every try the King Kong Challenge, where you and a friend can win a cash prize if the both of you can eat an entire 29-inch pizza in 30 minutes! > Sortino's Little Italy Ristorante (Sandusky, 4 mi.) - Bringing Sicilian style cooking to Sandusky by the Sortino Brothers, inspired by their father who emigrated from Sicily in 1952, and using ingredients of their father's old homeland. The restaurant is housed inside a former orphanage, and has brought the Sicilian culture to the Ohio town. One of their more popular dishes includes red pepper flavored pasta filled with 6 cheeses and covered in pomodoro sauce with Italian sausage bits, fresh peppers, chicken and mozzerella. This dish is known as Chick-a Chick-a Boom.  Rockefeller Memorial at Lake View Cemetery Landmarks & History > Lake View Cemetery (Cleveland, 68 mi.) - Some very well known people have been laid to rest in this location, including former United States President James A. Garfield; The first African American Mayor of a major U.S. city, Carl B. Stokes; Businessman John D. Rockefeller, and Eliot Ness, the agent responsible for the arrest of Al Capone. > Ohio Veterans Home Military Museum (Sandusky, 6 mi.) - Part of the Ohio Veterans Home complex that houses and supports military veterans, the Military Museum was created by one of the veterans who had previous experience running a museum, and used the old administration building of the home to display artifacts, pictures and more. Artifacts from the Spanish American War to the more recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are available for viewing by OVH residents and visitors. > Rutherford B. Hayes Museum & Library (Fremont, 29 mi.) - Located at the home of the 19th President of the United States, the Rutherford B. Hayes Museum & Library gives a look back at his life through the museum and his home, and visitors can pay their respects at his gravesite. Natural Wonders > Black Swamp Bird Observatory (Oak Harbor, 37 mi.) - A conservatory and research location for a wide variety of birds that can be found on the marshy-swamp lands. Birding enthusiasts can come to find around 240 difference species of birds in the preserve, in 37 varieties of warblers. > Kelleys Island (Kelleys Island, 27 mi.) - An island offering an excellent opportunity to explore on of the largest examples of glacial scoring at Glacial Grooves State Memorial, along various hiking trails, sandy beaches and lake views.  Progressive Field Sports > FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland, 67 mi.) - Home to Cleveland's beloved football team, the Cleveland Brows of the National Football League. The stadium sits on the site of their former home, Cleveland Stadium, and is adjacent to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. > Progressive Field (Cleveland, 63 mi.) - Home of the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. This stadium was one of the first in the great ballpark renaissance where the old multi-purpose, "cookie-cutter" stadiums were being replaced with more unique venues that resembled the ballparks of the past. The stadium set a record for the most consecutive sold out games of 455 from it's opening. It also offers a grand view of downtown in the outfield. > Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland, 64 mi.) - This downtown arena, located in the Gateway Sports & Entertainment Complex with Progressive Field, is home the the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association, and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, a minor league hockey affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. > Sandusky Speedway (Sandusky, 6 mi.) - A 1/2-mile asphalt oval raceway that features several divisions of stock-cars on Saturday nights, and has one of the biggest Super Modified races in the country in July, where other tracks that host the division won't operate so they can race in Sandusky. Theme Park-esque Attractions > Ghostly Manor Thrill Center (Sandusky, 5 mi.) - Rated as one of Sandusky's top indoor attractions, visitors can enjoy a range of activites such as mini golf, an escape room, a skating rink, and marquee attraction, the year-round haunted house, for those not wanting to wait until Halloween for a scare. > Merry-Go-Round Museum (Sandusky, 5 mi.) - Housed in Sandusky's old post office, the museum displays artifacts that share the history and appreciation of the staple amusement park ride, and even has one inside offering guests the opportunity to experience a bit of nostalgia. > Indoor Water Parks (Sandusky, furthest 9 mi.) - Sandusky has become a place for indoor water parks, including one of their own, Castaway Bay. The other two major indoor water parks include the Sandusky location of Great Wolf Lodge, and Kalahari, which previously held the title as the largest indoor water park in the United States Additional Coaster Credits Within 100 Driving Miles:
> Memphis Kiddie Park (Cleveland, 59 mi.) - Little Dipper > Playzone Toledo (Toledo, 69 mi.) - Miner Mike > Howard's Apples Farm Market (Chagrin Falls, 87 mi.) - Roller Coaster > Sluggers & Putters (Canal Fulton, 99 mi.) - Lil Dipper Roller Coaster |
