Travelling is Better When You Stay at Drury Hotels

source Drury Hotel

We were provided with a complimentary two-night stay to facilitate this review. 

Opinions are my own. 

Last month, the family and I went to Columbus for LEGO Creativity Tour and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Experience Columbus made planning our trip carefree and the website has everything from booking a room to finding fun stuff to do during our stay. 

Even though Columbus is only two hours from Cleveland, it's still two hours trapped in a car with restless kids. Travelling at night made the drive easier and I had the kids dress in their PJs hoping they'd sleep. Of course, they didn't sleep so when we spotted Drury Hotel from the expressway I was ready for bed.

A friendly front desk clerk greeted us and quickly got us checked in and explained all of the extras in no time. One of the perks staying at Drury is they offer snack time of popcorn and soda in the lobby from 3 - 10 PM.

Gorgeous late night view of the @druryhotels' in #Columbus! #expcols #travel #travelgram #ohio #ohiogram #passtheplus

A photo posted by Mary Johnson (@mryjhnsn) on Nov 19, 2015 at 8:42pm PST

Wild about the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium #Wildlights

Our family received tickets to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium to facilitate this post. Opinions are my own. I did not receive any monetary compensation.

I would love to show you all of the amazing photos from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Wildlights, but we didn't make. I had a four days worth of plans jammed into one a half days in Columbus and something had to give. Sadly, it was the Zoo lights that had to be cut.

source Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

As it turns out, several hours of playing with LEGOS is not only fun but exhausting! Our family pooped out when it came time to see the lights at night. We did, however, spend an amazing, sunny afternoon exploring the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium during the day!

It's hard to believe that it is sunny in November when talking about Ohio but sure enough, we went on a weekend that was gorgeous! Sure it was a bit chilly, but that's just one more reason to stroll the exhibits while sipping hot cocoa.

I know now why the Columbus Zoo is always at the top of best zoos in America. They have successfully created this illusion that you are in a smaller zoo and closer to the animals when in actuality it is quite large. Divided into six regions, Australia and the Islands, Congo Expedition, Shores, Asia Quest, North America, and Heart of Africa, with 10,000 animals!

We might not have seen the lights at night, but there were plenty of signs of the Holidays all throughout the zoo.

As you can see, our first stop was at the Villiage Coffee and Deli for some Tim Horton's coffee, tea and hot chocolate. 

LEGO Creativity Tour [photos] + 2016 KidsFest Tour Dates!

Our family was provided with tickets to the LEGO Creativity Tour to facilitate this post. Opinions are my own.

For three days, LEGO Creativity Tour made its last stop in Columbus, Ohio and we were there!

This event was huge and had so many fun interactive, creative, and educational activities. There was something for every LEGO builder to do and build from the novice to the master and for every age.

No one could resist the LEGO & DUPLO® Construction Zones with piles of bricks to build anything that you could imagine. Everyone, even parents, got on the floor and were knee deep in LEGOS. Attendees could also participate in build challenges and there were group build sites throughout the event space.

Win Tickets to LEGO KidsFest in Columbus, OH this November!

We have received tickets to this event to facilitate this post and sweepstakes. Opinions are mine.

Everything is Awesome! The North American LEGO KidsFest tour is coming to the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus Nov. 20 - 22.

Like most families, we are a LEGO family and they are everywhere in our house and truth be told, I wouldn't have it any other way! When I saw that LEGO Creativity Tour was stopping in Ohio, I knew we would be taking a trip to Columbus! The kids and the Hubs went way back in 2011 when it stopped in CLE so this time, I'm going an leaving the Hubs at home.

The LEGO Creativity Tour 

Fun Activities Across the US, UK and Canada this Fall #Fall4SoFab

I recently posted a list of favorite fall activities for Northeast Ohio and at the same time, across the globe, other bloggers were doing the same thing.

It seemed only right to joined up with some of these bloggers to share a huge list of events for nearly anywhere you may be or may be going this autumn.

T.G.I. Fall!

An Island Home Away From Home is Put-in-Bay Condos #LakeErieLove

We were provided with overnight accommodations to facilitate this post. Opinions are my own.

When we decided on a date for our road-trip to Put-in-Bay I immediately went to Lake Erie's Shores and Islands website to plan our stay.

Transportation to Put-in-Bay was provided by Miller Boat Line. Read part one of our mini island vacation and see some of the sites through our eyes.

Shores and Island's website has everything you need to plan your stay from lodging to events. They also have a handy itinerary planning tool to assist you in creating the best vacation possible. As a bonus, they are running a fantastic sweepstake right now just for creating a vacation plan and emailing it to them - hurry it ends 6/29/2015!

Where do Landlubbers Stay?

First up was where to spend the night. I wish we could have stayed longer but we did not find out until the last minute that we could have spent another night due to the Hubs' schedule, but the weekend we went was a popular weekend! It was Pyrate Fest!

Pyrate Fest is a five-day festival dedicated to pyrates and the landlubbers who love them.

Lucky for us, they didn't arrive until Friday and Put-in-Bay Condos was able to provide us lodging for the night as well as a golf cart when we arrived.

Miller Boat Line, the Only Way to Put-in-Bay #millerferry

We received round-trip passage on Miller Boat Line as well as passes for Perry's Cave Family Fun Center and a golf cart was provided by E's Golf Cart Rental to facilitate this post. All views and opinions are my own.

As a life-long, proud Northeast Ohioan there are a few things I have yet to do in my home state that I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I have not done. I was able to check off one of those things recently - Put-in-Bay.

Miller Boat Line invited us to the island last summer but with the Hubs crazy schedule and, well, life it never happened. I was not passing it up this year and when I found an opening in our schedules I took Miller Ferry up on their offer to provide transport and they threw in passes for Perry's Cave Family Fun Center!

Miller Boat Line's has the lowest fares and are the only ferries that can take you and your car out to the island, but if you don't take your car, they also offer free parking at their port. Since we were also given a golf cart to use for Friday, we figured we would take our chances without our car.

A New Summer Tradition Begins at Hotel Breakers @CedarPoint

As a Cedar Point blogger, we received an overnight stay plus tickets to Cedar Point to facilitate this review. Opinions are 100% my own.

My mom's favorite vacation spot growing up was Euclid Beach. My favorite summer family getaway as a kid was Geneva-on-the-Lake. Now it's time to make yearly summer traditions with the kids and Cedar Point Resorts' Hotel Breakers is at the top of the list.

This is our first trip to the Hotel Breakers so I can't compare what it once was to what it is now after what I hear was extensive renovations but what I can say is that it is a gorgeous place to stay.


From the greeting we got at arrival to the fond farewell when we left, there was not a moment where we were unhappy or received poor service. Even the employees seem happy to be at the Hotel Breakers, the service is incredible.

How can you not be happy when this is your back yard for the time that you are here.

And, Snoopy sightings twice a day!

It's the details...

I truly want to gush over the artwork and the attention to detail that was paid in the decor, but I'll just share some of the photos that the Hubs and I took while at the Hotel Breakers.

11 Reasons You Need to See The Henry Ford Museum This Summer

On a whim, we decided to visit family in Michigan one weekend and seeing as Detroit is only three hours from us, I'm not sure why we have not done this sooner!

When searching for things to do in the area, I introduced myself to the fine folks at The Henry Ford Museum and they were kind enough to supply us with tickets to the museum and Greenfield Village.

Until I started to really look at Michigan and all the amazing things that Ohio's neighbor state has to offer - I had no idea that The Henry Ford Museum existed.

What can I say? I'm not a car fan. Of course, now I hear commercials all the time for it and I want to go back!

I was blown away by the sheer magnitude of this amazing place. We also could not have asked for a nicer weekend to visit.

There are 26 million artifacts in the The Henry Ford Museum plus Greenfield Village which is on 200 acres of land and encompasses 300 years of history. All of this started by Henry Ford himself.

Here are 11 Reasons I think you need to see The Henry Ford Museum for yourself this summer