Small Town Charm in Willoughby: A Quick Daytrip from Cleveland

Since moving to the Cleveland metro about a year and a half ago, I have been exploring a lot of the small towns outside of the city. Over the holiday break, Mike and I decided to check out a small community known as Willoughby for several reasons. It’s a small suburb of ~25,000 located about a half hour east of the city, so a quick drive.

First off, I love checking out small Main Streets as they are becoming a rarity. I love shopping and dining at local businesses. Second, we got a pretty big snowstorm on NYE so I figured it was a great time to ski at Chapin Forest, located just 10 minutes from the town. Third, they are featured in one of my favorite made-for-TV Christmas movies, Holiday Road Trip. I am a big movie buff and love visiting different filming sites around the country.

First off: a quick side trip to Wickliffe for some antique hunting

Our first stop along the way was Antiques & Uniques. I really love hunting for old treasures. This massive shop was loaded to the brim with everything you could think of – this time of the year, we saw a lot of great holiday merchandise. I really loved the selection of retro toys and games; it was definitely a walk down memory lane. And so many great DVDs priced at just 3 bucks; I added many to my collection. On a side note, Medina is also home to a great antique mall.

Next up, I wanted to check out this local coffeeshop called Couchland (located just across the street). I am always complaining that coffeeshops today are becoming more stiff and bland with no cozy places to sit and someone recommend that i check this place out. It was right on our route, so I figured why not? I love supporting local coffeehouses.

The setting was nice and relaxed and dim. After a hectic holiday season, it was nice to relax with a great cup of joe while watching the snow falling outside. On one side note, I wish they offered mugs as I prefer not to drink out of a paper cup. Otherwise, a decent find.

A stroll along an old fashioned Main St.

Next up, we drove another 10 minutes to Willoughby and took a walk down Main Street. What a step back in time! I absolutely loved the holiday decor. The wreaths on the lampposts and garland stretching across the street really gave it an old time appeal. In fact, I was just watching an old movie from the 80’s the other day and commented on how nice they used to decorate in the old days.

First, we stopped in a cute old-school cafe called Kleifelds. We mainly stopped here because it was featured in Holiday Road Trip, an underrated Ion channel made-for-TV Christmas movie starring the always charming Patrick Muldoon. According to The News-Herald, they filmed all over town including in this little cafe.

The food was pretty decent and I loved the old time counter and mini jukeboxes. My veggie omelet was delicious. It’s nice to visit these old school diners as they are disappearing more and more as the years go by. It’s fun to enjoy the retro vibe every now and then.

After our brunch, we walked around some of the shops including a great little bookstore called The Viridian Bookshop. You will find a nice variety of books plus many large rooms which you can rent for playing games. There’s some cozy seating and the ambiance is nice and dark. We also passed a little coffeehouse called Fiona’s which overtook an old hardware store. Next time we are skiing, we will probably stop in for a cup of coffee and a pastry.

Here’s a cute little Letters to Santa mailbox we saw where kids can mail their letters. Note we also saw one of these in Chagrin Falls, another cute small town.

From Main Street, we walked over to the town light display. There is a pretty gazebo and numerous whimsical holiday themed LED displays. This particular area is shown many times in the movie, not surprisingly as this great display is part of the Ohio Holiday Lights trail. For more great Christmas attractions & light displays in the metro you can check out my guide.

Cross country skiing in nearby Chapin Forest

Last year, I found out that you can rent cross country skiing at several of the Metroparks including Chapin Forest. This beautiful reservation is just 15 minutes away, so a great add on activity during the winter season. I recommend checking their website for current trail conditions (a webcam is available) and also checking their Twitter or Facebook page for snow updates.

I really appreciate that they offer on-site rentals as I enjoy skiing but do not have my own equipment. It’s a hassle to rent the equipment and drag it around to the park, but you can conveniently rent them here. Rentals are pretty affordable to at just $10 for the first hour and $5 for each additional. Not too bad – really it’s less than seeing a movie and you get in a great workout too!

Some of the trails are a bit hillier than my comfort level, but there is a relatively easy and flat loop around a field for those new to the sport. I saw a small hill some kids were practicing on so I might test it out on my next visit to get more comfortable going downhill: it’s scary when you have no control.

The staff is friendly enough and can recommend where to start. They also offer lessons on weekends. I only wish we got a bit more snow so I could ski here more often. Honestly, I am a bit disappointed in the weak totals thus far. I was expecting heavy snow all winter! This going from 30 and cold one week to 50 and rainy the next is getting annoying. Here’s hoping for more snow this January and February!

North Chagrin Reservation: A four season recreational oasis

And one more quick side trip in nearby Willoughby Hills (about a 10 minute drive). I haven’t been here yet during the dead of winter, but North Chagrin Reservation is a great place to hike assuming there is no snow/ice. If there is a lot of snow, you can go sledding at Old River Farm picnicking area.

Personally, I like the trail that starts behind Squire’s Castle – it’s a gorgeous place for leaf peeping. Squire’s was built in the 1890’s and modeled after German and English castles, according to the Cleveland Metroparks website.

Also, at the reservation is a small waterfall overlook. Unfortunately, I’ve never seen more than a trickle of water so you will have to time this one just after a storm. There is also a pretty nice nature center which is open all year (from 9:30am-5pm) outside of major holidays. There are some educational animal exhibits, plus areas where you can relax and birdwatch. Check with the staff for upcoming events. Last year, they hosted a pretty Halloween lantern walk at the castle.

Surprisingly, I have found enough things to do to keep me busy all winter. You can read about more winter hotspots in my guide.