Glimpses into: Out of the Ordinary Houses Akron Ohio
The Akron Ohio area has some noteworthy things to see. It is definitely on my list of places to go back to. Today we’re going to explore some out of the ordinary houses the area has to offer.
Start With Brunch
I would start my day at a restaurant that is very impressive called the Blue Door. (1970 State Road Cuyahoga Falls Ohio 44223) It’s a very small restaurant /café located in Cuyahoga Falls. It is a short drive from the first mansion I recommend touring and is on the way to the next destination I am going to recommend you visit on this trip.
It is known for its award-winning brunch. Reservations are strongly encouraged since there is a waiting list. There is no commercial freezer here. Everything is made by European pastry traditions and breadmaking from scratch each day. Michael Bruno owns this restaurant. He is a 2o year military veteran. Now he leads bakers and chiefs. Don’t forget to order pastries to take home with you and a loaf the bread. We went with a group of people for dinner and all ordered different menu items. In doing so we got to sample various items off the menu. Being the first time there the waiter gave us an explanation of how the dishes are prepared and served along with recommendations on what to order and how much to order so we could share since we wanted to sample a lot of the menu. This is a great place to put on your list to visit. It has been recognized by the New York times and TripAdvisor as having the best brunch in Ohio.
Take Instagram-worthy selfies at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens
After filling up on brunch it is now time to walk it off by visiting the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. (714 North Portage Path, Akron Ohio 44303) The co-founder of Good Year Tires built this 64,500 sq foot mansion in 1915 and named it Stan Hywet meaning stone quarry. The inspiration for this mansion was for it to serve as a family home, an entertainment hub for the family, and open to the community for events. In 1935 at the Gate Lodge on Mother’s Day, some of the family members and a local doctor got together to discuss drinking problems. This conversation led to the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The house is of the Tudor Revival architecture design. The home and gardens are open to various group tours during the day. They also host events such as off the vine featuring food and wine & murder in the mansion in October & November. There are events year-round to capture anyone’s interest. Sundays from April to October you can bring your pet and walk the gardens. For a complete list of events check out their website for more details. Tours can be self-guided or staff lead depending on what you want to see. This place is a perfect photo op as well. While we were touring the grounds people were getting engagement pictures done. The grounds even host weddings & rentals.
Inside it was very enlightening to take a tour and see how people lived without today’s modern conveniences. The mansion has 22 fireplaces to help keep the place warm during the winter. Upstairs it has sunporches for sleeping that had a cross breeze to help stifle the mugginess of hot summer nights. The kitchen had some neat tricks up its sleaves to keep food cold without refrigeration. I was most amazed at the attention to detail. Every piece of wood trim was hand carved throughout the whole house. The mansion even had its own fire hoses inside the walls. When you tour the 3oo foot long house make sure you visit the basement as it holds two unique rooms along with the only public restrooms. As I walked through the house I took in the furniture as 95% of it is original to the house. My imagination was running wild as I was picturing how a real family lived here and called this home for 40 years. In touring the house, it gave us a glimpse into their lives and how remarkable it must have been to live there.
There are many gardens on the grounds that you can explore with your ticket. My favorite was the English Garden with the reflecting pool and statue of the garden water goddess. It was a very tranquil garden. We visited in the early spring. This made for great weather for walking the gardens and the estate because it was a very comfortable temperature. There is also a greenhouse on-site that you can tour as well to warm up if the air is too chilly. I would recommend comfortable walking shoes because things are spread out and you will be getting your steps in on this tour. The only negative to the time of year we picked is it was too early in the spring and only a small limited amount of the first blooming flowers were starting to bud. You can still appreciate the gardens but to view them in full bloom would be most spectacular. You will definitely want to bring your camera as there are so many beautiful backdrops for you to take professional-looking photographs. Or if you do have a special event coming up this is a great place to have a professional photographer, take portraits.
A Christmas Story House & Museum
In keeping with the home tour theme:
The next house to tour on the list is Ralphie’s house from the movie A Christmas Story. This house is the original house with original props from the film. This is a great place to visit around Christmas time but it gets very busy. If you want a less busy time, go in the spring or summer. It is open year-round except for a few days for holidays and maintenance. Check their website for tickets and hours. The tour starts in the gift shop then adjacent to that is the fire truck and the old man’s car. There is a Christmas story museum and parking across the street from the house. I went during the Christmas season Patty Johnson (the head elf) was there signing autographs and you could get your picture taken with her. You can tour the inside of the house and see the family room and kitchen downstairs. Then head upstairs to see the bedrooms and the bathroom. Don’t forget to pick up the upstairs phone so you can hear from Swartz’s mother. You will see costumes worn by the actors my favorite is Randy’s snowsuit. I was amazed at how big the house looked on the screen versus how big it was. There is a lot to explore at the house and museum. Don’t forget to stop back at the gift shop on your way out and get your very own leg lamp and bunny suit to take home with you. You can even start a snow village of your own with replicas from the movie. The gift shop has a lot of great gifts to take home and all proceeds help to keep the house and museum open for all to enjoy. They also have a newsletter and online catalog to shop from.
Get Inspired and Travel
I hope you are inspired to get out and explore your local area in between your vacations. There is so much to see and do and memories to create. Happy Traveling.
