Northeast Ohio's quintessentially summer places beckon as season begins to wind down
Aug. 16—The birds, bees and butterflies surely know that summer is winding down, and it's time for us humans to consider ways to celebrate Northeast Ohio's most sublime season. It's been a dry summer, with plenty of days to head for the beach, take woodland hikes and revel in outdoor concerts.
Dozens of area parks beckon with their tables and pavilions, and it remains a good time for picnics. Enjoying a picnic dinner accompanied by music remains one of the season's pleasures to be fondly recalled a few months from now. Summer will surely be missed.
The final installment in the Concert in the Forest Series at Holden Arboretum in Kirtland is Aug. 24, when students from the Cleveland Institute of Music take the grassy stage as visitors watch and listen from lawn chairs and blankets strategically placed amid the late summer landscapes. A food truck will provide provisions while beer and wine are for sale.
The Great Geauga County Fair Band will preside at 2 p.m. Aug. 20 at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, 8095 Mentor Ave., Mentor.
Meanwhile, Tuesday evenings remain lively with Mentor Rocks at Mentor's Civic Amphitheater, 8600 Munson Road, with Led Zeppelin cover act Zozo rocking from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 23 and Matchbox Twenty-Too — a Matchbox Twenty tribute — at the same time on Aug 30.
Music from Abbey Rodeo reigns from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 25 at Willoughby's Wes Point Park, 4232 River St.
Sunset Harbor Bar and Grille, overlooking Lake Erie in Fairport Harbor, remains a favorite summer place. When gathering with friends for dinner at one of the picnic tables while watching the sunset and passing boaters, it seems as if summer will never end. It's in HTP Rack & Marina at 625 Prospect St. and is open only until the season ends — usually into September.
Pickle Bill's Lobster House in Grand River, with its covered, heated patio, is another summer tradition for many.
Consider heading east on Interstate 90 to Route 528 and meandering among the closeby wineries. The grapes are now heavy on their vines as another harvest season approaches. Many wineries have nice outdoor patios and serve small meals that are especially tasty with the wines they make.
Reach Laurentia Vineyard and Winery a mile south of the freeway on Route 528, where the menu designed and implemented by Chef William Davis delights many who sample it. This place is open for both lunch and dinner and can also be enjoyed on Mondays, when many places are closed. Outdoors are umbrella tables scattered around and overlooking the vineyards. Find it at 4559 S. Madison Road in Madison Township.
Go east on Route 307 (also called Warner Road and North River Road in stretches) to find Cask 307 and Hundley Cellars, both of which have delightful outdoor patios and tasty menus.
Silver Crest Cellars is one of the few wineries that permit guests to bring their own picnics to enjoy. Reach it behind Laurentia or off of Route 307 at 4511 Bates Road.
If it's a Saturday or Sunday when you're driving through wine country, stop at Patrick Vautrin's red roadside Crust Hut, where his madeleines, crepes, boules and other baked delights are sold from his La Crust, a cottage industry operated from his home.
The Crust Hut is open from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. or until the baked goods are sold out. It's at 6387 N. River Road W. (Route 307) in Harpersfield Township.
