Fall Fun Festivals and Adventures
A suggested itinerary on your own at your own pace including shopping for local goodies at the farm market, breathing in the crisp fall air, biting into a warm, homemade apple donut, relaxing on a tractor-drawn wagon ride, and enjoying the stunning fall colors.
(Looking for something scary? Click here!)
October 2011
DAY ONE
MORNING: Start your venture at the Hidden Hilltop Alpaca Ranch in Lexington. Learn about the gentle, curious and easy way to care for alpacas. Relax and enjoy your stay while visiting the ranch. There will be hands on time to pet the alpacas and visit the farm store to see products made from Alpaca fleece. Call ahead to schedule a visit.
A great stop during the fall season is Apple Hill Orchard. Offering delicious cheeses, meats and spreads from Amish country, a large selection of jams, jellies and apple butter, specialty gifts, candies, spices, pies, cookies, breads, muffins and their famous apple donuts. Fall events include: apple cider pressing, wagon tours, petting zoo, pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, moonlight hayrides, talks by Johnny Appleseed and pony rides.
LUNCH: Steak and Shake is known for their famous steak burgers and shakes. Enjoy a double steak burger platter with shoe-string thin french fries and a side-by-side shake. All the toppings and fixings of your favorite sundae in milkshake form!
Wayne’s Country Market- Octoberfest at Wayne’s Country Market during the entire month of October is a fall celebration that visitors of all ages are sure to enjoy! We offer fall outings for children pre-school through 3rd grade. Enjoy endless amounts of fun activities like our straw maze, rope swing, large slides, fun house, bounce four-wheeler, balloon pumpkin and hay rides! Students can learn fun facts about pumpkins, apple cider, milking cows and apple sorting! Year-round fresh produce, Amish bakery and Waggoner Premium Chocolates.
Check into your host hotel with this complete list of lodging facilities in Mansfield/Richland County.
AFTERNOON: Stop by Y-Not Cycling and Fitness in Lexington to pick up your free B & O map before heading out on the Bike Trail. You can also check out their line of clothing, shoes, helmets or even get your bike repaired.
Take your adventure along the B & O Bike Trail this afternoon! A paved 18.3 m
ile bike trail built on the railroad bed of the former Baltimore & Ohio Railway. Connecting Mansfield, Lexington, Bellville and Butler, the trail traverses some of the most scenic parts of North Central Ohio. Deer, waterfowl and an occasional farm animal on nearby farmland can be seen throughout the Trail. The trail is open year-round during daylight hours for bicycling, in-line skating, walking, jogging and also cross-country skiing in the winter. Motorized vehicles and horseback riding are prohibited.
DINNER: The log and timbered clubhouse at Sand Wedge Grill features a breathtaking view of the golf course, and with its open rear deck and patio, offers a comfortable and relaxing setting for a meal or quiet get-together. Inside the dining room guests can enjoy dinner expertly prepared by our chef while watching the wide screen TV. The Restaurant and Bar are open all year round.
EVENING: Check out our calendar of events /calendar for evening performances, shows and spooky happenings!
Return to your hotel for a good night's sleep.
DAY TWO
Rise and shine for more fun and outside adventures!
MORNING: Enjoy a leisurely drive to Bucyrus. Just a short half hour drive west of Mansfield. Stop in at Cooper's Applebutter and Jelly Factory. Take time to go into the screened-in porch to watch the apple butter bubbling in open 50 gallon copper kettles over a wood fire. Try samples of their own homemade jams, jellies and fudge. Their Country Market is open year-round Monday thru Saturday, 8:30am to 6:00pm.
What better way to start your day than a horseback ride at Equestrian Valley Farm in the brisk, fall morning. With over 200 acres of scenic Mohican-style country, the riding trails offer a variety of terrain. Your horseback trail riding experience will take you and your horse through wooded trails where wildlife abounds over rolling hills to serene valleys and through crystal clear streams. Each trail ride lasts approximately 1 1/4 hours.
Visit the Squirre
l's Den in the Historic Carrousel District. Smell the delicious aroma of homemade fudge and chocolates made fresh daily. Offering hungry travelers 25 flavors of popcorn, cinnamon frosted almonds and pecans, homemade fudge, hand-dipped chocolate and unique gifts. Don't forget the delicious carmel popcorn balls!
LUNCH: Lunch in a train? Enjoy an experience like no other at Buckeye Express Diner! OSU fans will find memorabilia throughout the restaurant which is located inside a train. Known for their fresh burgers and the Locomotive Buckeye Pounder! Try their homemade fries with included with the sandwiches and burgers.
AFTERNOON: Create an opportunity for everyone to experience the wonders of nature at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary. The Visitors Center, outdoor theater and entire live birds display area is accessible by a
brick walk way. Forty birds that cannot be returned to the wild call the sanctuary home. Nine species of birds of prey including our national emblem, the Bald Eagle reside in large display areas. If you are a fan of songbirds you will enjoy the walk through the songbird aviary where birds will alight on your hand in search of food. Make sure you stop by the gift shop for the nature lover in all of us.
Visit the wedding site of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall at Malabar Farm State Park. This 914-acre country estate, home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield, was a haven for many Hollywood celebrities. The new Louis Bromfield Visitors Education Center offers over 30 interactive exhibits to let visitors explore, learn and
experience agriculture, our environment and Bromfield's legacy. Stop by the petting farm to get up-close to Malabar's goats, sheep, cows, chickens and other farm animals. Malabar Farm Country Store has partnered with Lehman's old fashioned products to provide a unique shopping experience and a step back in time plus Ohio made gifts and homemade fudge.
Stop by the Farm Market located next to Malabar Farm Restaurant. Visitors can buy freshly-picked, seasonal produce grown locally. Stop by Louis Bromfield's historic, spring-cooled produce stand and see what's growing! Now self-service for your convenience.
DINNER: The Malabar Farm Restaurant prides itself on serving farm-fresh beef, pork, and eggs, 
and do we mean fresh! Featuring all natural farm fresh products from their own farm market, the restaurant is independently owned and serves their meals for lunch and dinner with a Parisian influence in an upscale yet comfortable setting. Extended beer and wine list and daily features are sure to make all who visit an true dining experience! Award Winning Corporate Chef! Children's menu available.
Enjoy good old-fashioned tractor drawn wagon rides at Malabar Farm State Park. Rides run only on Saturday and Sunday's in September and on Sunday's in October. Tickets can be purchased in the Gift Shop at Malabar Farm. Check their web site for a complete schedule.
ADDITIONAL FALL ACTIVITIES, EVENTS & FESTIVALS
(Looking for something scary? Click here!)
Prairie Peddler Festival: October 1-2, 8-9, 2011
Haunted Prison Experience at the Historic Ohio State Reformatory: September 23-October 31, 2011
Gorman Nature Center
"Louie", play at Malabar Farm State Park: October 7-9, 14-16, 2011
This itinerary is a sample of some of the establishments in the Mansfield/Richland County area. Please feel free to visit our web site for more details and ideas, www.mansfieldtourism.com.
