While visiting friends in Ohio we discovered Lanterman's Mill, first built in 1845 and later…read morerestored in 1985. I am a lover of hiking, waterfalls, mills, bridges, gardens, historic places and tranquil spaces. Lanterman's Mill has all of this which makes a visit here nearly perfect. --- If you follow my reviews then you know I have a particular affinity for COVERED BRIDGES. When I discovered this place while doing a Google search of things to see in the area, I did not notice any pictures of a covered bridge. So it was beyond thrilling to walk behind the mill (where it is hidden from street view) and stumble upon it. For me, this was like finding a briefcase of money as I stood in total disbelief for several minutes. Not only was it a delightful surprise, it was beautiful and well maintained to boot, which is not always the case with covered bridges. Built in 1989, the covered bridge is not historic, but was designed in the likeness of other local bridges from the 1800's that farmers used to bring their grain to the mill. There is also a gorgeous arched street bridge that provides an excellent vantage point for photos of the mill & waterfall as well as another decorative suspension bridge just a half mile away. A 2-mile loop hiking trail known as East Gorge Walk and West Gorge Trail allows for wonderful views of the river gorge and leads you to the suspension bridge from the mill. These trails connect with the West Cohasset, East Cohasset, Axtmann and Old Tree Walking Trails and can more that triple your mileage as you explore the northern end of the park. --- OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST along the connecting walking trail are several ponds, small lakes, picnic pavilions, playgrounds and even a public golf course @ Mill Creek Metro Park. There is a Riverside Garden, Quarry Garden, Nature Center, and the ruins of a historic furnace built in the 1820's which produced approximately three to four tons of iron daily. Pioneer Pavilion, built in 1821 as a mill for carding and fulling wool is a rare surviving example of early 19th Century industry. It sits within view of the furnace. Cascade Gorge Natural Pool and an area known as THE FLATS round out some of the beautiful areas of interest near Lanterman's Mill. NOTE: The Flats are a lush grassy area surrounded by a horse fence. If you follow the fence you will notice an enormous tree in its path, which causes the fence to terminate and continue on the other side of the tree. Not sure what kind of tree it is, but it certainly seems to be very, very old based on the thickness of its trunk. It is easily more than 100 years older than any tree in its vicinity. FINAL THOUGHTS The Mill is a testimony to human determination. The current mill is the third incarnation. The first mill was built of logs and operated from 1799 to 1822. In 1823 the original mill was replaced by a second mill which operated until 1843 when a flood washed it away. A grinding stone from this mill can still be seen resting in the creek bed 500 feet downstream of the Falls. Lanterman's Mill ceased operations in 1888. [source: millcreekmetroparks.org] Lanterman's Mill itself is over 5-stories tall and has a very unique feature of having the waterwheel inside the basement of the mill. All the walking trails are free, but entrance inside the working areas of the mill are currently $3 for non-resident adults and $1 for students and seniors (July 2023). A butterfly garden is on site and during our visit we were graced with many birds, a groundhog, chipmunk and the largest most unusual forest mushroom we've ever seen. It is absolutely a stunning place in the summer. I can't even begin to imagine how magical it is in the Fall season as the trees change into their best outfits. Enjoy! BTW I've been trying my hand at TikTok & made a few videos of our visit to this mill if you care to see them: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8dqN8JM/ - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8dVsHeW/ 2023 / 10

What a fun nice stop. It's so beautiful here. I remember we brought kids here when they were little…read moreand it had not been renovated. Now it's all fixed up and worth the tour and walk. Plenty of parking and a short walk to the mill. Then you can take a stroll along the creek and take history tour of the mill. They have a nice gift shop inside too. Take a picnic and enjoy the surrounding beautiful nature.

Simply said a beautiful resting place for those who have servedread more

My grandfather, James R. Blackburn is buried here. This is such a peaceful place to go and to visit…read morehis grave, as well as pay respects to all who've served our country. I have great admiration for those who've served, and stood up for our freedoms; many being family members. I've come here a few times on gravesite location searches for a local genealogy agency, and I was pleased to know that there was a gravesite locator at the main office, which prints off a map for the grave of the person you search, with a site number, and section number. This is especially handy for those looking for members of their family tree, and a nice added touch.

This was such a fun stop! There are live farm animals here, and the pastures looked well…read moremaintained with plenty of space for them to roam, which was great to see. The welcome center was pretty nice and had a small kids museum inside that was interactive. There's also a gift shop with cute merch, local items, maple syrup, and other extras. They offer tours of some of the buildings for purchase, which is a cool option if you want a deeper experience, but even just walking around the property on your own is enjoyable. Overall, a really nice place to explore for a bit.

Unique park in Ohio with a visitor center, working farm, historical house and so much more…read more We came on an off-season day in March so the visitor center was open but not staffed. We also didn't see anyone to give tours or ask information. The park is easy to find with lots of signs pointing the way. When you pull in there is a visitor center that has a gift shop and restrooms. Everyone's favorite part was the parrot. If you say hi or dance he will talk to you. The park has trails you can hike. There are maps in the lobby to help find a course. They mentioned a cave trail but the map did not have trail names so we were not sure what path to follow. You can walk down to the barn and see the animals. We also walked around the exterior of the house. Behind the visitor center there is a great playground that the kids really enjoyed. If coming for a visit I highly recommend waiting to come during the peak season so you can view the house and have staff to explain the history and trails you can hike. Lots of picnic areas too so pack a lunch!

BF and I did research before coming here so we knew what to expect. They give very limited tours…read moreand the areas are not all restored or furnished as such. Knowing this, I took a day off on a Friday to come to their 1pm tour. No one else was there so it ended up being a private tour for my BF and me. Our docent Elaine was a straight G for showing us all the areas (and more!), giving us colorful background, really emphasizing the significance of the place and her passion to maintain and preserve. While it's true that the entire upstairs have been converted to offices, Christmas displays and bridal suites, the first floor, and some extras (library, dinning room, sunroom, German pub room) were all still intact and interesting to tour. The staff was very welcoming and it genuinely was interesting to learn about Alliance, the engineering company and the descendants. The admission cost is $10 per person cash and I thought it was worthwhile for the hour+ tour. The grounds had an echo chamber that greatly amused us! Recommend stopping by here and checking out the cute antique shops in downtown Alliance! I had a wonderful day trip here.

This place really does look cool from the outside, but the self-guided tour of the inside fell…read moreshort. We were there for the holiday weekend tour and it was really crowded with not great crowd-management and not really much information about the home or the family. There was a brief hand-out with some basic information about each room, but really nothing really sparked my attention or jumped out here. I am still not sure what the family did or aware of any specific hidden gems in the mansion or anything significant about the architecture. The most interesting little detail were the trolls and owls carved into the molding upstairs in the library. I don't know, but maybe if we came back on a day that wasn't packed to the brim with people I would have felt more engaged? Or maybe more time to talk to the docents? For ten bucks per adult, I don't really think it was worth it. There were significant repairs needed and the house has not fully been restored. There are far more detailed and interesting tours of historic homes in the northeast Ohio area to visit. Either way, now we can say we've been and my son DID get to visit Santa Claus with virtually zero wait to do so. That's a win.

This place is my safe place i go when i need to be alone and do word searches, listen to music,…read morepractice my witchcraft and enjoy nature. Its amazing here! However last time i went the bathroom was covered in pee from the floor to the toilet so i had to leave early. Normally i have epic peaceful experiences, so i dont hold anything against one bad experience because any other time its beautiful and amazing. Its in the middle if no where so sometimes its hard to find an uber back home, but eventually they come lol this place is addictive if you want to me surrounded by beautiful nature and enjoy haunted places . I haven't got the pleasure of seeing any ghosts yet but i hope one day to succeed! Haha

Great place to visit if you have kids. Pack swimsuits and let them play in the water. Cool rocks to…read morefind and beautiful scenery. This was one of my favorite stops. It is an easy hike from the parking spot.

I love coming here and I enjoy hearing the history. Zoar was founded by German Separatists who…read moreformed their own fully functioning community here. About 225 German Separatists (Radical Pietists) from Württemberg, Bavaria, and Baden, led by Joseph Bimeler came to Ohio to escape religious persecution and form a simpler way of living in Zoar. The buildings look very much like they did when the Separatists arrived in 1819 and most of them have been very well preserved. The Zoar Hotel needs some work and parts of it are unsafe to visit, although the first floor hosted a Christmas tree sale and the basement housed Krampus (which might have been my absolute favorite part of this particular event). I also love how friendly all of the docents are. I've been here many times and the photos attached are from Christmas in Zoar which takes place several weekends in December and is $15 for adults and free for children. There is a bit of a disconnect with the advertising; event page says "guided tour", but you arrive and it's self guided. That is not a problem because I prefer to go at my own pace, however it may be off-putting for some. I also came to Zoar for the Ghost Dinner at Halloween at Zoar Tavern. It was a fun event and the food was really good, but again the communication was a little confusing, because no address was provided and we weren't sure exactly where to go. The Zoar Tavern is listed as "permanently closed" on yelp and on Apple Maps, so it makes you question if you are headed to the right place or not. I would love to do the ghost tour at some point. It is led by a lantern-toting guide through each of the historic buildings and Zoar takes on a different vibe at nighttime. I did bring my son here for the daytime Trick or Treat event and we had a lot of fun and got a generous amount of candy. Also, during the Christmas event the community hall (near the church) sold hot food items and gluwein. Very tasty. The Zoar Bakery was opened as well and I got a pretzel and a cookie. I've never been impressed by the baked goods there, so next time I'll skep that stop. I also bought a commemorative Zoar Christmas mug at the community hall, in which my gluwein was served. Very cool keepsake and I love that hot mulled wine. If you are in eastern Ohio, this place is worth a visit. It is twenty minutes down the street from me, so I have no doubt I'll be back again.

This Village is absolutely gorgeous like stepping back into time. I would live to go back during…read moreChristmas Season The buildings and houses are beautiful to walk around. There is no cost to walk around. Nothing was open but that was okay The history of this location is amazing

A small, somber memorial to the USS Shenandoah, which crashed in the area in 1925. A plaque lists…read morethe victims, and a bronze sculpture depicts the airship in the clouds. Flowers and flags bracket the memorial, and locals keep it in good shape. No parking nearby, so pull off as far as possible and don't linger. Many other memorials are nearby, but none are easy to locate. Check out this website, or message me for GPS locations. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/10432

On this somber spot men perished trying to do their job. The memorial is modest but respectful…read more We passed it hundreds of times going from Columbus to Marietta, and I always thought of those men and how they struggled to right the ship in the storm. They didn't give up until fate intervened. God bless them.

he Bridge of Dreams is a 370-foot covered bridge located near Brinkhaven, Ohio. Originally built in…read morethe 1920s as a railroad bridge, and covered in 1998. It is the second longest covered bridge in Ohio after the Smolen-Gulf Bridge, and third longest covered bridge in the United States. we were returning from amish country in Berlin ohio and saw this covered bridge from the road .. i back tracked and checked it out. there was parking right near the bridge and we went for a look.

My son and I visited for a trick or treat event for children. The house is quite lovely and I found…read moremyself wanting to learn more about it, but the trick or treat moves fairly swiftly and there isn't time for history. That said, my son enjoyed it and I did too. His favorite part was visiting the lovely sheep grazing outside. The inside of the house was well decorated and there was a craft outside in the small guest house on the property. We were there early so parking was pretty easy. Volunteers were friendly, although the ticketing/check in process was a little confusing. The door was open, but the guy working seemed unclear on whether they were ready for us to come in or not, and directed us to the craft area before we paid and got our stamps. One day I'll come back when it's less hectic to explore and learn more about this interesting piece of Akron history.

I went after hours, walked around, they had live sheep. but being called "Mutton Hill" I got a…read morelittle chuckle out of that. the land is huge but has divots in the grass so be careful. I loved walking the grounds.