I don’t think there is anyplace prettier in the United States than northeast Ohio in the fall. I have traveled many places, and I am always happy to come home and enjoy some of our spectacular scenery any time of the year, but autumn is always something special. I find four areas particularly stunning.The first is the drive southeast of Youngstown in Columbiana County off of Route 11 along State Route 154 west toward Lisbon and then on to Hanoverton on Route 30. The ride down Route 11 itself has stunning vistas of color as you drive into the hills up from the Ohio River. When you get to Hanoverton, stop and have lunch or dinner at the Spread Eagle Tavern. It is a terrific restaurant, and one of the bastions of Republicanism in the Ohio, hosting just about every major Republican presidential candidate in recent history. Going the other way off of Route 11, drive east on 154 through Elkton and past Route 7, Beaver State Park is about as pretty a place in the fall as you will find anywhere. This trip is worth the gas.
If you want to drive west/northwest, take Route 303 through Hudson and on to Peninsula, Ohio, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is a breathtaking ride in the fall. This gem of a park is not well known to those of us from Youngstown, and is also worth the gas. Peninsula is in the northern part of the park, and tends to be extremely crowded in the fall, so it isn’t particularly “getting away from it all”. There are hikers and bikers and drivers galore, as well as a few specialty shops. Numerous roads run through the park, however, and are much less congested. It is worth the time to do some exploring. Get a map!!!!!!!
The drive my wife and I took last Saturday was north along Chagrin River Road off of Chagrin Boulevard, aka the Chagrin Valley Parkway, between Chagrin Falls and Woodmere. The road goes both directions off of Chagrin Boulevard, but we like to drive north to Gates Mills. This is one of the most spectacular drives around. It starts in Moreland Hills, then into Hunting Valley (yes, that is the name of the village) and on into and past Gates Mills. This is horse farm country, complete with the Cleveland Metro Parks Polo Grounds along the way. It is lightly traveled by cars, and goes along the Chagrin River with magnificent homes back off of the road. Chagrin River Road is the end point for Shaker Boulevard, Cedar Road and other major Cleveland streets. At Gates Mills, at the Chagrin Valley Hunt Club no less, it turns into State Route 174 up to the North Chagrin Reservation and Chardon Road. This is how the other half lives. This is northeast Ohio at its best.
For those who don’t want to drive to take a “drive”, our own Mill Creek Park is just about as good as it gets. Too many of us take the park for granted, and many of us don’t know our way around the park roads. There is a surprise at every turn. Drive past all three lakes. Visit The Old Mill museum, and end up at Fellows Gardens. The park is close. It’s free. And magnificent in the fall, as well as any other time of the year.
Happy foliage watching.
