Originally posted on A Bloggy Mom

The kids and I take each opportunity we have to visit the amusement park located nearest our home. A long drive doesn't deter us and we make it a part of our Summer routine. When we are not at the park, the kids pretend they are there and enjoying the various rides. Pulling each other through the yard in their wagon - they scream and throw their hands in the air just as they do on the roller coasters.

As much as we anticipate, dream of and plan out our trips - we had never decided to venture a bit farther North and visit Cedar Point.  Over the years, I have heard a lot about the many different types of rides and attractions they have but never had the chance to visit.

A few weeks ago, my family and I finally had the time and opportunity to find out what everyone was so excited about.  We found that it was a destination in and of itself.  An entire vacation could be planned around all that this park has to offer. 

I had absolutely no idea how much fun was awaiting us! As we pulled into the parking lot it began to rain. I was certain this would ruin the fun of exploring a new amusement park. The rain came and went throughout the day but it never seemed to dampen the wonderful adventure my children were on in this new place.

Cedar Point is located on a peninsula that makes its way onto Lake Erie in Northern Ohio. Before arriving, I knew that we would be close to Lake Erie - I hadn't realized that we would be on the lake.

• In September 2012, Cedar Point was named as the Best Amusement Park in the World for the 15th consecutive year in the prestigious Golden Ticket Awards, presented by Amusement Today, an international industry publication.
• New in 2013 will be GateKeeper, a record-breaking winged roller coaster located at the front of the park, which will take riders over the main entrance.

As we walked into the park and grabbed a few maps - I realized there was no way we would be able to explore everything.  Cedar Point is enormous!  It boasts 72 rides - 15 of which are roller coasters.

Confession:  I always, always take extra maps.  I never ever leave an amusement park without taking extra maps.  And make note - that if you tweet that out, they see that... and may ask if you got all the maps you needed.  The kids love to play with them and to keep the kids happy I always need to laminate one for each of them to get us through the long Winter months when no amusement parks around us are open.

There is such a large assortment of rides that anyone who enjoys amusements parks will find entertainment at every turn.  The choices between kids rides, family rides and thrill rides was a perfect mix for the ages in our party and the level of thrill seekers.  For the youngest amusement park goers - Cedar Point features Planet Snoopy and many more rides throughout the park where they can enjoy themselves and make memories. 

This is definitely a place to put on our vacation idea list - and yours too!  Between hotel options, fun on the beach, in the water, go-karts and the rides at Cedar Point - you could plan a very fun vacation for the family.  I do hope that we'll be able to work this into a family vacation in the near future! 

Disclosure: I was provided this opportunity to explore Cedar Point amusement park.  Opinions are my own.