New Holiday Traditions in Lorain County

Try something new this holiday season and add a twist to your traditional celebration! Light displays, carolers, and mistletoe are a must, but why not try a few of these unique holiday activities and celebrations. 

Do-It-Yourself Holiday Décor
Design your own 20" fresh indoor/outdoor holiday wreath at the Fresh Wreath Workshop at Days of Yore Herb & Flower Farm. [12/4/10, 2pm & 6pm. $36.50 per person. 440.647.2045]

Holiday decor at Farmyard Flowers

Old Fashioned Holiday
Experience what it was like to celebrate the holidays as a pioneer! There will be a reenactment as you tour the Benjamin Bacon House Museum at Vermilion River Reservation with authentic sights, smells and sounds of a pioneer holiday. A live band performance, food, and horse-drawn carriage rides are also available. [12/4, 3-8pm; 12/5, 2-6pm]
  
An International Holiday
Celebrate the season by learning how other cultures throughout the world observe the holidays at French Creek Nature Center’s, “Holiday Traditions Around The World.” You will travel to different "countries" set up in the Nature Center. Each country will have a craft or activity and a customary holiday treat. This year's countries will include Germany, Norway, Canada, Ireland, and a few others. After traveling, enjoy a soup dinner. [12/7, 6-8pm. 440.458.5152]

A Holiday Whodunit
The Oberlin Inn hosts a Holiday Murder Mystery, complete with a dinner buffet and overnight accommodations. Reservations required. [12/11, 440.775.1111]

Holiday Wine Tasting with the Lake Erie Crushers
Do wine and baseball mix? In this case, yes! Join the Lake Erie Crushers at the All Pro Freight Stadium for Italian wines and cuisine. [12/15, 6-9pm. 440.934.3636]

A Christmas Cabaret
Back by popular demand—A Christmas Cabaret will take you on a sleigh ride of 30 songs for the season and other festive curiosities – plus evergreens like Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Silver Bells, God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen, and many more. Performances at Stocker Art Center were sold out last year, so get your tickets early! [12/17, 7:30pm & 12/18, 3:00pm; $15/Adults; $10/Children 12 & under]

Ballroom Dancing on the Lake
Dance the winter night away at Lakeview Park's Rose Cafe. Free lessens before the dance. Reservations required. [12/17, 7-10pm, 440.458.5121]


Christmas on the Farm

Head out to Bonnie Brae Elk Farm and take a wagon ride to feed elk, then enjoy a warm  cup of chili or cocoa in the barn. $10 per person. [12/18,19, 20, 440.647.3232]

Bonnie Brea Elk Farm

Kwanzaa Celebration

Celebrate African heritage and culture at Harrison Cultural Community Centre at part of the week-long Kwanzaa celebration. Public invited. [12/28, 6:30pm; 440.244.0359 or 440.244.0367]

Don’t forget to shop these local spots for that distinctive gift—

Ginko Gallery

Uncommon Objects

The Tree House Gallery and Tea Room

Petitti Garden Center

Holiday decorations at Petitti Garden Center

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Chinese New Year, Lorain County is full of fun unconventional and traditional holiday celebrations for your family. Kick your “bah hum-bug” attitude, and enjoy the winter wonderland of northern Ohio! For more holiday events, visit our Calendar of Events page.

Visit Lorain County wishes you and your family a happy, healthy holiday season!

For additional information, stop by the Visit Lorain County Travel Information Center at 8025 Leavitt Road, call us 1-800-334-1673, visit the website, become a fan on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Get Active: Winter in Lorain County

We’re all resolving to be more active in 2010, so why not have fun while getting fit? Here are a few winter activities in Lorain County, North Central Ohio to help you get out and get moving.

Sledding: not just for kids. You’d be surprised how many calories you burn sled riding! After polling the locals, we’ve determined these are some of the best Lorain County sledding hills: Vermilion River Reservation, Carlisle Reservation in LaGrange, Cascade Park in Elyria, behind Philips Gym in Oberlin, behind Golden Acres Nursing Home in Amherst and South Central Park in North Ridgeville. (If we missed your favorite spot, comment below & let us know.)

Sledding in Amherst, photo by Holly Miller

Cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing is another rewarding activity. Fresh air, beautiful scenery and toned legs, what more could you ask for? Cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing is allowed in all Lorain County Metro Parks, even at Forest Hills Golf Club (when snow exceeds a 3” depth.)

Cross-country skiing in Lorain, photo courtesy of Rona Proudfoot

The LCMP offers snow-shoe hikes throughout the winter season (they even provide the snow-shoes, so there’s no excuse!) Findley State Park in Wellington is another favorite winter locale for cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. Findley may not provide the snow-shoes or skis, but it’s well worth the investment to experience this park in the wintertime. Try Molnar Outdoor in Elyria to purchase snow-shoes; they carry a selection of Redfeather, a nice, lightweight version.

Both Findley State Park and the Lorain County Metro Parks offer a variety of winter hiking programs for adults and children. How about a Winter Tree I.D. Hike, Mid-Winter’s Eve Hike, or a Hot Chocolate Hike? Here’s a list of the Metro Park’s upcoming programs. The 30th Annual Winter Hike at Findley is Feb. 6th at 10 am; includes 10k, 5k and interpretive lead hikes. According to the folks at Findley, the best part of the hike is the bean soup afterwards!

Buckeye Winter Hike, photo courtesy of Findley State Park

Of course, there are plenty of indoor activities in Lorain County to get your blood flowing. Show off your figure 8s while ice skating at North Park Complex Ice Arena in Elyria or give the Wii a rest and experience real bowling at Rebman Recreation; they have electronic scoring (no thinking necessary) and bumper rails for the kiddies.

Splash Zone in Oberlin added to their already impressive facility, another pool and a Field House with a three-lane rubberized walking track and four volleyball/basketball courts. Sign up for league play or any of Splash Zone’s land and water fitness classes.

Send us your active Lorain County photo; we’d love to see you and your family out & about, enjoying Lorain County. Send photos along with a description and name of photographer to visitors@visitloraincounty.com. Who knows, you may see your photo featured in an upcoming blog entry!

For other ideas on staying active in Lorain County, check out http://www.backroadsandbeachesohio.com/ and http://www.visitloraincounty.com/.

May Flowers in Lorain County

April showers bring May flowers! Thanks to the warm weather we've been having in north central Ohio, flowers and trees are blooming much faster and lasting longer. It's a beautiful time of year to visit Lorain County!

Lakeview Beach by Lynne Lisner, Visit Lorain County

May also brings many opportunities throughout Lorain County to get excited about flowers, gardening and Spring:
Tulip Garden at Lakeview Park, Lorain. As of May 6, the tulips are still in bloom. Click on the photo below to learn how this beautiful garden was recently discovered.

Lakeview Park Tulip Garden by Rona Proudfoot

Oberlin's Farmers Market, Saturdays, beginning in May, 9am-1pm. Fresh flowers and locally grown and prepared foods.

Oberlin Farmers Market by Barb Bickel, Visit Lorain County

Gazebo Garden Walk, Howk Memorial Park, Wellington, May 9, 10am-4pm. Stroll through displays of unique antiques and gardening items from some of the area’s finest crafters and vendors.

Growers, Gardens, and Homes Tour, North Ridgeville, May 16. Visit North Ridgeville's finest home builders, home related retailers, and horticultural growers during this free, self guided 18th annual tour.

Growing Arts Tour/Spring Open House, Don Mould's Plantation, Amherst & North Ridgeville, May 16, 9am-5pm. Fun, informative day with sales reps and industry specialists, special sales, and drawings.

Music, Flowers & a Sunset, downtown Vermilion, beginning May 21, every third Thursday, 5:30-9pm. Free musical entertainment with over 12 bands scattered throughout Harbour Town. Lots of flowers to enjoy, artwork to browse, and a stunning sunset over Lake Erie.

Third Thursdays, photo courtesy of Main Street Vermilion.

For additional event listings from Visit Lorain County, visit http://www.visitloraincounty.com/ or call 1.800.334.1673 to request a printed events calendar.

March Performances in Lorain County

From hilarious improv comedy, to a world-class German opera, to a Broadway production...I'm not talking about New York or Chicago; I'm talking about Lorain County, North Central Ohio! That's right, Lorain County, home to the world renowned Oberlin Conservatory and many beautiful performance venues, has its fair share of extraordinary performances. Here's a sampling of what March has to offer.

Mar 6
First Friday Improv, First Church Fellowship Hall, Oberlin, 7pm. Entertainment by The Mad Factory’s talented improvisational troupe.

Mar 6–8, 12–15
I Do! I Do!, French Creek Nature Center, Sheffield Village, 7:30pm, Sun 3pm. Romantic musical about the ups and downs of 50 years of marriage.

Mar 5–7
A Grand Night For Singing, The Olde Towne Hall Theatre, N. Ridgeville, 8pm, Sun 3pm. Musical revue with more than 30 Rodgers and Hammerstein songs.


Mar 10

Artist Recital Series, Finney Chapel, Oberlin College, 8pm. Apollo’s Fire performs Vivaldi’s Oboe Concerto in D minor. Join Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland baroque orchestra, for a trip back in time to 18th-century Venice. Photo: Apollo's Fire by Sally Brown, courtesy of Oberlin College


Mar 11, 13–15
The Magic Flute, Hall Auditorium, Oberlin College, 8pm, Sun 2pm. With a lovable cast of characters and some of the most sublime music ever written for the stage, The Magic Flute is Mozart’s brilliant final opera, often hailed as among his greatest achievements. Sung in English.

Mar 16
The Drowsy Chaperone, Stocker Arts Center, Elyria, 7:30pm. A musical comedy filled with tons of laughs and screwball antics. Take a journey to glamorous 1928 and the hilarious tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day. The Drowsy Chaperone has the most 2006 Tony Awards of any musical on Broadway. Photo courtesy of Stocker Arts Center




Mar 21
Oberlin Choristers Lorain County Children’s Honors Choir, Stocker Arts Center, Elyria, 3pm. Children’s choir concert featuring 160 children from 20 schools.

Mar 26
Charlotte Blake Alston, Stocker Arts Center, Elyria, 7:30pm. A Philadelphia-based storyteller, she breathes life into traditional and contemporary stories from the African and African American oral and cultural traditions. She often enhances her performances with traditional instruments such as djembe, berimbau, nkoning, mbira and the 21-stringed kora. Photo courtesy of Stocker Arts Center


Mar 28
Sweet Adelines International’s Lake Ridge Chorus Dinner Show and Silent Auction, Elyria, 6pm. Award-winning a cappella show chorus.


For additional events, check out the Visit Lorain County Calendar of Events, or call 1-800-334-1673 to request a printed version.

Lorain County's Farmers Markets

Lorain County is known for its agriculture; so naturally, we have some excellent farmer's markets. A recent trip to Spiegelberg Orchards in Lorain yielded fresh produce and a variety of apples including caramel apples.

For some reason, the apples always taste better from local orchards than from the grocery store. Maybe it’s because the apples are fresher and because you know it’s good for our local economy--buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business.

In addition to apples, Spiegelberg Orchards features maple syrup, grapes and other fresh produce. They are located at 6161 Middle Ridge Road, Lorain, OH 44053.

For a listing of additional Lorain County farmers’ markets, gardens and orchards, visit the Lorain County Visitors Bureau website.

Meet the Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing

The Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing graciously donated to the Lorain County Visitors Bureau an opportunity to ride in their World War II SNJ-4 trainer aircraft, known as the “Texan”. They wanted us to experience the thrill and excitement for ourselves so we could better promote them as a LCVB member. Well, we are definitely doing what we can to promote the Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing and their flight experience package, but we thought our hardworking friends at the Lorain Coast Guard Station deserved the free ride instead. (OK, truth is, I get queasy just riding in a car!) But I did go to the Lorain County Airport to watch in person.

Pilot Richard Whelan of the Commemorative Air Force-Cleveland Wing, Mike Yokubaitus from USCG Station Lorain, and Lynne Lisner of the Lorain County Visitors Bureau.

Not only did I get to see the Texan aircraft up close, but they had quite a few unique items in their gallery.

Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing hangar at the Lorain County Airport.

I would like to introduce to you a few gentlemen I had a chance to meet while visiting the hangar.

CAF members Tom Muller, Pilot Richard Whelan, and Robert Koran, CAF Finance Officer/Photographer.

They are all part of this organization that preserves and presents the heritage of World War II aviation. Membership to the CAF is open to anyone with a sincere interest in the preservation of World War II aircraft; you don’t have to be a pilot or military veteran. The CAF- Cleveland Wing meets once a month at the Lorain County Airport in Elyria and they appear at many regional air shows and events. You can even schedule them to appear at your own event!

For a tax deductable donation, you can experience a 30 minute flight in this beautifully preserved and well maintained historic military aircraft. If flying is not your thing, what a unique gift this would be!

Jason Fouse and his family traveled from PA for the Flight Experience. Photo by Bob Koran.

Thanks again to the Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing for showing us one of Lorain County's most exciting and unique attractions!