Places to Visit »Cedar Point

Written by Mike

Cedar Point started off in the late 1800s like many amusement parks of the day.  It was a boardwalk on a scenic waterfront complete with picnic grounds, an amusement arcade and even a ballroom.  While some of this past is visible in the park still (the ballroom still stands), Cedar Point is now known better for one thing, it’s “America’s Roller Coast”.  That may be their slogan, but it’s pretty accurate.  With some 14 roller coasters, including some big firsts of their day and the second tallest and fastest coaster in the world as of this writing, its got a pretty good reputation among coaster lovers across the world.

When I knew i wanted to book a trip there, I started looking around for local hotel options.  To my surprise, some of the best places to stay in the area were in the park itself.  This includes some serene log cabins that can hold up to 10 people (which if split among some friends or a family turns out to be a pretty decent deal).  The food in the park is comparatively good for amusement parks, but staying in the cabins allowed for us to do some BBQing at night while taking a coaster break before one last evening push.  Staying in the resort also lets you into the park an hour early, plus when else can you say you slept in a cabin at the foot of a giant wooden coaster?

The park is really clean and has plenty of family entertainment including an old frontier town section that does glass blowing and blacksmithing.  The Gemini is a wooden/metal racing coaster hybrid that was one of my favorites there, as well as a newer magnetic launched coaster called the Maverick.  A day pass includes a trip to the water park, which is a nice break especially on a really hot day like it was when we were there.  If you get sick of the 13 or so coasters, they also have a great arcade with some classic games, and some lesser known old ones with some awesome cabinet art.

All in all it was one of the most pleasant amusement park trips I have ever had and a great trip for roller coaster lovers and fun lovers alike.

On a side note, if your looking for an interesting place to eat one night outside of the park or on your way home, I would recommend local Czech favorite, Old Prague Restaurant in Vermilion OH.  We actually found this place thanks to the use of a “where to eat nearby” iphone app and were not disappointed.  Not only was there an older lady playing standards on a Casio, but they had good beer and even better Sauerkraut balls.

Click here for the rest of Cedar Point

See more: Places to Visit


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on February 24, 2011

Places to Visit »Nettle Meadow Farm

Thurman, NY – Guest Written by Mike Stermer

Hidden away on a rural route in the Adirondacks, Nettle Meadow is an idealist goat farm.  Founded 5 years ago by a couple in the midst of mid life crisis, Nettle Meadow is farming at it’s best.  Not only do each of their 300 goats have names, but Lorraine, one of the co-owners who gave us a free tour, knows each and every one of their names.  The goats, along with their sheep neighbors, all lend their milk to their artisan cheeses made on the farm.  They make several varieties.  The flavored chevres that we tasted were only two days old, fresh from the goats.  They even have 3 varieties of ages cheeses, aged in the 200 year old stone basement of the farm house.  Their “Kunik” is a not to be missed semi-aged cheese with a super creamy texture.

It’s really nice to see a small family owned farm doing things with care, and worrying about quality and not quantity.  The goats are all treated quiet well.  Unlike many other farms they allow their goats to naturally grow their horns out. In the back of the farm they have 7 acres of free range roughage to roam through.  The largest and oldest of the barns they use as a sanctuary for rescue animals including a thoroughbred horse with an injured leg, cow calves, chickens, roosters, ducks and even a peacock. They even use llamas as sheep dogs to help the keep away the wilds.
Of course their cheeses can be found at local restaurants in the Lake George, but they also venture out much future than that.  NYC’s Murray’s cheese as well as many local eateries carry lines of their cheese as well.  So if you can’t make it up there for a Saturday or Sunday free tour at noon, be sure to search out some of their cheese and taste farm food done right.

Click here for the rest of Nettle Meadow Farm

See more: Places to Visit


Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 8, 2010