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Hi all. I thought I would write up a little report about our spring getaway this past Spring, April 17-19.
For those that don’t know me, I am Jen and a big Disney fan, however this trip was only a local weekend trip. I am a mother to 3 and a grandmother to 1. My youngest is10 and she still likes traveling with us. I am married to Skip, who for the most part is anti-travel, though he does have his good moments. And when I say anti-travel it usually means the travel I want verses what he wants.
It started about a month or so before we actually went. Skip said he would like to do a weekend trip. OK that sounds great. Originally we had been talking about going to Disneyland this year some time. Skip kept putting it off for various reasons…bad winter, selling the dairy cows, and a few other odd reasons.
For those who don’t know, Skip has been in the dairy business since the day he was born. He and his brother run the business and basically had just become burned out. It is a LOT of work, Every…Single…Day…Of…The…Year! It became official at the end of March. We made the switch from Dairy farmers to beef farmers. Those who followed my last report did read about this switch at the end. It is now July….3 months of dairy retirement….and we are going back into the business. Needless to say I knew this would happen. They both were board about 2 weeks later. Without getting into all the details, about a month or so after retiring, they decided they wanted back and in and put an order in for a robotic milker. We will be milking a lot less cows this time around and the robot will free up a bunch of time. The first part of the robot actually arrived yesterday and the plan is to have it all ready to go in the fall when the next round of cows will be ready to be milked. Again, there is a lot more to it, but that’s the quick and easy version.
So back to the weekend getaway….Skip said it would have to happen after the retirement. His first suggestion was to go to Tennessee to Pigeon Forge. That sounded like a lot of fun but it’s a long drive from Ohio. We would really need to leave on a Thursday and come home on a Monday for it to be worth the long trip. After looking it over Skip told me to look up fun things to do in Ohio. Well…Let’s just say Ohio is pretty boring, especially in the Spring. It was funny to see how many things that popped up were actually in the Toledo area and we had done most of them already. Cedar Point is a big attraction in Ohio, but it was too early for that to be even open. I am not a big waterpark person, but I did look into those options because Claire, our 10 year old, does love to swim. Literally the week before we left we finally came to a decision. I had found a mansion to be toured in the Akron Ohio area. That’s a couple of hours away, so it wasn’t too far, but yet far enough to say we went away.
The mansion is called Stan Hewett. It was also celebrating it’s 100 year anniversary, which kind of made it exciting. The mansion was built by F.A. Seiberling for his family. Who is F.A. Seiberling? Well he is one of the creators of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The company was named after Charles Goodyear who actually invented the vulcanization process of rubber.
I did a bit of quick research and it really looked beautiful and they offered paid tours or you could do a self-tour of the grounds and house. We then decided that one night in the Akron area was all we needed and looked for a 2nd night elsewhere. We decide a waterpark hotel would keep Claire happy. I looked at all the popular places in the Sandusky area. Ideally we wanted to stay at Kalahari, which we stayed at several years ago. It was pretty much booked up and what was available….well let’s just say the cost of the room could’ve paid for half of a trip for our family to go to Disney World. I next looked at Great Wolf Lodge, and again very little available and what was left was a bit pricey. In the end we went with Castaway Bay which is Cedar Points Waterpark hotel.
During the researching process I thought it would be nice for Claire to bring a friend along. We are boring and we know it. At 10 we knew a little weekend away would be more fun with another 10 year old. My very good friend has a 10 year old, Haley, and she and Claire went to school together. I had in the back of my mind to suggest this to Skip…..and he beat me to it and asked Claire if she would like to bring Haley along. Of course she did, so we contacted Haley’s family and the plans were all made.
We would be leaving Friday right after school and come home sometime Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t Disney, but we would be getting away!
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Great start! And I'm so glad there's still the possibility of cow photos from you in the future...
I'll have to take pictures of the robot thing..it's huge and Skip says more is coming. The cows will get scanned each time they milk. It will be kind of like wearing magic bands!
Lol Magic Bands for cows!!! I have no idea how I missed your cow adventures but as boring as you say you guys are, I find it all fascinating! It makes me appreciate the milk I'm having with my cannoli right now!
Your mini trip sounds like fun! The only thing I know about the Goodyear family is that the grandson I believe was on the bachelor or something?! That's my fun tire fact for you!
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Lol Magic Bands for cows!!! I have no idea how I missed your cow adventures but as boring as you say you guys are, I find it all fascinating! It makes me appreciate the milk I'm having with my cannoli right now!
Your mini trip sounds like fun! The only thing I know about the Goodyear family is that the grandson I believe was on the bachelor or something?! That's my fun tire fact for you!
I knew both of them would have too much time on their hands...and it took less time than I thought.
You could be right. They had a lot of grandchildren. One became a Congressman I believe. I wonder if the family is still wealthy?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great start! I'm still chuckling over Magic Bands for cows.
I am not exactly sure how it will work but I am excited to see it when they start. They will get denied if they come back to early to be milked....just like if you come to a ride before your fastpass time. LOL!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Magic Bands for cows - love it!
It will be interesting to see....I think it's an ear tag, but I am not exactly sure.
The planning was done and the day arrived. Haley’s mom stopped by on the way to school and dropped off her bag and they took Claire to school with them. I finished up the packing for the most part Thursday night and got everything situated at home. Being a short weekend I didn’t need to bring a lot of things. Skip and I had a Dr’s appointment that morning. This was a new Dr. for me, but Skip had seen him a few times before. He is about 1 ½ hours away. Long story short, he deals with healing things in different ways, using Chinese and Russian techniques. He has glowing reviews from people we know and Skip wanted me to see him about my back. It was a very interesting visit and this guy is pretty darn cool and we have returned a few times since as well.
By the time we got home it wasn’t too much longer and it would be time to pick the girls up from school. The day turned out to be really nice. I was wearing shorts out and about for the first time of the season and it felt wonderful. I had only packed jeans so I did a quick run around the house to find some shorts to throw in the suitcase for all of us. ( I still had most in the storage bins for the winter.)
I picked the girls up and they both changed into shorts and we loaded the car and soon we were on our way. The girls had their tablets and headphones on so we didn’t hear a lot out of them along the way except when they had to go to the bathroom. The ride was long but not too bad. As we got into Eastern Ohio, it amazes me….as it always does … how hilly it is. Where I live the land is completely flat. It was as if we had left Ohio.
Off in the distance there is this big bridge we go under. We knew we were getting close when we saw it. This picture is terrible but it’s there.
Skip kept making comments the whole way about going to the Tire Factory. He just thought he was so funny….the girls were clueless on what he meant. Akron is known as the Rubber Capital of the World, but when we told them that they still had blank stares on their faces.
Finally we were off the turnpike and rolling into Cuyahoga Falls, which is a suburb of Akron. The hotel I chose was located there and not very far from Stan Hewett.
We found the hotel, a Country Inn and Suites….a first time stay for us…and parked and headed in to check in. The lobby was nice and looked just like pictures of all Country Inn and Suites I have seen online. There was a spot set up with water, which I thought was water with lemon slices in it and cookies. Skip and the kids attacked the cookies while I was at the desk checking in. Skip came over to tell us the water was pineapple water and we all started laughing because of the way he said it, even the desk clerk. I really thought he was joking as that is something he would do, but I later found out it really did have pineapple in it. That’s super odd…never heard of water with pineapple in it before. LOL.
We were on the 2nd floor and there was the choice of elevator or stairs from the lobby that went to the 2nd floor. Since we had bags, we chose the elevator. As we were walking to the elevator a family dressed in baseball gear went to the check in desk and asked about their room and how close it would be to so and so’s room. This should’ve been a warning sign…..I didn’t catch on till later. Our hotel was going to host several baseball families, with a ton of boys….a ton of boys means a lot of noise. UGH.
I had booked a room that had a living room with pull out couch…for the girls…and a bedroom for Skip and I with a King bed. Both rooms had a TV and it really made for a nice layout for all of us. The girls quickly got on their swimsuits as did Skip so they could head to the pool. I went about taking pictures of the room first.
Skip had already laid on our bed and messed it up, but this was the king bed.
The pool was pretty cold for my taste so I enjoyed the hot tub.
We spent a good amount of time at the pool, but I was getting hungry. After a bit I got out and started looking on my phone for nearby restaurants. I found a few and started naming them off. Longhorn was Claire’s choice, Haley…McDonalds. I really think Skip was liking Haley’s choice but I was not about to eat at McDonalds for dinner.
We headed back to the room and the girls put on dresses and we set out. Finally Skip relented to Claire’s pleas for Longhorn and that is where we went. It was basically right around the corner, so very easy to get to.
There was a small wait, but not too bad for a Friday night.
The girls and I all got steaks and I don’t remember what Skip got. I will admit, that I did not take a lot of pictures like I normally do on this vacation.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel and the girls wanted to go swimming again. As we walked in the lobby we knew the baseball boys had all arrived judging by the amount of noise coming from the pool area. They quickly changed and I took them to the pool. It was packed with a lot of wild boys and few girls. Parents were all drinking poolside. The pool didn’t have many chairs and I knew I would be standing. I noticed no towels left on the rack so I told the girls to wait to get in while I went to the desk to tell them towels were needed. I didn’t even make it to the desk when the girls came out behind me and said forget it. They weren’t about to fight for space with a bunch of boys who obviously were not being watched very well. They were ok with this decision since we would be at a waterpark tomorrow and also they did get in some swimming time already today.
Back to the room and we all just chilled out and watched TV and called it a night. I had brought some snacks and so did Haley and I think the girls decided it was junk food night as I found a lot of wrappers the next morning.
Lol sounds like a ton of fun! I totally agree with the Longhorn's dinner selection, I do not care for McDonalds! I'm glad the girls decided to skip the pool with the boys in it. It sounds like they were acting like animals & the girls could have gotten hurt. It's good to see the boys parents were responsibly drinking poolside & keeping a watchful eye on them
So enjoying your trip report Jen! Your itinerary sounds like fun too The hotel looks like a nice place but I wouldn't be too thrilled about the baseball teams converging for the weekend! Can't wait for more
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Lol sounds like a ton of fun! I totally agree with the Longhorn's dinner selection, I do not care for McDonalds! I'm glad the girls decided to skip the pool with the boys in it. It sounds like they were acting like animals & the girls could have gotten hurt. It's good to see the boys parents were responsibly drinking poolside & keeping a watchful eye on them
I am so sick of McDonalds anymore. Claire loves it of course, but she does have steak taste too. Haley is more of a fast food girl all around.
I was so glad we were only staying at the hotel 1 night. If we had done 2, it would've put a huge damper on our weekend away.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Sorry to hear about the baseball boys but apart from that, it looks like a nice place to stay.
You do realise I'll need photo of the cows' MagicBands when they arrive, just so I can see what they are - and admire some bovine buddies of course!
I will!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
So enjoying your trip report Jen! Your itinerary sounds like fun too The hotel looks like a nice place but I wouldn't be too thrilled about the baseball teams converging for the weekend! Can't wait for more
Thanks! I wish websites would put a warning up...."tons of young boys staying this night...beware!"
I woke up earlier than everyone else…I always do. I must say sleeping in that king bed was wonderful. We have a queen at home and I complain all the time we don’t have enough room but Skip will not budge on buying a king. In fact we bought a new mattress a few months back and he still wouldn’t make the switch. I let him know just how wonderful it was to sprawl out and not touch anyone or have anyone touch me. Pure bliss!
I showered and got ready for the day and got the girls up and ready as well. We had debated on whether to prebook a tour time or just wing it. In the end we decided we would just wing it and arrive when we could and do the next tour.
After the girls were showered, we headed down to Be Our Guest for some breakfast. It was crazy in there. All the boys and their families were in there eating. Luckily they were finishing up and trickling out. Skip told me that last night he went out to smoke and several dads were sitting out there and were drunk and talking in what we call drunk talk. “I just have to be a good dad and be there for my kid”. We totally cracked up about that. Not that there is anything wrong with what they were saying, just that when guys get drunk they start pouring their hearts out to each other.
They had quite a selection, but I neglected to take pictures. I did get one of some of our food plates on my phone.
It was all really good. They had waffles and 2 ladies were making them as you ordered them. It was a little slow going, but luckily we weren’t too far back in the lineup for those. Had I known how big they were I would’ve had the girls order just one to split instead of each their own. These babies were huge and really good. I am not a big waffle fan but I loved the one I had. They also had that wonderful passion type punch like they have at Tusker House and a few other Disney restaurants. I had several glasses of it.
After we finished up, and I am proud to say both girls did eat quite a bit, we packed up the room and headed off to Stan Hywet. It actually was a bit further than I thought. When searching hotels this was listed as one of the closest but it also said it was only like a mile or 2 away. It was further than that for sure.
As we approached the area the houses got bigger, so I assume this is a bit of a nicer area to live. Back when the house was built, this area really didn’t have much.
Once the girls saw how big this house was their excitement went up a level. To be honest, they were only tolerating this stop and couldn’t wait for the waterpark.
We had been using Suri on my phone for directions and she told us we had arrived…but we couldn’t find the parking lot. She took us to the front drive….the drive that had been originally for the families use. We turned around and found we had to actually turn down another road to find the drive. We drove in and found the lot and everyone working there was friendly and helpful.
We went in and inquired about tickets. For a self-guided tour it was something like $16 and for a guided tour it was something like $18. The prices might be off, but it was close to that. We also would receive a small discount…I think $1 per person for having a AAA membership. The kids were around $8 I think. Skip actually stood there and debated it. I glared at him a bit then smiled and said, it probably would be worth a few dollars to actually learn about everything we are seeing. LOL. He agreed, but I was surprised he was even considering the self-guided tour to save $4.
They told us to head right up to the house as the first tour was going to start in about 15 minutes. We walked through the Carriage House toward the exit to the grounds.
It was just beautiful here and my pictures are not showing it justice. I was “off” that day and kept having my camera settings on strange settings. (I really need to look it over before we head off to Alaska later this month).
I loved the flowering trees, but I kept over exposing many of my pictures.
Haley had her phone with her and was taking pictures. Claire has an old iphone that used to be Paiges that she plays app on and she was taking pictures as well.
Our tour guide came out and he said anyone doing a self-guided tour was allowed to go in now. I figured he did that so that they would be ahead of us a bit when we started our guided tour.
A few more people did arrive for our tour and we got started with our guide and he told us a bit about the property, the family and the house.
The ground breaking took place in early 1912 and the house was finished in Dec. of 1915. The house was actually built on an old quarry site. They had put a few feet of dirt on top of the quarry to have grass. Skip asked how the trees were able to grow there and we were told they had shallow roots and some still took off well while others got to a certain height and started to die or become unstable and they would replace them.
This house was mainly used in the winter months as the family had a summer place on a lake in Michigan where they would spend most of their summer time.
The name Stan Hywet was given to the house. They have always thought it was Old English for Stone Quarry, but they say now it may have actually meant something else….though he didn’t elaborate what.
The house was a Tudor Revival design. They really tried to make many things in that style throughout the house, though they of course had many modern things as well, but tried to disguise them when they could.
The house is 64,500 Square feet and more than 65 rooms, including 23 bathrooms and 23 fireplaces.
Our guide told us that normally Stan Hywet does not allow pictures in the house but in honor of their 100 year anniversary they now allowed non flash photos. I had actually emailed about this before we left and was told the same thing and was so happy we could take pictures both inside and out.
We then entered the foyer. This was inscribed over the archway in the foyer.
We learned that Mrs. Seiberling really ran the roost here. She was in charge of most of the house and she was very much for women’s rights. Her person in charge of the staff…was a woman. Pretty much unheard of at the time.
After being in the entrance hall we moved in and through the great hall (think big living room) and to the left toward the Reception room. We didn’t stop at the great hall now but would come back to it later.
This is the room you would wait in until a member of the family could greet you.
An interesting tidbit…..the house has all original furniture, though some has been refurbished over the years. Frank (F.A) Seiberling died in 1955 but he had willed his house to be donated as a museum basically. The house never sat in disrepair and they didn’t have to hunt down furniture for the time period. Most everything was left as is.
This is the Linenfold hallway, name for the intricate carvings in the oak panel walls which were cut to resemble folds of fabric. I am looking back towards the great hall.
See the windows up to the right…they had a name for them which I can’t remember now, but they go into the reception room and allow light from those windows to come into the hallway.
The light fixtures were made to look like candles, though the house had electricity.
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And I'm so glad there's still the possibility of cow photos from you in the future... 
but apart from that, it looks like a nice place to stay. 
The hotel looks like a nice place but I wouldn't be too thrilled about the baseball teams converging for the weekend!
Can't wait for more
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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