20 Kid Approved Ohio Destinations

The kiddos put together a list of their favorite Ohio destinations we have visited. The following destinations are fun family friendly destinations that were of particular interest to children ages 2-11 years of age & us kids at heart too! (Tip: When purchasing tickets for admission inquire about discounts, AAA, reciprocity, etc. We were able to get admission FREE at some of these thanks to our local memberships)

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  1. Campbell’s Sweets Factory Tour (Cleveland…pair this one with #16 for an awesome day trip) Roadtrip2
  2. Spangler Factory and Museum (Bryan…pair this one with #4 for an awesome day trip) Roadtrip5
  3. Imagination Station (Toledo…pair this one with #18 for an awesome day trip) )
  4. Imagination Kingdom (Wauseon…pair this one with #2 for an awesome day trip)Roadtrip3
  5. Sauder’s Village (Archbold)
  6. Castle (Loveland) Roadtrip4 
  7. Newport Aquarium (technically it’s in Kentucky but it is so close to Cincinnati) roadtrip6
  8. COSI (Columbus)
  9. Maumee Bay State Park & Lodge (Oregon Ohio) 
  10. Armstrong Air & Space Museum (Wapakoneta)Roadtrip9
  11. Young’s Jersey Dairy (Dayton…pair this one with #20 and/or #12 for an awesome day trip)  
  12. National Museum of the U. S. Air Force (Dayton…pair this one with #11 and/or #20 for an awesome day trip)  
  13. African Safari Wildlife Park (Port Clinton) Roadtrip11
  14. Cedar Point (Sandusky)
  15. Kalahari (Sandusky)
  16. Christmas Story House Tour (Cleveland…pair this one with #1 for an awesome day trip) Roadtrips
  17. Kings Island (Cincinnati)roadtrip8
  18. Toledo Museum of Art’s Family Center (Toledo…pair this one with #3 for an awesome day trip) 
  19. Toledo Zoo Aquarium (Toledo)
  20. Boonshoft Museum (Dayton…pair this one with #11 and/or #12 for an awesome day trip)

 

Have some great memories of visiting an Ohio destination with your family? Do own/work at a must visit Ohio destination? Please share! As stated, we are currently working on our summer bucket list; we would love to hear your recommendations.

 

 

A Christmas Story House Tour: A Journey back to Childhood

As we turned onto W. 11th Street in Cleveland, Ohio it seemed like any ordinary street, in any ordinary neighborhood, and then we saw it, that house with the green trim that was unmistakably the Parker residence from the movie, A Christmas Story.  

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And it was then that my anticipation level skyrocketed! It is fascinating how a mere glance at the house can stir up so many emotions. I was suddenly transported back to my own childhood; the emotions conjured up fond memories & feelings of Christmas pasts. I was literally just like one of the kids as we raced into the gift shop to purchase our tour tickets.  

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And just like one of the kids, it felt like I waited for an eternity for our tour to begin, (when in all actuality it was only like 10 minutes, haha!). When the tour finally began it took everything in me to restrain myself from being the first one in line. I did manage to gathering up enough restraint to allow the shorter children to go in front of me, which was a huge hurdle, guess who was rewarded for her good behavior afterward in the gift shop?

As we entered the house my inner childlike spirit had a mini spaz attack, it was spot on from the scenes in the movie! I did manage to maintain composure on the outside, well almost, I wanted to touch everything! And guess what? You can (technically, everything in all but one room)!!! When I heard that my adult self & inner child collided, giving one another a virtual high five, yippee!! Let the fun begin!!!

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We were able to pick up “The Old Man’s” award, sit on Ralphie and Randy’s beds, we reenact a few scenes from the movie, and more!

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We also learned a lot about the history of the movie, characters, actors, etc., like the fact that the year they filmed the movie Cleveland didn’t receive any snow so they did whatever they could to make snow….queue the foam!

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And that the actress who played the school teacher was pregnant when they filmed and she didn’t want to go too far from her in Canada where there just so happened to have a lot of snow so they filmed the other scenes in Canada. There is much more but you’ll have to take the tour yourself to hear those nuggets of trivia.

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After touring the house and the museum (image above shows actual toys that were in the movie) it was time to reward that inner child, and my actual children with a trip to the gift shop.

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There were so many magnificent souvenirs to choose from and all children were pleased except for one, my son. He so desperately wanted a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle, just like Ralphie’s. I entertained the idea for a moment, then culminated the day with a rather appropriate decision and infamous quote, one I am surprised my son didn’t see coming. No, because, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”

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You too can deny your child a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle and allow your inner child to come out and play at A Christmas Story House open 7 days a week (except major holidays), 10am-5pm.  Cost, Adults: $10.00 Children 7 to 12: $6.00 (Children 6 & under: FREE) Seniors: $8.00 For more information click here .

What is your favorite scene from the movie?

 

 

I-X Christmas Connection Ticket Giveaway! (4 tickets!)

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas thanks to the frigid temps and snow!  I don’t know about you but I have even turned on the Christmas music. I find Christmas music puts me in better spirits and has really gotten me motivated to start Christmas shopping. Maybe this year will be the year I actually complete all Christmas shopping before December!! Then I can just sit back, wrap, relax, bake some cookies, serve at the local family shelter, enjoy the local holiday attractions with my family, and spread Christmas cheer! I have got a great giveaway that will help you do just that!!

Experience the start of the Christmas Shopping Season at the I-X Christmas Connection November 21-23 at the I-X Center! More than 600 booths, including over 100 new vendors this year, Gift Wrapping and a Shop-N-Drop are just a few of the reasons tens of thousands of holiday shoppers come to this event. Also included are special kid activities in SantaLand like kid-friendly shopping in the Sugar Plum Shoppe, visiting Santa’s house to have their picture taken with Santa (bring your camera!), drop off their letter to Santa in his mailbox and much more! A limited number of Breakfast with Santa presented by Schwebel’s tickets are also available for purchase online. Parents and their little ones can enjoy a delicious breakfast and join Santa to sing Christmas Carols along with Mrs. Claus, their elves, and a few of their favorite friends (tickets include general admission).

Take a peek at some new features at this year’s show:

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Take a trip back to Cleveland Christmas past as you walk through the I-X Christmas Connection entryway, featuring the Sterling Lindner Davis Christmas Tree and iconic replica items from A Christmas Story House. Pose for photos with the infamous flagpole, leg lamp and firetruck.

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Monica Potter
Monica Potter, star of NBC’s acclaimed drama series Parenthood, will be sharing her latest and most personal project at I-X Christmas Connection: Monica Potter Home. Monica Potter Home produces a line of home goods that are locally made by artisans and craftspeople in the Ohio Valley. Each season a new set of unique, high-quality, handcrafted items are made available and we are thrilled to kick off the winter collection at the show!

 

I-X Christmas Connection tickets are on-sale now. Purchase your General Admission or Breakfast with Santa presented by Schwebel’s tickets online or buy discount tickets at any Ohio Discount Drug Mart. Discount Drug Mart is the Official Discount Drug Store Ticketing Retail Partner of I-X Christmas Connection.

For more information on the show, visit http://www.ixchristmasconnection.com

Giveaway: Enter for a chance to win 4 general admission tickets to I-X Christmas Connection!!

To Enter the Giveaway complete the following steps:

  1. Follow Mom on the go in Holy Toledo on Facebook
  2. Follow @Mamaof3onthego on Twitter
  3. Reply to this post with a comment expressing how many Christmas gifts you have purchased thus far for Christmas 2014.

Winner will be randomly selected and announced on Facebook page Thursday Morning (Nov. 20th 2014)!!