Spotlight on Amherst, Ohio

Melody, Allie, and I spent a day exploring Amherst during the last week of July. Amherst is a great place to spend time in for a day or a week! There are so many things to do from shopping, to dining, to things for the kids.

Who can resist Kiedrowski's baked goods!

We started our day out right, with doughnuts! I love doughnuts and baked goods so I was very excited about this first stop. We stopped at Kiedrowski's Bakery to hear polka music and check out their freshly baked goods. Melody and I got doughnuts and Allie got one of their famous Snoogles. Kiedrowski's specializes in Polish baked goods and their patented Snoogle.

Allie loves these flipflops!

 After spending some time in the bakery we were re-energized and ready for shopping! We made our way to downtown Amherst to check out some local shopping. Our first stop was The Mermaid's Tale, an adorable boutique that offers unique jewelry and gifts and a great Vera Bradley selection. We had our sights set on the purse selection the boutique has, one can never have too many! We browsed around while I snapped pictures of our finds. Another great place to stop is Ridgehill Collectibles. There you will find unique collectibles and products made in America.

Melody celebrating national hotdog day.

It happened to be national hotdog day, so we had to stop at Hot Dog Heaven to celebrate! Hot Dog Heaven is a great spot in town to grab your very own made-to-order hot dog and fries and a delicious dessert! Located near downtown, it's an easy walk or drive after shopping around. They have dollar dog hours daily and their fries are delicious with a little chili powder on them. I would also recommend trying their funnel cake fries, they're a great way to end any meal!

The chalk wall at the new Mercy playground.

After our delicious lunch we went to check out the new playground at the Mercy Health and Recreation Center. This new playground was specially built for children with handicaps that would not normally be able to play on a playground. There is an awesome tree house and a swing that are wheel chair accessible. The playground includes slides, a giant sandbox, a pond for fishing, and a group of teepees that offer fun educational activities inside. I thought the new playground was really cool, being at the age to play in it again would be awesome!

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Amherst.

 On our way to the Sandstone Village we stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Amherst. It remembers the 98 people from Lorain County who gave their lives during the Vietnam War. This beautiful monument is located within walking distance of a local park. It's a great place to stop at on your daily walk.

Cheap gas at the Sandstone Village.

 The Sandstone Village is part of the Amherst Historical Society. This site has 10 historical buildings. We wandered around the grounds. The historic buildings are beautiful and have quirky details that were often amusing. When looking at the gas station we noticed the price of gas was 44 cents per gallon, I wish gas was still that price! We peeked in the windows of the Harris/Dute House, one of the oldest buildings in that location. There were so many old appliances in the kitchen! The caboose was closed up but while looking through the windows I was surprised to see how roomy it was. It reminded Allie and I of the Boxcar Children series. We also went to see the Blacksmith shop which is sometimes open to the public to see an actual blacksmith at work, and the Octagonal Barn which was used as a carriage house.

Amherst has many things to do any time of year from food to entertainment! The city of Amherst boasts so many great restaurants, I wish we had time to sample them all. Check out Visit Lorain County's dining listings for culinary options.