Vacation help - Pittsburgh, PA & Sandusky, OH

[dismom301930]

We are looking for a new place to vacation this summer. It will be me, DH, DD13, DD11 and DD9. We are considering driving west through PA to Pittsburgh, and then on to Sandusky, OH. Any advice or ideas of what to visit or where to stay? So far I know we want to visit the zoo in Pittsburgh, and probably also the science museum. And Cedar Point park in Sandusky (my girls love big coasters). Probably a waterpark as well, I just don't know which one.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

 

[Tink888]

Things that your family might like in Pittsburgh are Kennywood Amusement Park; Sandcastle Water Park; visiting Station Square with ride on the Gateway Clipper Fleet and a ride on the Incline from Station Square up to Mt. Washington (there's also a Hard Rock Cafe there as well as lots of other restaurants and shops); a Pirate's Game at PNC Park; walking around the Strip District; Heinz History Center.

Both the Zoo and Science Center are excellent.

Stop and have lunch at Primanti's

When we last went to Cedar Point, we also stopped in Cleveland and visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Put-in-Bay is also near Sandusky so you may want to look into that.

 

[java]

My kids loved this place

http://mobile.africansafariwildlifepark.com/

The water park at cedar point is pretty fun. We stayed at lighthouse point in cabin as a result of some suggestions. Nothing fancy, but clean, on lake Erie and you can walk to the park. Has a little BBQ.

 

[DebbieB]

If you love big coasters, definitely hit Kennywood. 1 large steel coaster and 3 wooden ones.

 

[dismom301930]

Thank you both! I am taking notes

 

[Angiea1114]

Cedar Point is a must but you may want two days there. If looking for a separate water park, Kalahari which is also in Sandusky is awesome. There is also a Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky but we prefer Kalahari. It has been years, but there is also a cavern to go through in the Sandusky area.

Put in Bay is also right there.

 

[nym4588]

Things that your family might like in Pittsburgh are Kennywood Amusement Park; Sandcastle Water Park; visiting Station Square with ride on the Gateway Clipper Fleet and a ride on the Incline from Station Square up to Mt. Washington (there's also a Hard Rock Cafe there as well as lots of other restaurants and shops); a Pirate's Game at PNC Park; walking around the Strip District; Heinz History Center.

Both the Zoo and Science Center are excellent.

Stop and have lunch at Primanti's

When we last went to Cedar Point, we also stopped in Cleveland and visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Put-in-Bay is also near Sandusky so you may want to look into that.

All of this and maybe a visit to our Museum Of Natural History. I really love that place! You might even want to spend some time exploring the city itself; we have some nice architecture going on.

I'm not a big Pirates fan but I always enjoy a trip to PNC park. It's just a really beautiful stadium and you can't beat the view!

 

[dismom301930]

Thank you all.....very helpful!

If looking for a separate water park, Kalahari which is also in Sandusky is awesome. There is also a Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky but we prefer Kalahari.

We are planning to go to one water park. Any opinions as to which one? Kalahari or the one at Cedar Point?

 

[Firedog]

Kalahari for sure (indoors and outdoors).

 

[Kies99]

We are looking for a new place to vacation this summer. It will be me, DH, DD13, DD11 and DD9. We are considering driving east through PA to Pittsburgh, and then on to Sandusky, OH. Any advice or ideas of what to visit or where to stay? So far I know we want to visit the zoo in Pittsburgh, and probably also the science museum. And Cedar Point park in Sandusky (my girls love big coasters). Probably a waterpark as well, I just don't know which one.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

Okay, first things first. If you are driving "east through PA to Pittsburgh and then on to Sandusky, OH", that is driving west, not east.

Okay, back on topic. I live in Pittsburgh. Here's what we've got:

Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum
Carnegie Muesums of Art and Natural History
Andy Warhol Musuem
Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium
National Aviary
Phipps Conservatory
Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball
Pittsburgh Riverhounds Soccer
Kennywood Amusement Park
Sandcastle Waterpark
Carnegie Science Center

Station Square has some restaurants (Hard Rock, Bucca Di Beppo, Joes' Crabshack to name a few). Shopping has gone really downhill and not much there. However you can do the Gateway Clipper Fleet (riverboat tours) or you can do Just Ducky Tours (Vintage WWII DUKW amphibious trucks). You can also take an incline up Mt Washington to some nice overlooks of the city.

Southside Works has some shopping as well as restuarants such as Cheesecake Factory and Hofbrauhaus Pittsburgh.

The Strip District is the wholesale food and produce area of Pittsburgh. Has lots of great food shops and is really jumping with sidewalk vendors (knockoff sunglasses, jewelry, t-shirts, etc...) and people on Saturday.

 

[dismom301930]

Okay, first things first. If you are driving "east through PA to Pittsburgh and then on to Sandusky, OH", that is driving west, not east.

Whoops! That's what happens when I am typing too fast. Edited my OP.

Thanks for the great Pittsburgh advice!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Cedar Point is a must but you may want two days there. If looking for a separate water park, Kalahari which is also in Sandusky is awesome. There is also a Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky but we prefer Kalahari. It has been years, but there is also a cavern to go through in the Sandusky area.

Put in Bay is also right there.

We looked into Kalahari in Sandusky for July, and for what they offer the room price is definitely doable. That may end up as our destination.

 

[soccerdad72]

Thank you all.....very helpful!

We are planning to go to one water park. Any opinions as to which one? Kalahari or the one at Cedar Point?

We love Kalahari -- just don't plan on doing Cedar Point the same day you're staying at Kalahari. To me, it would be a waste of money as Kalahari is an attraction of itself. Soak City (Cedar Point's waterpark) is nice, but not worth the one-day admission fee. We go there once or twice a summer, but just because we have Platinum passes which give us access to all the Cedar Fair parks.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

There is this animal park as well.

http://www.ltanimalpark.com/

It is kinda off the beaten path, but my family loves it and we go everytime we visit the inlaws.

 

[dismom301930]

We love Kalahari -- just don't plan on doing Cedar Point the same day you're staying at Kalahari. To me, it would be a waste of money as Kalahari is an attraction of itself. Soak City (Cedar Point's waterpark) is nice, but not worth the one-day admission fee. We go there once or twice a summer, but just because we have Platinum passes which give us access to all the Cedar Fair parks.

Thanks....we will probably do Kalahari since we are only doing one water park.

Since you are a season pass holder, can I get your opinion on the "Fast Lane" pass? It is very expensive for the days we are considering going to the park ($65/each per day) but if we save some money in hotel costs, we could put that money toward the passes. I guess I am asking how long are typical lines on a weekday in July?

Thanks in advance!

 

[soccerdad72]

Since you are a season pass holder, can I get your opinion on the "Fast Lane" pass? It is very expensive for the days we are considering going to the park ($65/each per day) but if we save some money in hotel costs, we could put that money toward the passes. I guess I am asking how long are typical lines on a weekday in July?

Thanks in advance!

We've never used it, mostly because we tend to go up for short trips (4 or 5 hours at a time) and don't spend a whole day in the park.

From those I know who have used it in the past, it sounds like it's worth it if you have a fairly large group who want to hit all the major roller coasters and only have a day to cover everything.

Weekdays in July can be pretty busy. It's hard to predict on a given day how bad crowds will be, but typically, after Father's Day until mid-August (prime vacation season) tends to be the most crowded.