A Day Away at Castaway Bay

From regular contributor, Amelia Z. Sawyer of "Chef's Widow:"

The family and I decided on a cold winter’s day in Cleveland that we were going to the beach. An island adventure was calling our name! We packed up the car, hopped on the turnpike, and drove towards the Caribbean sun.

Castaway Bay is one of the three indoor water parks located in Sandusky, Ohio. We chose Castaway Bay because a Cedar Point season pass holder’s we get a major discount. Admission is normally $30 for anyone over 3 years old however with the season pass it is only $15 for the day pass.

When we arrived at Castaway Bay it was 3 degrees outside. We walked in and were immediately struck by how warm and sunny it felt even though there was no sun. We bought our passes and followed the tropically hallway down to the waterpark. Before we entered, our son Catcher noticed the Castaway Bay arcade continently located in his eye’s sight. We promised him we would visit the arcade after we enjoyed some slippery slides and water games.

We changed in the family lounge, not an easy task with two kids under the age of three. Twenty (and counting) minutes later we were ready to explore the bay! Our first stop was the toddler bay. Giant mushrooms and mini boats lined the wading pool and our 1 year old daughter was delighted. She even went down the kiddie slide maniacally laughing the entire ride.

Catcher bored of the baby/toddler area quickly and was ready for some waves. We headed over to the wave pool and put the kids in life vests (mandatory for kids under 48” tall) before we headed in. The giant waves come every five minutes so the in-between time was perfect for Louisiana (our daughter) and me. When the waves did finally come, Catcher & his daddy headed out into the deep blue sea (aka wave pool). They had a blast riding and jumping the waves and Catcher eventually had to be carried out of the pool he loved it so much.

After the wave pool, mommy & daddy decided that a rest was needed. We headed into the family friendly spa for some much needed relaxation. The spa is a gentle warm tub that is surrounded by rocks. It is indoor & outdoor although we did not venture out because of the below zero temperatures. We decided that we would go on the big waterslides even though our kids couldn’t just so we could get out money’s worth. I was the first one to try the slides and I must admit that they rocked. My favorite was the slide that uses the double tubes. It is like a rollercoaster, track and all. You go up and down hills through a series of tunnels and eventually land by the spa. Perfect for mommies & daddies!

Our day at Castaway Bay was well worth the 45 minute drive from Cleveland. For a moment we pretended that it was summer again and our winter blues were washed away. Castaway Bay is located in Sandusky, Ohio. For more information please visit their website at Castaway Bay.

Editor's Note: read more about waterparks in Northeast Ohio.

^{(photo © 2009 A.Z. Sawyer)}