Ashtabula: A Beautiful Fall Day Trip near Cleveland

As soon as autumn rolls around, I love to leaf peep, enjoy fall treats, and attend any local festivals. I really love the 4 season climate of the Midwest and this is my favorite time of year. While Cleveland is home to a magnificent park system and a fantastic zoo, sometimes it’s nice to leave the hustle and bustle for a day to enjoy the quaint small town charm of nearby cities on Lake Erie. Ashtabula is one of my favorite fall destinations because they have a great apple festival and the covered bridges look gorgeous surrounded by the colors of the season. It is conveniently located less than an hour and a half away so an easy daytrip from the city.

Most notably, the small community is home to the most covered bridges in the state at 19, including both the longest and the shortest in the US which is pretty unique. Other great activities you can enjoy on a beautiful autumn day include: apple picking at Brant’s Orchard, shopping & dining on historic Main Street, and collecting treasured seaglass on Walnut Beach.

This article will cover some of the fun fall activities in the area including: seeing the top covered bridges, apple picking, fall foliage hiking, and visiting the beautiful Lake Erie beaches.

Update: After multiple trips, I have finally seen all the covered bridges. I recommend a self-guided tour if you are interested in a trip down memory lane. Be prepared for a lot of driving if you want to see all of them in one day. Personally, I think it worked out better to see just a handful at a time.

The longest & shortest covered bridges in the US

Even if you do not have time to see all the bridges, I recommend checking out Smolen–Gulf Bridge, which at 613 feet, is the longest in the US. The setting over the Ashtabula river is quite gorgeous, especially during the colorful fall season. It is 30 feet wide and 14.6 inches tall. The nice thing about this bridge is the little walkway where you can enjoy great views of the river as you cross.

Geneva, located about 15 miles from the city is home to the shortest covered bridge in the US. At 18 feet, The West Liberty Covered Bridge is really tiny and honestly not that impressive, however, worth a quick view just to say that you have seen it.

The one cool aspect of this bridge is that you can still see the toll both back from the old days when passengers had to pay to cross it. I recommend a quick visit if you are a history buff or trying to photograph all the bridges.

As I mentioned, I finally explored all the bridges via multiple self-guided tours. You can also check the Covered Bridge Festival, held each October. There are a lot of activities at this time including a 5k, special vendors, and a parade. Guided tours are also available. For those taking a self-guided tour limited on time, I recommend checking out: Windsor Mills, Middle Road, and Mechanicsville which are some of the oldest in the county.

Fall Festival at Brant’s Orchard

I really like this local orchard because the setting is gorgeous and you can enjoy seasonal food and activities. They run a fabulous fall festival each year which is free to attend. I really love the fresh country setting; drinking a hot apple cider next to the beautiful lake while surrounded by colorful leaves is such a great experience.

The on-site bakery featuring freshly baked pies, pastries, and treats draws in massive traffic. Some of the goodies you will find include: apple and pumpkin pie, apple turnovers, muffins, and homemade breads. The line was so long – we probably waited for over a half hour (update: on our return visit, we waited even longer!).

Fortunately, there are lots of goodies to browse during your wait. The candy apples looked so delicious but a bit too massive and sweet for my liking. You will also find: jams, pancake mixes, honey, candy, kettle corn, fresh apples, and so much more.

They also offer the best apple cider donuts. I am not even that big of a fan of donuts but these were seriously good; so much so that we took a 6 pack home with us! According to Brant’s, they sometimes make over 6000 a day because they are so popular! Luckily, they have an automated machine to help them out.

They are known for their apple slushies, although we went with a traditional cider. I couldn’t imagine a better setting that sipping this delicious homemade drink while gazing out at the beautiful foliage surrounding the lake. The fall colors are beautiful this time of year; these are some of the brightest colors I’ve seen in Ohio to date. They offer a lot of seating but it still fills up fast; luckily were able to relax in an adirondack.

Hayrides through the orchard

Also for $5, you can add on a hayride and enjoy beautiful views as well as a little history lesson on the orchard. It was a nice ride – a bit longer that most we have taken so definitely a great value. It was just nice being out in the fresh air enjoying the fall vibe. You will want to purchase your tickets right when you arrive as they can sell out. I like that they price activities separate so you can choose what you want to do.

Lunch at the orchard

On our most recent visit, we decided to eat at the on-site cafe as we had a hard time last year finding somewhere to eat in the city. The cafe was small, although they offered a number of comfort food selections including sandwiches and soups served in bread bowls.

Mike enjoyed the chicken salad which was served with an apple. I went with a creamy broccoli cheese soup served in a bread bowl. We also picked up a bag of Caramel apple flavored popcorn. It was a nice lunch and we enjoyed the beautiful lakeside views in the background.

Pick your own apples

If you are up for a true country experience, definitely pay a little extra to pick your own apples. This is a really fun experience which really makes the drive a bit more worth it. It’s a lot more fun that simply purchasing already picked apples in the store.

For $25, you will be able to fill up an entire bushel with fresh apples. To be honest, the bag was a little big for just 2 people – let’s just say I will be eating apples for awhile! If you have a big family or plan on making a pie or candy apples, you will definitely have a great assortment to worth with!

A bit of leaf peeping

If you have the extra time, I recommend checking out the on-site nature trails. There are about 2 miles of trails in the forest surrounding the orchard. Sadly, we were the only ones on the trail as everyone was too busy with the other festivities. The leaf peeping is beautiful this time of year – I recommend getting in a bit of exercise and enjoying the beautiful colors! And, if you love seeing the colors of the forest as much as I do you will want to check out some of the great leaf peeping hikes around Cleveland. This region doesn’t disappoint if you love the fall months.

Walnut Street Beach

While I wouldn’t say this is the most beautiful of Lake Erie beaches, it was quiet and we found a decent amount of seaglass. Because of its’ former history as a public dumping area, most Lake Erie beaches are now hotspots for seaglass collectors. Unfortunately, most of the glass was a bit picked over by the time we arrived, although I still found a few decent pieces to add to my collection.

For those who don’t know, seaglass is basically formed via trash (old bottles, glass pieces) that has had years and years to tumble and transform into smooth pieces of glass. The consistency is almost gem-like, and thus coveted by many artisans for making jewelry and other crafts. I have been collecting seaglass for well over a decade; I first learned about its’ significance while living on an island off the coast of Maine. Lake Erie has been a surprisingly great destination for collecting and we find ourselves out there hunting many spring and summer weekends.

Main Street charm

I recommend a walk along historic Bridge Street as a side activity in between activities. There is not much to see here, although you will find a few local boutique shops, wineries, restaurants, and a great little local coffeeshop.

I found this great local coffeehouse called Harbor Perk. This spacious indie coffeehouse offers a nice inviting place where you can read, meet up with friends, and enjoy a great cup of joe and bagel before exploring other sights in the area. I like the vibe because it takes me back to the old school coffeehouses which are disappearing in favor of more modern, Instagram type places.

I loved the historic brick walls and cozy dark ambiance. They have some cozy couch seating and I loved that they offer a free refill (most coffeehouses in Cleveland unfortunately do not!). Their bagels are pretty good and they also offer a selection of pastries and treats.

Recommend stops along the route:

If you are traveling from Cleveland, the drive can get a little tedious. I have found a few interesting detours which can help break up the drive.

• Squires Castle: This old gatekeeper’s house at North Chagrin reservation in Willoughby resembles a castle. Today, you can take a self guided tour. Also North Chagrin is a wonderful leaf peeping hotspot.
• Paine Falls Park: This small park in Painesville is home to hiking trails and a waterfall (which unfortunately was a mere trickle on our visit).
• The Big Rocking Chair: This giant rocking chair is located next to a closed hospice center in Austinburg. For safety reasons, do not climb on it. This is one of those odd roadside attractions.