Cuyahoga Valley Train & Maple Sugar Fest

 I've had this post ready for a while but lost the camera with photos for a bit whoops!

sing it: come on ride the train choo choo

I’ve gotten a gift the past two year to ride the Cuyahoga Valley Train to various events. It has always been an adventure and great time to enjoy the sites along the Ohio canal.

Tap that

I went to the maple sugar festival at Hale Farm and Village. A friend from school tagged along on the adventure and we got to ride the train for a short while, then hop a shuttle over to Hale Farm. 

From there we got to enjoy a pancake breakfast and explore the farm. There were guides in period dress explaining the lifestyle.

There also was maple sugar tapping and boiling unfortunately with it below 20 degrees the sap was not flowing very fast. We spent most of our time in the blacksmith shop because it was the only warm place!

Bonus got a distant peek at the house my mom grew up in! 

Throughout the year there are all other different types of train rides you can do. Brunch, mystery, wine tours, and just plain educational or as regular transportation alongside the Ohio Canal.  

It’s only 3$ if you have your bike and the route is right along a fabulous path called the towpath. It was the path that canal boats were towed along way back in the day (mid 1800's) when the canal was the super highway transporting goods from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The path is nice and flat and very well maintained. You can also hike and check out some of the locks along the way.

The valley has some awesome hiking trails as it’s part the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Summit County Metroparks

Other fun things to do in the area is check out a quaint little town called Peninsula. There are some art galleries and good burgers at Whiteys or beers at the Winking Lizard. Appalachian Outiffiters is right around the corner for great gear and rock climbing.

The Valley is a great day trip from Cleveland (only about 30-40 min) and who knows maybe you can catch a show at blossom.

All aboard!