Ohio Wanderlust

Last Saturday was Barrel Run Winery's Halloween and Dogs event. Although the event is over, I thought it would still be fun to share my thoughts about the event as a whole and since we sampled food and wine while we were there, it would give my viewers an idea of some of the awesome things that Barrel Run has to offer. I previously reviewed an event that Barrel Run had going on during the month of September, here's where you can find my post about Yoga in the Vines at Barrel Run Winery . Sadly, although costumes were encouraged, not a lot of people chose to participate. Our costumes were out in full force and the staff had theirs on as well. We attended the Halloween event for the entire four hours and we had quite a few people in our group which allowed us to experience a lot of food and wine. Although it was chilly (and a little rainy) we spent our time out on the patio listening to Box of Squirrels . The sangria of the day was Apple Spice -- I drank

Wednesday night my friends and I went out to the Secret Cellar for a mid-week evening out. As I mentioned in my Grapes in a Glass review, my friend Dennis has an affinity for wine and likes to try new wine bars around our area. The Secret Cellar is located in downtown Kent underneath the Buffalo Wild Wings. It is slated as a Gatsby-era speakeasy. The lights are dimmed and the decor channels a time when simple-elegance guided decor styles and jazz music was at a forefront. The Secret Cellar hosts many musical acts throughout the week, we intentionally chose a night we no live music, because we wanted to get the over all ambiance of the location. When Dave and I arrived there were only two people at the bar, the bartender told us that Tuesday and/or Wednesday is usually a slow night for the Secret Cellar. As a result our group got to sit in the comfy "VIP" area -- which is a large alcove with couches, tables and ottomans. Once everyone arrived and we got s

Last weekend Dave and I visited Monroe's Orchard for our yearly apple picking trip. We chose Monroe's because it is decently close to our apartment and we wanted to head to Burton after to attend their Apple Butter Festival , so Monroe's was on the way. Monroe's Orchard offers the Pick Your Own apples Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00-4:00. The market is open 9:00-6:00 daily if you would rather pick-up your product than pick your own, they also have cider!  Last weekend we were only allowed to pick Jonathan and Melrose apples -- the varieties vary each weekend, so make sure to call first if you're looking for a specific variety.  You can pick a half bushel of apples for $15.00 and a peck (a fourth of a bushel) for $10.00. We chose to pick a peck of apples, that was more than enough for our needs. After we were done picking apples, we were able to take a hay ride around the orchard.  We had a p

Yesterday Dave and I drove to Burton to attend the Apple Butter Festival. This two day event is held in the Century Village area of Burton and is hosted by the Geauga County Historical Society. This event is all about apples, we got apple hand stamps. We got to try our hand at stirring the apple butter in a giant copper kettle. We arrived at the festival about one hour before it closed, so this was the last copper kettle on the grounds. There were stands all throughout the green area at the start of the festival, there had been a lot of apple butter made earlier in the day! The fully restored Century Village Museum is an "authentic representation of a Western Reserve Village from 1798 to the end of the 19th century. The Museum contains over twenty historically authentic buildings, more than 15,000 museum artifacts, and a working farm with a sugar bush for making maple syrup." (You can learn more on the Geauga County Historical Society Website ).