Columbus on the Cheap

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Fun Family Getaway: Comfort Inn Splash Harbor

POSTED BY
Val

Looking for a fun and inexpensive family getaway close to Columbus? Enjoy indoor waterpark fun for the price of a hotel room at Comfort Inn Splash Harbor in Bellville, about an hour from Columbus. 

With room rates starting around $100 depending on the season, it’s an affordable trip that offers 2 days of fun. Note: spring break and holiday weekends are always more expensive. Plan around those days for a more affordable experience.

Comfort Inn Splash Harbor is the perfect stay for a birthday, holiday, or an inexpensive getaway near Columbus! And you don’t have to worry about the weather or sunscreen for indoor swimming!

A few years ago my family was invited to check out Comfort Inn Splash Harbor two years ago, and our kids had such a fun time! Not only do kids love staying in hotel rooms, but there was a fun indoor water park right outside of our window!

It was so nice to not have to worry about the weather or applying sunscreen, which makes this a perfect year-round getaway.

Little Buckeye Children’s Museum

On the day of our arrival, we drove 15 minutes further into Mansfield to spend a few hours at the Little Buckeye Children’s Museum.

This hands-on children’s museum is geared towards ages 2-10, and there’s so much for kids to do!  Our kids could have spent all day there without getting bored!

Two stories of exhibits encourage exploration with art, science, transportation, and imagination play. 

Richland Carousel Park

After we left the museum, we walked one block to the Richland Carousel Park for a few spins on the beautiful hand-carved carousel. Ride tickets are just $1 and are less expensive when you buy more.

With 52 figures and several benches to ride on, we were able to get off and get right back on, even with 4 birthday parties going on at the carousel park. 

Buckeye Express Diner

We grabbed a snack in the gift shop and headed to Bellville to dine at the Buckeye Express Diner, which is located right next to the hotel. 

This unique restaurant features comfort food served in a old train car, as well as an outdoor seating area with a kids’ play area.  Come hungry because the portions are large!

After eating, we headed to the hotel to check-in and swim! We hadn’t really told the kids what they should expect, so they were quite excited when they saw the giant pool area! Once we got everything settled into the room, we got changed and headed to the pool.

Comfort Inn Splash Harbor Accommodations

The pool area is situated in the courtyard of the hotel, with about 1/2 of the hotel rooms looking in towards the rooms, and 1/2 facing outside. 

The window of our room looked right into the pool area, which was fun for our kids and a good way to see how busy the pool was at any given time. Don’t worry – there are 2 layers of blinds to ensure complete privacy if you close them. 

Even though the pool area was open until 10 pm, it wasn’t too loud in there for our toddlers to fall asleep.  You can also ask for a room on the other side of the hall if you are concerned about noise.

Up to four water park passes are included in all room rates, and they will give you a bracelet at the desk that must be worn in the pool area. Mom tip: if your child will mess with the bracelet, put it on his or her ankle. 

Hotels rooms

Our room was a clean, standard size room with 2 queen beds.  The room includes a 32 inch tv, small refrigerator, microwave, desk, and in-room safe. There was plenty of space to set up a pack-n-play as well.

The bathroom was clean and updated, with plenty of towels and a vent fan. 

There is also a coffee maker in the room, but skip that and head to the lobby for your coffee, where they offer a hot beverage station with the best coffee I’ve had in a long time.  The coffee machine has options to choose the strength of your brew, so I was able to get my coffee very strong. 

Need more space than a regular hotel room? There is a suite and several adjoining rooms available. While adjoining rooms can be requested, due to high demand, the request isn’t guaranteed.

Other amenities

Your stay also includes a free hot breakfast buffet in the morning. The buffet includes juice, cereal, fresh fruit, sausage gravy and biscuits, eggs, sausage, yogurt, make your own waffles, an assortment of pastries and beverages, and more! 

Hotel also offers free weekday newspaper, Fitness center, Game room, Banquet and meeting rooms, Video game arcade, HD TV/HBO, and bicycle rental.

Special packages include Birthday Party Package, Family Fun Package, Pastor’s Special, Meeting Package Special. Follow their Facebook page to find out about limited-time seasonal specials throughout the year! Rates vary during high and low seasons, and special events and holidays.

Splash Harbor Water Park Features

The water park features a zero depth splash pad area with geysers, dumping buckets, and spinning sprayers.

There’s also a good size kiddie pool area with sloping water depth from 6 inches to 14 inches deep. That area steps down into the main pool area, which is 3 ft – 4.5 ft deep. In the main pool area, you’ll find the 49 foot spiral water slide, water basketball hoops, a floating raft, plus lots of space for swimming. 

There are also two hot tubs; the bigger one is for adults only and has hotter water, and the other is for families with less hot water.

Our kids were on a circuit of waterslide, kiddie pool, main pool, family hot tub, and back around again. They were ages 2-4, which means we were on that course with them the entire time, but the shallower depths means that most school-aged kids can enjoy the fun and water slides on their own.

While there is a pool area monitor, there is no lifeguard on duty. It’s important for parents to keep their eye on their children at all times. Smaller kids should always wear approved floating devices.  The splash pad area is near the main pool, so young kids could walk off into the 4 foot deep water if they get a few steps from their parents.

While the water park is geared towards ages 10 and under with the shallower water and smaller slide, there was a group of teenage boys that came in on a day pass who were having an absolute blast for hours. They played water basketball, challenged each other to balancing on the floating raft, and hung out in the hot tub. 

The water park is open from 8 am – 10 pm. You can check in at 3 pm and start swimming, and swim in the morning until check out time! Small towels are available for use in the pool area, but I’d recommend bringing your own beach towel.

Game room

The game room has tons of games for teenagers and kids of all ages to enjoy too, so don’t rule this out for older kids.  Swimming is swimming, after all.

Book your room!

Ready to book? Make your reservations here! We recommend that you make your reservation through the website or by calling. The hotel can’t change or refund for stays booked through third-party sites (as is the case with most hotels).

The hotel books up quickly for holidays and school holidays, so plan your trip early.

If you’re bringing young kids, consider going with another family or bringing grandma, a babysitter, or other family member. This would allow you to take turns supervising the kids so you can enjoy the adult hot tub, relax by the pool, and go out for dinner once the kids are sleeping!

Area Attractions

If you can get away from the pool, you’ll find plenty to explore in the area, no matter what season.

U-pick berries and fruit

If you’re coming during summer or fall months, stop by one of these farms for u-pick berries and fruit!

Dining near Bellville and Mansfield

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