Spring deals for indoor waterpark lodges

by Jamie Rhein on

With warm weather barely hovering, the idea of finding a place where temperatures feel more tropical is appealing. You don’t have to head south to find it. Several indoor waterpark resorts are offering spring deals to entice travelers. I’m heading to one of them myself.

Cherry Valley Lodge in Ohio is a deal-making expert. Tomorrow, for example, by ordering two adult entrees at the lodge’s Sunflower Restaurant you get a one-day admission for four to the CoCo Key Waterpark. The way I see it, this takes care of what to do for Easter dinner as well as getting out of town for a mini getaway. From everything I’ve ever read or heard about the restaurant, it’s superb. I envision the waterpark before we eat, and then a walk through the lodge’s garden afterward.

Cherry Valley Lodge is offering several other package deals this spring that include a stay at the lodge. The Going Green with CoCo is connected to Earth Day and includes an Earth Day craft, a tote bag and more. There’s also a Wild Waterpark Works package that includes passes to The Wilds, an outdoor wild game preserve, and passes for The Works, a discovery center museum. Check out the lodge’s seasonal package page for the deals and the promotional codes.

Here’s a round-up of more packages at other indoor waterpark resorts.

If you’re looking for something to do with a group of friends, consider these as an option.

A few years ago, my husband’s family including four of his five siblings and most of their kids met for the day at Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio. We did the birthday party package even though it wasn’t anyone’s birthday. At the time, the package was cheaper than if we all bought individual day passes, plus it included ice-cream, pizza and a drink. One of my sister in-laws set it up under one name and we each paid for our own family when we arrived.

Other resort and waterpark deals:

Great Wolf Lodge, a chain located in various states, is offering a variety of package deals. The deals vary depending upon the lodge. Splash into Spring is available at the Kansas City location, for example. If you go to the Great Wolf Lodge website, you can find packages that include water park passes and lodging once you click on the particular water park in which you are interested.

CoCo Key waterparks are connected to various hotels such as the one at Cherry Valley Lodge. Like Great Wolf Lodge, the deals depend upon the location. Click here for options.

Country Springs Hotel, Water Park and Conference Center, Waukesha, Wisconsin. There are a few spring packages from which to choose depending on your budget and what you’d like to include. Food vouchers, birthday party fixin’s and game tokens are some of the options. Click here for details.

Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark, Dubuque, Iowa. There’s a Lil’ Squirt Package that includes waterpark tickets for four, $25 voucher for the Riverwalk Restaurant, 40 arcade tokens and 10% off the gift shop.

White Water Bay Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Waterpark, Queensbury, New York–There’s a package to celebrate Earth Day, one that includes breakfast, another that includes dinner and one for birthdays. All come with lodging and waterpark passes.

King’s Point Waterpark Resort, Storm Lake, Iowa. The resort’s website has coupons for discounts. You can get one night for free if you pay for two, for example. There are coupons for free food and other goodies as well.

Watiki Indoor Waterpark Resort, Grand Rapids, Rapid City, South Dakota. Through April 30th day passes are at a discount. During the week, a pass is $5.95. On the weekends it’s $11.95. Stay at the Fairfield Inn or La Quinta which are less expensive than many resort hotels. In May, the admission goes up by $5, which for an indoor waterpark, is not a bad deal.

Mascots needed for Miami Seaquarium Easter celebration

by Tom Johansmeyer on

If your parents told you your career at Chuck E. Cheese was a dead end, you can finally flaunt your possibilities. The Miami Seaquarium is ready to make your dreams come true. Its annual Easter Egg Hunt Celebration starts Friday, April 10, 2009 and runs through Sunday, April 12. To make the event come to life, the Seaquarium needs mascots, and that’s where you get involved.

You can bring your own costume! The celebration is open to mascots of all kinds. Throw your funny animal into the mix, and you’ll get to ride in a truck every day at 11 AM for a special ceremony – along with famous Miami Seaquarium personalities such as Flipper the dolphin, Lolita the killer whale, Roc the crocodile and Maime the manatee. You won’t be the guest of honor though. Come on, how could you upstage the Easter Bunny?! To assume your spot, you’ll have to get to the park a half hour before the festivities begin.

For those not dressed for the affair, the Easter Egg Hunt activities start at 10 AM and run until 4 PM.

No Wrong Turns: Easter in Mexico….No Mini Eggs Here

by Kelsey Mulyk on

You won’t find any pastel colored eggs, chocolates or fuzzy white rabbits in Mexico during Easter. In fact, there isn’t a speck of the materialistic, Cadbury-bunny-laced Easter we have come to know and love at home. And, believe me, I looked for those addictive Mini Eggs everywhere.

Mexicans are predominantly Catholic and Holy Week, or “Semana Santa” as it is known here, is the most important religious holiday of the year. Kids get the week before and after Easter Sunday off and it is a time for family and church. These two weeks off are equivalent to our Spring Break so travelers can expect beaches and hotels to be crowded…make your reservations early.

Tom and I caught a little bit of the celebration on Good Friday (Viernes Santo). The devout congregate in groups all over the city, each outfitted with a large cross. These groups walk throughout the neighborhoods towards the church, stopping at homes to perform prayers and blessings. Eventually all the groups meet at the church for the service. In other parts of the country, the crucifixion is reenacted and passion plays are performed. One of the biggest celebrations is held in Iztapalapa, just south of Mexico City.

“Sabado de Gloria”, Holy Saturday, tells the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Papier mache Judases are created and then burned or destroyed as part of the ceremony. The service we attended was not so inclined and instead included readings by from both the Mexican and English community. People just kept piling in and eventually all the seats were taken leaving latecomers standing in the aisles. Women were hanging onto restless children, statues of the Virgen de Guadalupe were clutched tightly in hand, thousands of candles were lit and re-lit, bottles of water were raised for blessing and children, trussed up in their best clothes, were baptized and welcomed as members to the Catholic church. The evening ended with a shower of bright fireworks that could be seen from all over town.

Two words of advice on attending a church service:

Many Mexicans turn up casually dressed, but it is wise to be respectful and dress appropriately. Women should have their shoulders covered and men should wear a nice shirt and pants.

It is worth bringing your own candle so you can participate in the service. A ton of candles are lit during this event…it is like one big bonfire waiting to happen, so make sure you know where the closest exit is or sit near someone with a big bottle of water.

On Easter Sunday, Domingo de Pascua, Mexicans attend Mass and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the company of family and friends, sadly for me, it is not filled with bunny trails or chocolates either, sigh.
Anyone want to send some Mini Eggs my way?

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“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

Drive-thru Easter story (and more about Easter in Ohio)

by Iva Skoch on

So I actually made it to Cleveland for Easter. It was not exactly easy, but I guess Easter is all about suffering so I am not complaining. The flight from Prague to New York was delayed and the flight from New York to Cleveland was three hours more delayed because Ohio got hit with 8 inches of snow. Yes, snow on Easter. Long story short, I made it here in time to find what the Easter bunny left for me (iTunes card, dark chocolates, paddle ball set….it was a cool Easter bunny, I must say.)

It has been three and a half years since I was last in Ohio. Snow was on the ground then, too. The weather here is about as bad as the weather in Prague. What Prague lacks though, is the drive-thru Easter story. Only in America!

A church in Middleburg Heights, Ohio has developed a creative way of telling the Easter story without the inconvenience of having to get out of one’s car. You simply pull your car up to the last supper, and see the story dramatized by live actors. In their church parking lot, the actors stage Easter scenes-like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, writes wkyc.com.

Pastor Mike Wengerd says “What a wonderful, safe way for people to say-i don’t have to leave my car and do this.”
Members say their drive-thru attracts people who don’t normally come to church, and it also strengthens the faith of those who make it happen.

You gotta ask, what would Jesus say about this?

Holy Week in Poland – Part 2: Krakow

by Kelly Amabile on

The respect and love felt for “hometown hero” Pope John Paul II is evident throughout Krakow. The 1st anniversary of his death fell during the Easter season in 2006, inspiring an additional layer of reverence and special tributes throughout the city. Despite threatening clouds and intermittent rain, an outdoor photo montage of his life was displayed along the planty that circles Old Town. Inside St. Francis Basilica church (where he served as archbishop before becoming Pope) there were additional memorials in his honor and a chance to kneel in the pew where he used to pray. (The church is worth a visit to see Stanislaw Wyspianski’s famous stained-glass windows.)

A friend and I fell under the trance of the somber mood that seemed to hang over the city. In between rain showers, we climbed up Wawel Hill, walked along the banks of the Vistula and strolled through Cloth Hall examining the plethora of chess sets and amber offerings; but the lousy weather kept us seeking cover most of the week, which turned into a tour of Krakow churches. We attended services a few times, continually stunned at the huge turnouts, the long kneeling sessions and the great lengths to which some worshipers would go to make sure they had a seat — on several occasions we stood near folks sitting on their own small folding chairs!

A popular Holy Saturday tradition in Poland is to bless the Easter baskets, filled with the food that will be eaten on Sunday morning. The baskets themselves are often used as decoration for a centerpiece during brunch. As my friend and I explored damp and dreary Krakow in the days leading up to Easter, we decided that we would prep a basket to be blessed as well. We bought one and filled it with bread, flowers and a traditional poppy seed cake called makowiec. Other items usually included are salt, hard-boiled eggs, sausage and cheese, but we were staying in a hostel with limited space in the communal fridge. Our improvised creation worked fine for Easter brunch, and later that day we treated ourselves to yummy Polish lody (ice cream) for dessert.

As we headed out to catch a train early Monday morning, we were on high alert — another tradition in Poland is for young boys to to wake girls on Easter Monday morning by pouring a bucket of water on their head. Thankfully the only water to dampen our morning was the rain that continued to fall from above. We were pleased that we had been able to participate in several of Poland’s Easter traditions, but were quite happy to escape without being subjected to Wet Monday mischief.