<p>People familiar with Ohio, might you have some suggestions about where our family can stay while D and I look at Oberlin and Kenyon? Besides the two of us, we will be traveling with my husband and 8 yo boy twins. Of course we could book the usual chain hotel, but I was wondering whether there are any interesting family-friendly spots near these areas. We are not campers, nor are we looking for a high end resort. When I travel with one of my teen daughters I enjoy staying in B&B’s but they don’t normally accept younger children like my sons.</p>
<p>We will be on our way back to VA from vacationing in MI, and don’t normally get to spend time in this area of the country, so would like to get in a good visit. I know there are some things in the Cleveland area like Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Cedar Point. We will be staying three nights in Ohio. Does anyone have any favorite places to stay or suggestions about things to see and do?</p>
<p>Cedar Point would be a great stop. According to [Reviews</a> of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor](<a href=“http://www.tripadvisor.com%5DReviews”>http://www.tripadvisor.com), it looks like the top rated hotel is a new Best Western in Sandusky, the home of Cedar Point.</p>
<p>If the D likes to shop you could visit Tower City Center (downtown Cleveland). I worked on the full-gut renovation for 3 (!) years. Hoping to take DD there myself this summer!</p>
<p>When we made a similar trip, we started with family in Columbus. Visited Denison in the morning and Kenyon in the afternoon. Drove up and stayed at the Oberlin Inn that night. Nothing spectacular and probably a bit overpriced, but very convenient to wake up the next morning and just walk across the street to visit Oberlin. After that we drove to Cleveland and stayed at the Downton/Lakeside Doubletree. Very pleasant and within walking distance of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (must see!). We upgraded to a club level room which gives access to the executive lounge in the morning (free continental breakfast) and afternoon/early evening (free refreshments and nibbles). It’s nice to have the club available before and after touring the Hall of Fame. Have fun planning your trip.</p>
<p>Perhaps you already know this but there is also a Kenyon Inn and it’s right on campus (it has a nice restaurant too). Gambier is an extremely small town so if your D is seriously considering Kenyon, it might be a good idea to stay there and get a feel for that. My D loved the school but in the end, decided she wasn’t a small town girl. I know other kids who have attended and loved it.</p>
<p>Check out the Ohio State Parks website…depending on your route some of the state parks have beautiful lodges at reasonable prices and if you like the outdoors, some awesome trails for walking, jogging, bike riding. Since I’m not sure of your route, I can’t recommend one in particular.</p>
<p>OK, I’ve taken nearly everyone’s advice and decided on the following itinerary for our route home from MI to VA: stop at Cedar Point (thank you, toledo) on Saturday, which happens to be my twin sons’ birthday. Sat PM, head past Cleveland on to Punderson Lodge Manor State Park (thanks LOADS, abasket) and spend two nights in the amazing lakeside tudor lodge (built in 1929), reported to be haunted. Monday morning take off for Oberlin, tour there, then drive to Kenyon where we stay one night at the Kenyon Inn (Thank you, Puzzled88.) We will tour Kenyon Tuesday morning, then head home.</p>
<p>Again, thank you all for your wonderful suggestions! Really looking forward to this trip now.</p>
<p>That was a great trip! We managed to hit 5 colleges: 2 in Michigan and 3 in Ohio. Really enjoyed staying at wonderful Punderson Lodge Manor (fantastic for families, with swimming, boating and hiking, though we even saw a wedding there!) east of Cleveland, and the Kenyon Inn is super convenient, very clean and modern and has a friendly helpful staff.</p>