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Explore Ohio // Fun Fall Activities

October 31, 2017 by Rachel 18 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links

Fall has long been my favorite season here in Ohio. We truly get the best of it — the changing leaves, the crisp air, and all of the fun things to do! I’m not talking about your typical apple orchard and pumpkin patch. Nope. I’m talking about all of the things you’ve often overlooked. You know… the OTHER fun things!

So I’ve rounded up a list of my favorite recent adventures that are local AND family-friendly!

Trunk-or-Treat at the Riverfront YMCA.

One of the many, many, things I love about our YMCA is all of the community outreach. And each year at Halloween, we do a Trunk-or-Treat for the community members. This open event is usually a bit of a flop; but this year was a whole other story! Hundreds and hundreds of people showed up, lining up around the entire block, to get in!

It was honestly an awesome experience to see that many people line up and wait to see the ‘trunks’. Oh, and the unicorn from Camp Y-Noah! 🙂

My kids had a blast, as usual.

Holden Arboretum Goblins in the Gardens.

My aunts invited me and the kids to join them for a day at the Holden Arboretum for their annual Goblins in the Gardens event. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, I had visited the Holden Arboretum many times as a child and teenager, but had not been back since.

The kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes and we headed inside for some fun! The days events included trick-or-treating, crafts, playing on playsets from Playground World, a giant maze through the flowers, hayrides, face painting, and — of course — walking along the suspension bridge canopy walk!

It was such a fun day AND my kids were exhausted in the end. Which, let’s be real — that’s the real goal!

Great Lakes Science Center Spooktacular Science!

We’ve been members of the Great Lakes Science Center for almost a year now and, shamefully, we’ve only made it there a handful of times. Well we recently found ourselves with a day to spare and so all four of us trekked up to the science center for some fun!

Ari absolutely loves all of the exhibits, but for the first time, Remy was able to truly join in on the fun, too!

And we just so happened to be there for their Spooktacular Science events! Basically it’s dance parties, fun science experiments, and, of course, blowing up a pumpkin. You know, just normal Halloween stuff. Ha!

The Cleveland Flea.

I am going to continue to scream this from the rooftop — I love the Cleveland Flea! I always have and always will! It’s such an incredibly well-organized event, with so many unique vendors and makers selling their goods.

This month, Remy and I went to the last outdoor Flea of the year. It was a little bit chilly on the eastside of Cleveland that morning, but we got there before the crowds and were able to make her a trick-or-treat bag, which she loved!

She paraded her little sassy booty around that place like she OWNED trick-or-treating! 🙂

Marvel Avengers Live at the Q.

Mimi and Poppy (my parents) took Ari to see Marvel Avengers Live at Quicken Loans Arena for his birthday! I was a tad bit skeptical of how the show would be. I mean, Disney on Ice has a reputation of being awesome; but I just had not heard anything about this show.

Apparently it was awesome. At least, that’s what Ari and my parents both reported! Ha! They said it was filled with action, drama, aerial stunts, and motorcycles galore!

Sky Zone Boston Heights. 

For part of Ari’s birthday weekend extravaganza, my sister and brother-in-law treated him to a morning at Sky Zone in Boston Heights. It was our first time visiting this location and it did not disappoint! They have Toddler Time on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sunday mornings, which is awesome because then you don’t have to worry about our little ones accidentally being trampled by bigger kids (which is especially a concern when your children are extra small, like ours).

They played, they laughed, and they had the best time!

We can’t wait to go back during these chilly Fall mornings!

Kalahari Resort + Waterpark in Sandusky. 

One big adventure our little family took last week was our very first trip to Kalahari in Sandusky! It was part of Ari’s birthday present from us (even though it was a week after his actual birthday). We made the hour + drive to Sandusky (home of Cedar Point!) during naptime, alas, neither child napped in the car. Eh, can’t win ’em all!

We grabbed a quick bite from Danny Boys (umm, delicious pizza, calzones, and pasta!) before heading to the room to check in. Our room was really nice — with two queen beds and plenty of space to set up the pack + play for Remy!

The waterpark itself is massive. Truly massive. We did several walk-throughs, just to see everything, prior to settling into a spot at the back of the park where the kids could freely play in 10-inches of water, exploring every tiny water slide (appropriate for their age, of course!), and laughing up a storm.

By the time supper time came around, we were all beyond wiped out. I mean, just look at those exhausted kiddos! LOL! We went to a tiny place called Eats N Treats. With the online reviews alone, I was skeptical. But the yummy philly cheesesteak and ice cream was just what we needed to fuel us for the night.

The next morning we woke up and headed right back to the waterpark. It was nearly empty and it was glorious! The kids barely made it an hour before we had to call it quits and head home.


All of this fun has been keeping us oh-so-busy!

So tell me — what other places in Ohio would you recommend visiting as the seasons change and the weather gets cooler? 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, busy mom, children, cleveland, Cleveland Flea, explore locally, Explore Ohio, fall, family, Family Travel, fun, life with a toddler, mommyhood, NEO, Ohio, parenthood, pictures, review, road trip, shop local, travel, Travel Adventures, weekend Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, being a mom, cleveland, cleveland flea, events, explore locally, explore Ohio, family, family friendly, Family Travel, life, life with a toddler, local, mommyhood, motherhood, NEO, ohio, parenthood, pictures, review, Travel Adventures

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kari

    October 31, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    The Great Lakes Science Center looks like a place my boys would love. We travel through Ohio every summer on our way to Michigan and I try to pick a few places to stop along the way.

    Reply
  2. Candice Renee

    November 1, 2017 at 12:10 am

    What a great post! So many fun activities in your neck of the woods! The waterpark looks awesome!

    Reply
  3. Kendra

    November 1, 2017 at 11:08 am

    This looks like the most fun! My son is 4 and my daughter is 3 and I just know they would love any of these! We live in Georgia and have not traveled together west of Alabama so it’s due time! 😉

    Reply
  4. Jazz

    November 1, 2017 at 1:04 pm

    Looks like a lot of fun. I might add Ohio to my travel list!

    Reply
  5. Ayanna @ 21FlavorsofSplendor

    November 1, 2017 at 1:38 pm

    I love fall as well because you never run out of things to do. We love our YMCA too because of all the great activities they have for the entire family. And you can never go wrong with taking the kids Skyzone.

    Reply
  6. Kim S

    November 1, 2017 at 2:02 pm

    I love that you included an arboretum and museum for ideas of things to do other than the usual pumpkin patch!

    Reply
  7. Melanie

    November 1, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    Looks fun! If I’m ever in Cleveland, I’ll have to check out the Cleveland Flea! Flea markets are the bessssttt!!!

    Reply
  8. Holly

    November 1, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    The Science Center looks like a place my family would love! And those costumes – adorable! 🙂

    Reply
  9. Kayla

    November 1, 2017 at 4:35 pm

    This looked and sounded like lots of fun!!

    Reply
  10. Alison

    November 1, 2017 at 7:12 pm

    What great choices for kids! They all look great but that science center looks incredible!

    Reply
  11. Stephanie Bishop

    November 1, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    These look like a lot of fun activities! The arboretum looks awesome! My little guy would’ve went nuts for the Avengers.

    Reply
  12. Jaclyn @coffeepancakesanddreams

    November 1, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    Great suggestions! We are headed to Kalahari in December. Love the Holden Arboretum and Science Center!

    Reply
  13. Britney

    November 2, 2017 at 1:07 am

    I love all those photos! What happy/busy kids they must be!

    Reply
  14. Raina

    November 2, 2017 at 1:14 am

    These fall activities look so fun! I’ve never been to Ohio but maybe one day!

    Reply
  15. Eryka

    November 2, 2017 at 10:09 am

    What a blast! Izzy would have loved it

    Reply
  16. Magen Golden

    November 2, 2017 at 1:17 pm

    I love fall for family activities. It is about the only time a year my son does not sweat bullets.

    Reply
  17. Annie

    November 2, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    You guys were BUSY! So many fun activities for the kids. The Goblins in the Garden event sounds like so much fun! Hope you guys enjoyed your Halloween!

    -Annie

    Reply
  18. Gillian Herrle

    November 2, 2017 at 11:21 pm

    Aw, you guys did SO many fun things this fall! Also- I’m from Kettering, Ohio!

    Reply

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