Highly Recommended Reading!
DO YOU KNOW?
…an average of 15,000 pancake breakfasts are served each year on Sundays during maple season in Burton, aka: Pancake Town USA?
…the Derthicks have owned an operating family farm for over 200 years and have the largest professionally cut corn maze in Northeast Ohio – over 17 acres?
…the Middlefield Original Cheese Co-op was started in 1954 by a group of Amish farmers and the current cheese maker goes to work at 1:00 a.m. each day?
…the local police take a day each year to fish with the kids?
…there are more than 10,000 acres of parks and preserved lands offering trails (for walking, biking, skiing & horseback riding), camping, swimming, sledding, canoeing, golfing and a wide variety of programs for every interest and fitness level? Not to mention Geauga Park District’s Observatory Park is one of only seven ‘Silver-tiered Dark Sky’ parks in the country?
…Geauga County has its own mill that dates back to 1834 and is producing stone ground flours, meals, and specialty baking mixes today?
…a Colorado man and a Geauga Lyric Theater girl met during an audition for Romeo and Juliet and ended up falling in love for REAL?
DO YOU KNOW where I learned all of this?
In the Official 2013 Geauga County Visitor’s Guide! And these facts are only a teeny tiny bit of all the information that you will find in this year’s incredibly packed and beautiful Guide!
New to the Guide this year are features written by Geauga County company owners, farmers, and shopkeepers who share their personal stories about their businesses. The Guides also offer a page where visitors are encouraged to write a little about their own experience while visiting and send it back to the Tourism Office.
“We really enjoy getting feedback from our visitors,” says Lynda Nemeth, Geauga County Tourism Director. “Whether they went to the Geauga County Fair for the first time, tried a Maple Stir, found a great new store, or watched a local artisan at work, we share in their excitement in discovering Geauga County! And these folks do not have to be from out of town,” continues Lynda. “Even local residents are invited to share their favorite spots and new discoveries.”
Experiences can be shared by filling out the page in the Guide and mailing it to the office or through a new ‘coming soon’ component of the website. Guests will also be able to send or attach a photo to share. Any stories or photos shared will not be returned, and by sending them to Geauga Tourism you are granting permission for them to be shared or used for future marketing purposes. Everyone who shares an experience will also be entered into a random drawing for a chance to win a Geauga County Basket valued over $300! Drawing will be on October 31.
OH! And speaking of winners, DO YOU KNOW that you could be the winner of a “Geauga County Get-Away Basket” which includes an overnight stay at Punderson Manor, gift certificates for local dining, theater tickets, maple products, and much more? That cute chubby raccoon, Maple Max, is once again hiding throughout the Guide, and all those who submit a correct count of how many times they spot him will be placed in a random drawing to receive this fabulous prize! But don’t wait too long – Maple Max says that entires must be in by March 30. This gives him enough time to get his fur and whiskers groomed for the photo that he will have taken with the winner! Send your answers to GCT–Maple Max Contest, PO Box 846 Middlefield, OH 44062 or email to Info@TourGeauga.com.
Why not pick up your Guide today then settle into that favorite chair by the fireplace tonight and start reading. Along with the interesting stories written by local families, you’ll find colorful photography, a seemingly unending list of events from now until December, and countless shops, restaurants, stores, inns, farms, markets, and galleries you’ll want to visit. A calendar might be a good thing to have by your side as you work your way through its 41 pages!
You can find the 2013 Guide at local businesses and at the tourism office located at 14907 N. State Rd in Middlefield (where Maple Max hangs out). You can also download a Guide by going to their website or order a hard copy – and remember to include your address! Of course you can always call Lynda or Pegi at 800-775-8687. They are the ‘human google’ when it comes to everything you want to know about Geauga County! And waaaay more fun to chat with!
For ongoing updates ‘Like’ them on Facebook or sign up to receive the monthly newsletter where you’ll find Maple Max hiding out as well!