Last year around this time, I got a really exciting email. A property reached out via this blog with an invitation for a free stay. There were no obligations to write about the property in return, but the trip we took thanks to them ended up being one of my most memorable of 2024 despite its simplicity and affordability, so I knew I wanted to share all the details here.
I’m not sure how they found my blog, but the team at SolStay comped us for 2 nights, so we headed to Sandusky, OH, for a little getaway in the summer. It was a no brainer to say yes! Since I work full time, I love doing trips close to the Chicago area that fit in to my normal time off. Sandusky is about a 4 hour drive from where I live in Indiana. Plus, we were going to be staying on a houseboat–how fun!!
Sandusky, OH in 2 Days: Our Itinerary
I think most people will recognize Sandusky as being the home of Cedar Point and will visit for that purpose. Cedar Point is one of America’s best (and oldest) amusement parks. If you’re a fan of rollercoasters, this is the place for you (but there’s also so much more to do at the park). Cedar Point was the focus of our trip as well.
Day 1— drive to Sandusky and check into SolStay. Walk (I love being able to walk to dinner!!) to the restaurant next door for dinner and drinks on the lake. Hello vacation life! Go to the movies after your meal and indulge in all the snacks you’d normally skip for dessert.
Day 2— A whole day in Cedar Point: freaking epic! I hadn’t been to an amusement park in a while, and I was curious how I’d feel riding rollercoasters all day as a full blown adult, but my goodness did we have a blast. We both said it ended up being way more fun than we expected, like laughing-so-much-you-have-drool-streaming-out-of-your-mouth-on-rides fun. Cedar Point has so many incredible coasters it was hard to choose a favorite. We ended up spending the whole day here, from open to close, which was also unexpected. We had one night cap at a bar afterwards, then headed back to our houseboat.
Day 3— We went into the downtown for coffee before heading home and stumbled across an amazing cafe. The inside is spacious and cute, and the coffee was excellent and strong. I highly recommend spending an hour enjoying the vibe at Mr. Smith’s Coffee House before you leave! Although it was a short trip to Sandusky, it was so satisfying and just what we wanted.
Links:
SolStay (where we stayed)
Pipe Creek Wharf (where we had dinner)
Cedar Point (is it just me or is $50 per adult really cheap for a theme park ticket these days?!)
Mr. Smith’s Coffee House (where we got breakfast)
Accommodation in Sandusky: SolStay Lodging and Marina
I just wanted to say a bit more about our stay on the houseboat. It was so cool to drive in and see them all lined up on the lake. We were excited to stay somewhere different–we knew it was going to be memorable! The one we stayed in was giving glamping vibes. You have a great view of nature, a very comfortable bed, a fridge, and a TV in your room, but no plumbing. You have to use a shared bathroom that is a short walk away–just something to keep in mind (you’ll want to pack bathroom flip flops, for example).
They do have other accommodation options that have a private bathroom, though, if shared bathrooms aren’t your thing. You can book a 2-3 bedroom cottage or a lux houseboat with an ensuite. I think this would be such a fun place to stay with a group of friends. You could do the cottage or each couple could rent their own houseboat, and you could hang out in the outdoor spaces together. They had a bonfire, corn hole, outdoor ping pong, kayaks, paddle boards, a floating sauna, etc., and were dog friendly. So much to enjoy on site!
Oh, another amazing thing about this property is its proximity to Cedar Point. It was literally 5 minutes away–so convenient since most likely you will be visiting the park during your trip!
Thanks again to SolStay for hosting us. All opinions are of course my own. 🙂
Notes on Nostalgia
Since our stay in Sandusky, I’ve been thinking about how to write about this trip. What would capture it? The word I kept coming back to was nostalgia. The definition of nostalgia (via the Oxford dictionary) is “a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.” I think I kept coming back to this word because our stay evoked a feeling of childhood joy.
It brought me back to being a kid– having summers off school, spending time outside in warm air, with nothing to do except play. Our trip was the adult version of this–lakeside dining under the sun, candy at the movies, adrenaline rushes and laughter at Cedar Point, time off work spent being playful.
I also think about nostalgia in terms of memory. Remembering feelings and things you used to always do, until, one day you never noticed, you didn’t anymore. I think the fact that we stayed on the houseboat, which was so unique, tapped into a similar sense of memory and added to the nostalgic feeling. This is something we’ll remember.