Yes/No Detroit

*Disclosure: I was provided with a hotel stay and park tickets in exchange for this post, as well as African Safari Wildlife Park tickets. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I am a huge fan of Cedar Point , so I was very excited when I was invited back to the park this summer and also found out that I would be staying the night at its revamped hotel, Hotel Breakers . I had never stayed on-site at the park before, so that was definitely an extra perk. My friend Alex and I headed to Sandusky on Saturday afternoon - it's about a 2 to 2.5 hour drive from the Detroit area - and after a quick lunch, the first thing we did was the African Safari Wildlife Park, in Port Clinton. I had been here a few years ago , but Alex had never been, so I wanted him to be able to experience it. You will make a lot of new friends during the safari, and as you can see here, some friendly alpacas came right up to the car to grab some food from us. I will say that you have to hold...

*Disclosure: I received a free 1-night stay at Castaway Bay, as well as waterpark tickets. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. This past weekend, I was able to experience Castaway Bay , a resort and waterpark in Sandusky, Ohio, that is owned by Cedar Point. I'm definitely a frequent Cedar Point visitor, and I'm also a big waterpark fan, so I was excited to try out Castaway Bay. Because my stay was Friday through Saturday, and I wanted to get to the resort before nighttime on Friday, I ended up carpooling with fellow blogger Amber ( Metro Detroit Mommy ) and her family. (huge shoutout to them for "adopting" me for the weekend!) We arrived at the hotel on Friday afternoon, and soon I found my way to my Starfish room, which included two double beds (one of which I used for my bags) as well as a balcony.

As you may have read, I attended Cedar Point's HalloWeekends a few weeks ago with friends, and had a fantastic time. Cedar Point is known as having the most (and the best, IMO) rollercoasters in the country, and it's also a great place for a family vacation day or weekend. Thanks to the generous folks at Cedar Point, I have a family four-pack of tickets to giveaway. Please do keep in mind that there's only three HalloWeekends left: October 17-19, October 24-26, and October 31-November 2. Therefore, do not enter the giveaway if you cannot make it to the park on one of these weekends. Winner will be notified via email on Thursday, October 16th , and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen. Prize will be mailed or emailed by Cedar Point. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclosure: I received media passes to visit Cedar Point. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I am no stranger to Cedar Point - I went for the first time in 1999 or 2000, I believe, with my middle school orchestra, and I've continued to visit every year since. From the first visit until 2005, I went with my school orchestra - we had competitions in Ohio and the award ceremony would be that same day at the park - and after 2005, I didn't think I'd be back soon. However , I've actually gone back every year since , usually with friends, and there's a reason for that: Cedar Point is known for having some of the best roller coasters in the country, as is a short two-hour drive from the metro Detroit area. L to R, clockwise: 2006 on Top Thrill, 2009 in Camp Snoopy, 2010 + 2013 in front of Millennium Force In 2006, my UM dorm hallmates and I carpooled together to attend HalloWeekends at the park - the first and only time I had been to HalloWeek...

credit: ghostlymanor.com This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the Ghostly Manor in Sandusky, Ohio. I've been to Sandusky 10+ times over the years, but always to visit Cedar Point, and I had never even heard of Ghostly Manor before visiting it. However, I found that there's actually quite a lot to do there, and the activities will appeal to all ages. My friends and I - all in our mid-20s - set out early Saturday morning from the Detroit area, and it was only about a 2-hour ride to Sandusky. Our first stop was Ghostly Manor, and we then had to decide which of its four activities we wanted to experience first. Wizard's Journey 3D mini golf Ghostly Manor offers: Wizard's Journey 3D mini-golf (yes, you read that correctly - 3D! ) XD4D Motion Theater Skating Rink Haunted House Bounce House  Ghostly Manor is a "thrill center" and is known in the area for its haunted house. I hate scary movies  and am not a huge haunted house fan either, ...