Last night, I stopped into Charleys Philly Steaks in Elyria for a media preview and ribbon cutting. As soon as I got out of the car, I could smell the delicious aroma of the warm bread and sizzling steak. With almost 600 locations across the world and 6 locations in the Cleveland-area, I am excited that Charleys Philly Steaks is back in Lorain County!
Charleys Philly Steaks, home to the #1 Cheesesteak in The World, officially opens to the public today, Wednesday, January 31. What’s new about this restaurant? You’ll love that they are serving up new all-white meat, hand-battered Chicken Fingers alongside Charleys famous Philly Cheesesteaks. In fact, this location is only the fourth in the Charleys system to serve an expanded menu with Chicken Fingers.
This restaurant offers up ample seating with both tables and chair and large booths that will fit your whole family. While there, I watched some of their hard-working employees create meals and then munched on their famous Philly Cheesesteaks and their all-new chicken fingers. Their hand battered chicken fingers are a MUST try! They are tender and juicy. These aren’t just for kids. Pair that with some of their piping hot french fries and a cool glass of lemonade and you’ll have a yummy lunch or dinner.
Charleys Philly Steaks Elyria Opening Day Festivities On opening day, January 31, beginning at 10:00 am, the first 50 customers to visit the new Elyria Charleys Philly Steaks will receive a Free Small Philly Cheesesteak Combo or three-piece Chicken Finger Meal (limit one per customer). As an added incentive, all customers that stop by on opening day between 10:00 am – 10:00 pm ET will be entered to win a year’s worth of free meals (52 small Philly Cheesesteak combos or three-piece Chicken Finger combos).
About Charleys
In 1986, Charleys redefined the Philly Cheesesteak. Today, almost 600 locations in 45 states and 17 countries in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe serve up the #1 Cheesesteak In The World® made with fresh, quality ingredients, grilled-to-order the Charleys way. Also known for its loaded Gourmet Fries and refreshing natural Lemonades, the restaurant franchise is quickly expanding to serve the world’s favorite Cheesesteaks across the globe.
Disclosure: My family was provided with overnight accomodations to help facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
My family loves to visit Castaway Bay throughout the year, but our favorite time to visit is the cold winter months. Did you know that no matter the frigid temperatures outside, it’s always 82 degrees inside the waterpark?
Over the Christmas holiday we packed our bags and headed out to Castaway Bay. While driving, our youngest one sheepishly asked how he was going to swim with his broken arm in a cast. If you hadn’t heard, at the beginning of December, my family and I were involved in a bad car accident where his arm was broken. The aftermath of the car accident has been a lot to deal with and we thought a overnight stay would be perfect for our family. How in the world we forgot about his broken arm is beyond me! Thankfully, Castaway Bay has so much to do outside the waterpark too!
Castaway Bay is located right outside the gates of Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio and is an easy drive from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. This large five-story indoor waterpark has something for everyone in the family; from the toddler area for your little ones to the water roller coaster for those that dare. Castaway Bay’s indoor waterpark features a vaulted wood ceiling in a natural setting of palm trees, huts, inland lagoons and plenty of wet and wild water adventure. The indoor/outdoor hot tub is a must-visit along with surfing the waves in the large wave pool. Safety is important at Castaway Bay and there are plenty of lifeguards to help you keep an eye on your kids.
As soon as we checked in we took a look at the Island Times newsletter that is posted at the front desk. This daily newsletter shares the waterpark opening and closing times as well as keeps an up-to-date activity log of all the fun things to do during your stay. This includes meet and greets with Peanut characters, storytimes and more. I always take a picture of this with my phone so I’ll have easy access it whenever I need to look at it.
Before exploring the hotel, we settled into our comfy room! Castaway Bay has many room options for both small and large families. We’ve stayed in the large two-room Tarpon Suite but the last two years we have stayed in the Starfish Bayview. As a family of five, we had more than enough room and we really liked our balcony with a view. My oldest son loves this room for the unique pull-out chair (a chair with a twin pull-out bed). He’s at the age that he wants his own bed and really enjoys that he doesn’t have to share a bed with his brothers. Our room included two double beds, a mini fridge and microwave. This year we brought along out Fire Stick to watch movies before bed which hooked right into the in-room TV.
Because we had extra time, we headed to Quaker Steak & Lube for dinner. This restaurant is attached to the hotel and serves award winning ribs & burgers, plus offers chicken wings with 25 of their signature sauces. It offers a large in-door restaurant as well as seasonal patio seating in the summer. Our waitress was great and our food came out quickly.
The waterpark will keep your family busy but Castaway Bay offers so much more than that! One of our favorite things to do is the meet the Peanut characters such as Snoopy and Lucy. As mentioned earlier, the meet and greet times and locations are listed each day. These loveable characters take their time to snap photos and give out hugs along at all of the events throughout the day.
While we were there, Snoopy came out for a tree lighting ceremony. It was too cute and got us in the holiday spirit. We also came down to the lobby later that evening for storytime. Most of the kiddos who were there dressed in their jammies and cuddled on the couches while listening to the story, The Night Before Christmas.
After storytime, we stopped in at Ebb & Eddy’s Deli. Located near the front lobby, you’ll find sandwiches, snacks, and sweet treats. Be sure to give their giant sized peanut butter Buckeye’s a try. Oh my, are they delicious!
It’s here, where we always grab donuts for breakfast the next morning. Did you know that after 6pm, all donuts are BOGO free? SCORE! My boys were looking for a treat in the evening they opted for ice cream. Ebb & Eddy’s offers Toft’s ice cream in a variety of flavors. This is a family favorite! You can take your treats back to your room or eat-in. This area even boasts a lot of tables and a large screen TV. My youngest really wanted to enjoy his ice cream by the fireplace in the lobby. I think he chose the perfect place!
Before heading to bed, we had fun at Castaway Bay’s Club Castaway! Located on the 3rd floor, this large room hosts activities throughout the day. The evening we were there, they offered karaoke with the Peanuts characters and a dance party. I’ve also seen movie nights hosted here. Best of all, it’s FREE!
If arts and crafts is your thing, be sure to check out the craft area where kids can color their own t-shirt, beach blanket and more! This year we chose to color a t-shirt and my boys couldn’t wait to put them on. With prices as low as $5.00, it’s sure to fit into your budget.
While visiting Club Castaway, you can even snag a free coloring book. You may spot a FREE easy-to-do craft that are sometimes available around the holidays. While we were there, we completed a cute snowman craft.
This trip to Castaway Bay, I learn something new! Stop into Club Castaway where kids can write a letter to Snoopy. When they drop it off during the opening hours of the club, Snoopy will write back and put the letter under the door of their room. What a fun thing to wake up to!
The next morning, our boys were super excited to check out Crabbie’s Quarterdeck Arcade. This arcade boasts all the best video games such as skee-ball, basketball, claw machines. They offer ticket and non-ticket redemption games as well. To make it super easy for families, tickets earned are directly loaded onto the arcade cards and they are reloadable. Best of all, many games award tickets that can be redeemed for awesome prizes. You can pay for single games but we found the package deals a great offer. The package deals let your kids play for hours for one price.
While we weren’t able to go into the waterpark this time, my family still had an awesome time at Castaway Bay! Next time you are at Castaway Bay be sure to check out not only the waterpark but all the dry activities that they offer too!
A huge thanks to the Hard Rock Rocksino for teaming up and providing this fabulous giveaway. This is a sponsored post.
Last day to enter!
Hey Cleveland, get ready for an awesome concert at the Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park. On January 19th, you can catch a show with Berlin featuring Terri Nunn and The Romantics. Tickets are currently on sale with prices starting at less than $30. What a perfect night out!
Cost: $52.50/$45.00/$29.50 Show: 8:00 PM Doors Open: 7:00 PM Age: 21+ Note: This is a 21 & over event. Large purses and backpacks are not permitted. Doors open 60 minutes before show time, but guests can enjoy the gaming floor and dining areas before doors. All seats are reserved. No cameras permitted. The box office opens at 1pm on the day of the show. For more information call 1-855-660-7625. Parking is free, valet is also available for a fee. Closest entrance to Hard Rock Live is the South Entrance. All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.
I’m a PROUD blogger of Disney On Ice. I’m offered tickets in exchange for promotion.
My family has been attending Disney on Ice for years now. It’s a family tradition that we all look forward to all year! This year’s DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS DARE TO DREAM didn’t disappoint, in fact, we think it was one of the BEST we’ve ever seen! We love that every Disney on Ice show, includes stunning costumes, perfect choreography and our favorite music from Disney films. Of course, you also have some amazing, gravity defying ice skating!
DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS DARE TO DREAM includes favorite’s such as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Elsa and Anna from Frozen and Cinderella and her wicked step-sisters. Elsa’s rendition of “Let it Go” made me want to stand up and sing right along with her and the the stage design was spot on! Cinderella’s carriage ride to the ball was simply gorgeous and the horses pulling the carriage are mesmerizing. These are numbers not to miss!
At the end of DISNEY ON ICE: DARE TO DREAM you’ll get to hear Moana’s story. Moana’s part of the show includes stunning visuals and all of her popular songs. Maui appears singing his signature song and we all found ourselves singing along with the crowd. Disney on Ice channels creativity and symbolism throughout this number. It’s simply beautiful from beginning to end and it was definitely a crowd favorite.
Disney On Ice Dare To Dream Performance Times Friday, January 5- 7PM Saturday, January 6- 11AM/3PM/7PM Sunday, January 7- 1PM/5PM Thursday, January 11- 7PM Friday, January 12- 7PM Saturday, January 13- 11AM/3PM/7PM Sunday, January 14- 11AM/3PM/7PM
GIVEAWAY:I’m so excited to share that I’m giving away TWO more 4 packs of tickets to next week’s shows! Simply fill out the form below! This giveaway ends on 1/9. Please note, only enter if you haven’t already won tickets from another Cleveland area Disney On Ice giveaway for this season.
Unleash the roar! Join Kion and the rest of the Lion Guard on a heart pumping adventure in Disney’s THE LION GUARD: THE RISE OF SCAR! After using the Roar of the Elders in anger, Kion unwittingly summons the Pride Lands’ greatest villain, Scar. Click below to enter for your chance to win a DVD copy
