We were in the area to enjoy the wineries, but thought a morning hike would be a smart move. We…read morestarted out on the Butterfly path, which was short and easily walked, and then transitioned to Hemlock Ridge and finally Bluebell Valley and then back on Hemlock Ridge. Bluebell Valley had some areas that were steep and slippery and a huge flight of stairs. We got to see a snake and a deer, as well as chipmunks. There are many beautiful trees, but unfortunately the water was so low that the stream was barely running. We saw one picnic pavilion and there was a restroom. Metro Parks does a great job taking care of their parks.

I hadn't really planned a covered bridge tour on my way back from Ashtabula, but saw the signs, and…read moreI'm not one to miss a "Local Attraction" road sign, so off I went. I think that the wooden structure of the bridge has been replaced quite recently as it smells like a lumber yard and was nice and bright. The bridge is long-ish, and there is a covered walkway for foot traffic. There's a bit of parking, and you can drive or walk over to a park and small walking trail as well. Not a bad place to stop, but it wasn't as scenic as I had expected. The bathroom was a little scary, but there and free, so just make sure you have wet wipes and go fast.

We stopped here on a cold, rainy day not thinking there would be much to see. The bridge was pretty…read morelong and there was a covered walkway on the side if you prefer walking over driving through. Someone was fishing off the bridge in there so I guess that's an option if you'd prefer a longer stay. There's a small gift shop that wasn't open when we stopped by. The surrounding park was beautiful. Benches surround the water off the trail in you're interested in stopping to take in the views. The fall colors were stunning in mid November and I felt compelled to walk amongst them, even in the rain.

This Metro Park is located on the east side of Lake county. I've been going there since I was a…read morekid. It's right on the lake shore and the landscape is constantly changing. In some areas the erosion is really bad, so you have to pay attention to your surroundings and what trails are now closed. I got married here in 2015, in front of the big stone sundial. A little history about the stone garden: " The memorial was dedicated on October 29, 1978 to Luanna Strock, wife of the park system's first naturalist Don Strock. The memorial includes a sculpted sundial designed by nationally-known sculptor Carl Floyd of Madison. The Lake County Unit of the American Cancer Society dedicated a memorial sanctuary of plantings in the field north of the parking lot." My hubby and I were reminiscing about our wedding day in the stone garden. It's such a beautiful, well maintained park that is so worth going out of your way for. A bonus is that the bathrooms are heated and have proper plumbing. It's nice to pop in for a minute to warm up in between adventures. There is still beach access, but you'll have to climb 93 creepy stone stairs each way to get there, but it's worth it. This park is a decent size, so plan for a day if you want to fully explore it. There is one big campsite available with a lake view, see the website for reservation info. It's a safe park that is patrolled. We are very blessed to have such amazing parks within 10 minutes of our home. Their sister park further west up the coast, Lake Erie Bluffs, is also well worth checking out.

Such a great park!…read more Lots of room to spread out and just enjoy. Two picnic pavilions, a playground and swingset, some little pond thingy and a closed fence dog park - I mean Win...ning! There is a sand volleyball court but no net and I think a baseball sort of diamond. No walking path but if you just use the U shaped driveway you are aces!

If you're the whimsical/spontaneous type, and you happen to be in NE Ohio, take a jaunt east to…read morePerry to see this behemoth spectacle. It was built in the early 1980s and is -- ostensibly -- very safe. Security appears to be very tight, and I'm almost certain you cannot get into this place. In that sense, the fun is pretty limited. But a community park, complete with a breathtaking view of both Lake Erie and the nuclear plant, is just a minute north on Perry Park Road. Grade: A (For what the experience is worth. And I'm not going to be the one who slights the giant nuclear reactor monster that's capable of destroying half of Ohio :)

As the anniversary of the Fukushima meltdown in Japan nears, I would just like to big up Perry for…read morenot killing me. You are a stalwart electric dynamo, and I have grown to love the way your output powers the various servers out of state that allow me to steal music. Shine on you crazy poisonous diamond. Shit, at this point, e.coli has killed more people than nuclear power. So down with spinach and up with nukes!

I like the course. But I'm always disappointed when we play that the women's bathroom on the…read morecourse, has a toilet seat too small for the toilet and there are no designating flags in the holes. The fairways markers read red, white and blue but the flags are never set.

On Sunday, August 27, 2017 my husband, my dad, my son and I made a teatime of 9:50 AM. My husband…read moreworks 6 days a week and Sunday is his only day off. We were all excited and looking forward to a relaxing Sunday playing around of golf. When we came in we signed up to golf nine holes. My son is 13 years old and has only been golfing about a year . When we got to the first hole there was a group of three gentleman that we waited on. We waited about 20 minutes for them to all play the first hole. Once they were finished we were able to start. When we got to the second home we had a dark-haired woman who was working that day come around and tell us that we were going to slow. My husband he tried to explain that they would call first in front of us and we needed to wait on them before we could go to the next hole. She also made a comment about how Sunday is not the day for teaching golf. We rushed through the second hole and I didn't even take my turn. When we got to the third hole once again we were sitting there for about 15 minutes waiting for the gentleman in front of us. I was extremely annoyed that we had rush the second hole and I had lost out on my turn only to sit and wait for the people that were in front of us. I wasn't angry at the people in front of us and I didn't believe it was their fault I was upset with the rude woman who came over and basically yelled at us. around the fifth hole, a different woman came over and commented again That we were going to slow. She also made a comment that I was walking in front of my son before he took his shot. The reason I was walking in front of my son before he took a shot is because I knew he could not hit the ball very far. She stopped my dad to tell him what I was doing wrong and my dad tried to explain the situation to her. And then she came over and me and interrupted my husband shooting to talk to us about it. After the fifth hole I stopped playing. I was annoyed that we were rushed when they were people in front of us going just a slow and we were waiting on them. I was annoyed that our game has been interrupted twice to be scolded by the employees. I had spent $100 on the round of golf between the four of us and all I wanted to do was simply enjoy my Sunday morning. Instead I left annoyed I had played only five holes out of the nine holes, my son was rushed, my husband was extremely upset that his one day off a week was spent at a course like that. My husband and I are members at Quail Hollow country club and we wanted to try I different golf course that was out by my dads house. We had plans to go to the wineries afterwards. I would never in 1 million years recommend anybody to golf at Erie Shores golf course. It had to be the single most annoying round of golf I have ever played. my dad has been playing golf for over 20 years, my husband has been golfing for over 10 years, and I have been golfing for five years so I am very well aware of golf etiquette. And the way we were treated so rudely by the employees there and how we were rushed was unacceptable. I most definitely will never return to that course again and anybody I play golf with in the future I will let know how we were treated and recommend that they never step foot on that golf course either. It was a complete waste of money and of our Sunday morning.