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Season of Joy and Castaway Christmas
Starting November 17th, both Sawmill Creek and Castaway Bay’s holiday events return for the season. Sawmill Creek’s Season of Joy is back for a second year after Cedar Point purchased and renovated the resort. Kerney-cation experienced the full event last year, so make sure to check out our YouTube video for the full review!
Sawmill’s Season of Joy event is scheduled to run Friday-Sunday from November 17th – December 10th and Daily from December 15th – 24th and Daily from December 26th – December 31st, ending with their Big New Year’s party, Toast of the North Coast.
The Toast to the North Cost is a separately ticketed event, and additional details should be coming soon.
Between Cedar Point Resorts two resorts, Sawmill Creek is best for couples, families with older children, or those looking for a premium experience. Small children are welcome, but the event is catered for adults and older children.
For families with younger children, we recommend Castaway Christmas, which we will be experiencing in full this year for the first time. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
Sawmill Creek – Season of Joy Event
This year, Season of Joy will offer guests Holiday Entertainment, Festive Food and Drink, and a Holiday “Boot Camp” for Activities to experience while on site. The Holiday season is a great time to visit Sawmill Creek, since they have plenty of cozy fireplaces, including in some of the guest rooms! Guests are not required to stay on site to experience the event, but it’s recommended for the full experience.
Holiday Entertainment
For entertainment, guests can expect to be dazzled by the Sawmill Carolers, the Mistletone’s, and the Fireside Family Christmas Eve show. Last year, we loved the Mistletone’s! All of the entertainment is free and no additional fees are required.
The Fireside Family Chirstmas Eve show is new this year and takes the place of the previous entertainment last year, “In thy Dark Street Shineth” which had a storyline about a 1947 piano player who breaks down on their way to a gig and plays some Holiday tunes.
The Sawmill Creek website also doesn’t mention the “Elf off the Shelf Tour” this year, which was a comedy skit that the late crowd seemed to enjoy.
Festive Food and Drink!
For your Holiday cravings, Sawmill has two onsite restaurants during the event. For Breakfast, Harvest has got you covered. We love this breakfast buffet and they accept Cedar Point Season Pass Discounts, or at least they did last year. Make sure to ask before paying!
For Lunch and Dinner, the Miller’s Table is fantastic. It’s a little on the expensive side, so I would plan to eat only dinner here during a weekend stay. For lunch, there are grab and go options in the Creekside Market or there are local restaraunts available in Sandusky.
For speciality items during the event, Season of Joy has moved the Holiday Pop up Bar from Mulligan’s to the Hideout bar on the second level of the Rotunda.
We love this change this year and can’t wait to experience it. Walking or driving over to Mulligan’s was tough since most of the events are in the main building.
It was also frustrating last year that the full kitchen at Mulligan’s was closed during the Mixology event. I was hoping for a burger, but they only had some small snacks. The kitchen closes for the season when the golf season ends.
The last activity that we know of is the “Santa’s S’Mores and More” event. Last year, the Santa’s S’Mores and more was free, and this year it is $10 for a S’Mores kit.
I am thinking this is going to be $10 per party and not $10 per person. The gift box likely contains multiple pokers and S’Mores items. Not a huge fan of this change to pay verse included. I really hope the Hot Chocolate is included this year, since that was one of our favorites!
They have also moved the S’Mores event from Sawmill Firepit to the Creekside Market. I am thinking that you can pickup your S’Mores kit (and maybe some “extra cheer” for those 21+) and then cook them in the Sawmill Courtyard.
It will be interesting to see if they still have the “Merry Little Christmas Walk” in the Courtyard as well. My guess is that it will be decorated, but maybe not a full “Event” this year.
Holiday Boot Camp
Lastly, Season of Joy will offer festive activities for the event. This year, all of the events come at a cost. We like this change since some of feedback last year was that although the event was free, we couldn’t keep the wreath we decorated.
This year, they are offering a Charcuterie class for $35 per person, Cookie decorating (4 cookies) at $20 per person, and they are bringing back the mixology class “A Taste of the Season” (but at the Hideout bar this time)at $25 per person.
Although the activities list at “per person”, I would be shocked if one person/party could pay and the rest could participate. I don’t see a family of four paying $80 to decorate cookies, but instead, one person pays and 4 can decorate. I’ll update this post once I find out.
I also hope that the mixology class is better this year. It was a popular event when we visited last year and we just ended up watching the bartender make the drink in a crowded mulligan’s. I hope this year that they allow attendees to make their own drink alongisde the mixologists for a fun event!
Overall, we love that Sawmill Creek puts this event on, especially after Cedar Point closes for the season. We are looking forward to checking it out this year, so be sure to subscribe to our Instagram and Youtube Channel!
