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All Aboard A Scenic Railroad

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I am an explorer; I love discovering what the world around me has to offer. I have done my best to travel the 22,000 acres of the “Emerald Necklace” of the Cleveland Metroparks, sampled the historical Cleveland tradition of ethnic diversity at the West Side Market, and gotten lost in the memories of a magical time period at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. Recently, I have boarded another timeless journey: the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

From serving as a transportation corridor for the Indians thousands of years ago to later providing settlers with an easy way to move bulk goods, the Cuyahoga River and Valley in northern Ohio has always been an asset to people of all ages. The Valley Railway was primarily built to transport coal from south of Canton, Ohio to the prosperous industries developing throughout Cleveland. Today it serves as transportation through beautiful meadowland, the homes of beaver, fox, deer, and owl, and shopping and lodging destinations. Children anxiously climb aboard the “Polar Express” during the Christmas season and experience a magical trip to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus. Families travel alongside the railway on miles of the Towpath Trail to bike, walk, and even canoe.

With twelve main points of interest and eight stations, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad stretches across 33,000 acres of our National Park. I have visited and photographed two of the stations including Peninsula Depot and Brecksville Station. Each station offers various forms of entertainment ranging from recreational activities, dining, shopping, and art galleries.

 

Peninsula Depot
The Peninsula Depot sits in the small town of Peninsula that offers various tourist attractions for its visitors of all ages. A few dining options include the Winking Lizard and Fisher’s Cafe and Pub, stores range from Burda Books to Yellow Creek Trading Company, and art galleries include Diane Seskes Photography and Elements Gallery. Special events are held throughout the year and attract families from all over the Midwest. Not only is the town packed with excitement during the day, but it also has a great night life featuring various bars, karaoke events, and live musicians.

While visiting I traveled the Towpath Trails. Not only was I able to observe wildlife throughout the dense forest, recreational activities on the trails, and the beautiful scenery, but I also came across the Canal Feeder Dam, a historical landmark of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. While the dam was originally built in 1827 to provide water for the Ohio and Erie Canal, today it functions as more of a memory for the town. Peninsula once greatly depended on this dam and the Cuyahoga River, and many of the buildings throughout the town still stand as to portray the purpose it once served.

I also walked alongside the Cuyahoga River which has created a series of peninsulas over the course of its existence. While the river was once completely polluted and disregarded by society, it now serves a different purpose. I observed two children skipping rocks across the water, a family canoeing on the calm rapids, and a blue heron searching for its lunch.

 

Brecksville Station

The Brecksville Station also offers much excitement for its visitors.  Well known restaurants are just around the corner and offer a wide variety of dining options including Creekside Restaurant and Bar, Sakura Japanese, and The Courtyard Cafe. Shopping centers are within walking distance from these restaurants and feature unique stores such as Riverview House Antiques Gifts and Florals and ABC Art and Coin Exchange. The area also serves as a great recreational destination as people come to hike, golf, play softball, and run cross country.

While visiting I photographed the beautiful fall scenery around the station. The Route 82 bridge spans the Cuyahoga Valley and runs directly over the railroad at the Brecksville Station. Built in 1931 the bridge stands at a height taller than the Statue of Liberty and its unique construction the evolution of bridge engineering.

From recreational opportunities to gourmet dining to experiencing historical landmarks, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is truly a beautiful asset to Northeast Ohio. While I have only visited two of the stations, I look forward to exploring and photographing more in the near future. Board the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad yourself and discover all that it has to offer!

 

~Kerry~

 

 

Check out my complete Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad photography album
on EntertainingYourself.com’s Facebook page!

 

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Featured EY Contributor: Kerry Butler

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Like any other student anticipating the end of August/beginning of September time of year, I am still wondering how June, July, and August passed by so quickly. I took five courses throughout my summer break, and now that they all have come to an end, I feel as though my summer has just begun.

During my last few weeks of relaxation, I have been traveling to various areas throughout Cleveland to engage in a personal favorite hobby: photography. To keep a three-year tradition of mine alive, I recently attended the Feast of the Assumption in Little Italy. The Feast is an annual event that begins with a religious procession through the streets, followed by carnival rides, vendors, live music, and fireworks. The Feast amazes me. From meeting new people, experiencing a different culture, and, of course, sampling delicious Italian food, the event is far beyond entertaining.

This year I decided to bring along my camera as I took a Photography course this summer and wanted to practice some of the skills that I learned throughout the five-week intensive class. Between endless pasta, pizza, and pastries, I took pictures of the colorful environment, live entertainment, and different vendors throughout the crowded streets of Little Italy. By taking pictures of different places throughout the Cleveland area, I hope to pass along not only the environment and scenery of the particular subject matter, but also give the viewer a sense of the smells throughout the area, textures, tastes, and other more descriptive characteristics not usually conveyed by the average photograph.

Which leads me to my central interest: I have always enjoyed being creative. Whether it was making a birthday card for a friend, helping my mom cook a new recipe, or designing collages for my bedroom, I have always demonstrated an artistic passion. I still practice all of these childhood interests today, making personalized birthday cards, cooking and baking any new recipe I can get my hands on, and designing collages, posters, and brochures for others and myself.

In a few days I will continue to practice these interests as I begin my first full semester with Kent State University. I attended John Carroll University for the past two years as a Marketing major, but after taking three Visual Communication Design (VCD) courses with Kent last summer, I decided to further pursue their program and learn more about the growing field of design. I will be working toward earning degrees in both VCD and Managerial Marketing as I hope to combine the two areas of interest and someday work as a Graphic Designer while applying business knowledge to my projects. While change terrifies me, I anticipate my transfer not as a change but more as an enriching opportunity that will allow me to finally discover all of my capabilities.

Over the course of this semester I have two expectations of myself: remain positive throughout this new experience and grow as an individual. I could not be more thrilled to begin my internship with EY and share some of my interests with a broader range of individuals. I look forward to the months to come, and I am thankful for having the courage to engage in such great opportunities.

~ Kerry ~

Want to see more of Kerry’s pictures from the Feast?  Check out her album posted on EY’s facebook page.

The Polo Fields in Cleveland's Metroparks

Sunny Spot: Cleveland, Ohio

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The Polo Fields in Cleveland's Metroparks

SHOUT OUT to our fans in CLEVELAND, OHIO.  This week you have the highest number of hits on the EntertainingYourself.com website.  We LOVE it and we wanted to find out what’s happening in your town so we did a little digging.  First – your weather for Wednesday, 12/22/10 – 32 degrees & partly SUNNY, partly cloudy, with a chance of snow flurries!  OK – so a little chillier than our usual Sunny Spots, but great for outdoor activities OR last minute Christmas shopping.  Fun Fact – You are surrounded by the Emerald Necklace, a ring of 16 parks circling this major US city, which span across 22,000 acres.  The parks include hundreds of miles of walking, bicycle, and horse trails, woods, picnic areas, beaches, five nature education centers, seven golf courses, rivers & lakes for fishing and the Cleveland Metropark Zoo. And, if that is not enough, you are right next to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Lake Erie – one of the USA’s 5 Great Lakes (the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth).  You also boast an amazing array of museums, including the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.  One other little fact, you are home to the Great Lakes Brewing Company, Ohio’s first microbrewery, famous for their Burning River and Christmas Ale.   Thanks for stopping by our site.  We look forward to hearing more about how you are Entertaining Yourselves in Cleveland!