While looking for some summer fun, our family visited Cedar Point on a Thursday and Lagoon Deer Park Friday (the week of Aug 6th 2009). Both places are in Sandusky, Ohio.
We were hoping that because it was a ‘weekday’ Cedar Point wouldn’t be as crowded. We knew our plan had failed the moment we pulled into the busy parking lot. The line for the Magnum was an hour long. The Iron Dragon line was also a little longer than usual (half hour wait). Even though it was crowded, we had a great time. We were very impressed with the lights that they put up this year. If you go, you should stay until dark, buy a pair of 3-D glasses (for $1), and walk through the “Starlight Experience”.
The next day, we went to Lagoon Deer Park, which is very close to Cedar Point. The kids had a wonderful time there, and so did Grandma and I. We highly recommend this place for some affordable family fun. I would call it the ultimate petting zoo. There are beautiful deer, llamas, mountain goats, rhea, audads, and more. Check out our pictures below (click on them for close-up)
If you have an animal lover in the family, this is the place to be. They will absolutely love it. You purchase a bag of food and go into the huge courtyard. The timid deer will begin to approach you and eventually you will become surrounded by the gentle creatures. There are some nice shady spots with benches to relax and adorable baby deer to watch. The main courtyard is surrounded by even more animals in enclosures.
My older son wore a colorful sombrero that he got at Cedar Point. The deer were horrified by the huge hat, so I ended up carrying it around. If you do make the trip, remember, no sombreros! He had such a great time we practically had to drag him away from the place. He would have stayed all day.
My younger son was a little hesitant to pet the animals, so I gave him my camera and he had a great time playing photographer for us. All the photos you see here were taken by an eleven year old. He did eventually end up feeding the animals, though.
While we were there, we talked with some of the other visitors who were all having a great time. A grandpa was there with his three grandkids (pictured on the right) who were all under the age of seven. He told me that he had been there with his parents fifty years ago.
There is also a large lake stocked full of fish. The kids enjoyed feeding them. They were HUGE! They allow fishing but you must bring your own gear and there is a fee.
As we left, there was a place to clean up with a sink, papertowels, soap and hand sanitizer just outside the main building (so no worries!). We found the place to be full of charm. We will definitely come back to this family owned petting zoo. The kids are still talking about it.
Visit their website here:
http://lagoondeerpark.com/
and view their prices and contact information below the pictures:
Click here for more pictures: Lagoon Deer Park Pictures
Lagoon Deer Park
Minutes from Cedar Point
419-684-5701 or 419-684-56271502 Martins Point Rd.
State Route 269
Sandusky, Ohio 44870PARK ADMISSION: $9.00 Adults, $5.00 Children
FISHING: $5.00 Children, $5.00 Senior Citizens, $7.00 Adults
Aug 18, 2009 @ 16:37:08
Nice! I recently (OK almost two years ago) moved to Marion, OH and often find myself wondering what the heck there is to do with the kiddies… Deer Park looks perfect.