Christmas in the woods is an amazing craft bazaar located in Colombiana, OH. This event is filled…read moreto the brim with of all kinds of holiday goods, stationary, stained glass, kitchenware, art, "Christmassy" decor, clothing and food. Make sure you bring a lot of money with you because items are nice in quality and it gets expensive!! Even on a cold, rainy day in October, the place was packed! It's $10 per adult to get inside, kids 12 and under are free. We went with our family and kiddos and it was great. No issues with pushing our stroller around. However, it can be tricky to buy things for the little ones stockings in they're hanging around so bring someone to provide childcare with you if you decide to bring littles!! There is a Santa Claus, live music and lots of food for sale. We had pierogis, kielbasa sauerkraut sandwiches, Mac and cheese, doughnuts, cherry strudel, chicken wings, pulled pork sandwiches and hot chocolate for lunch during our visit. Everything tasted good! I would definitely go back and bring more $ specifically cash next year!!

This was my first time to Christmas in the Woods, but I hope not my last…read more Two weekends in October the woods near Columbiana Ohio host a gigantic high end craft fair / food festival. Everything: iron garden art, photography, knitted items, ornaments, glassware. There is ample parking and a modest entry fee. It was a great time - took us about 3 hours to stroll the property and select our treasures, we had already eaten - big mistake as there was some fabulous fare at this fair!

We were at the Fairgrounds for the Lantern Festival. We live in Pittsburgh and had never been to…read morethe fairgrounds before. There were gentleman working in the parking lot who did a nice job of directing us where to park. There were a lot of people coming in and at a steady flow. The people taking tickets were quick and efficient which kept the line moving. That was very nice. The lantern festival was in a gated section. We set up our chairs and then went to a second section for food from the food trucks. There was also a long row of Port A Potties as well as a sink with soap. That was very much appreciated. Though there were thousands of people there we never felt crowded. Everyone was behaving and having a good time. We talked to two security guys during our time at the festival and they were extremely nice. When it was time to go the parking lot directors kept the traffic moving and people were able to leave without sitting and waiting for a long time. We also saw a car being towed out. It was nice to know that if something had happened to us that help would be available.

Nice festival in Houston Pa! Lots of vendors, food trucks , entertainment, and a few alcohol…read morechoices!

A apple fest with no apple cider doughnuts is pretty disappointing. Also wasn't a big fan of swopes…read morefarm apple cider. It was smaller than I had expected

Applefest is a three day festival that celebrates everything fall. There is a 5k race, antique and…read moreclassic car show, live music, hundreds of food and craft vendors, pie baking contest, children's activities and more. Franklin is a beautiful little town with lots to offer the 100,000 plus visitors that come out each year for Applefest. My grandson's enjoyed eating fresh apples and celebrating fall in the cool weather.

I last reviewed the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival twelve years ago (!!!), when I was still a…read moreregular and went every year. Now though? Well...now I'm not a regular and I don't go every year. I actually took a long break and skipped attending the Fair for many years. I reached a point where I couldn't justify paying the entrance fee to hear the same jokes as the year prior, or to spend more money shopping for trinkets I didn't need. So once one of their regular performers retired, I took it as a sign and I stepped away. That was until that regular came out of retirement - that was enough reason for me to come back; so I figure now is as good a time as any to update my review of the Ren Fair overall. On a positive note: there are now multiple new performers at this Ren Fair. I was very happy to spend a full day walking around hearing new music, watching new acts, and so forth. (I especially appreciated the new additions after walking by a returning comedy act and hearing the exact same jokes that I remembered from "BC"...you know, "Before COVID"...) Something else has changed in the years since I last visited the Fair. There's a relatively new app on the block now called TikTok - you might have heard of it. Well let me tell you, nerds like me love it. And we post about the shenanigans we get into, such as going to the local Ren Fair. Well videos of the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival took off this year, and they definitely got the attention of some new attendees. So for the first time that I can remember, when I drove out this year, traffic to get into the Fair was backed up not just onto the road...but onto I-70 itself. (I'll interrupt my own story time now to admit there might have been other factors too...but I vividly remember seeing NUMEROUS TikTok videos about the Ren Fair, way more than usual. Make of this anecdote what you will.) The additional foot traffic was good for the Fair I'm sure, but there's really not that much this Fair can do in the way of expanding to accommodate said foot traffic. The crowds being what they were, I didn't even attempt to watch the jousts. I also made sure I planned my day and got to other shows super early so I could find a seat for them. Final thoughts: it was good to see some updates to the Fair lineup this year. But generally speaking, my visit felt like 'same Ren Fair, different year'...yet was simultaneously the busiest weekend I can remember. Go figure. I'm most likely to come back to this Ren Fair if: 1) My favorite performer continues to come back. 2) My friends want to go. Otherwise, I'm probably skipping. It's not that the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival itself is bad; it's that after being a regular for literal decades, I'm OK with no longer being an annual patron. (And my wallet is OK with that decision, too!)

Great time for the entire family! Spacious grounds with lots of activities including food & drink,…read moreartisan shops, live shows, live bands, games, rides and lots of sights to see. Located in West Newton just outside of Pittsburgh is a 16th century medieval amusement park open for 6 weekends from late Aug through late Sept. most every vendor only accepts cash so take a lot with you cause it's not a cheap outing. ATM's are located near the front gate just in case. We visited many vendors with a wide array of products but one that stood out was Adventure Armory owned by Laurel. Great sword and shield woodworks. They sell painted and bare wood armory pieces. Very cool! She was very cool and great with the kids. A must stop for kids of all ages! All and all a fun day in a magical world whether you go in costume or plain clothes it's definitely worth the drive to experience times of past. The BIG Show had to be the Jousting at the outdoor arena. Very cool!! Highly recommended! Looking forward to visiting again next year!

I was really looking forward to attending this with my daughter. I don't get to do fun stuff with…read moreher since I live too far. So this was a treat. Parking was free and it was $7 to get in. Well worth the price. This festival was held in the trees so you were shaded from the sun in most places. It was the humidity that was a killer. Tough wearing a mask but I would never not wear one. I saw a few other people with them too. They had all kinds of vendors, from candles, soaps, honey, home decor, quilts, and many more. They had demonstrations going on and dancers. The dancers we saw looked to be in 70's to 80's they were adorable. We enjoyed that. Food was the normal fair type food, we had a steak hoagie with fries, hot dog and then you can't leave without dessert. Funnel cake and deep fried Oreos. I would definitely return if I was visiting at the time it was here.

I was pleasantly surprised at the large selection at Janoski's! It's so much more than a greenhouse…read morewith several produce options, baked goods, breads, a huge freezer with meat and seafood, beverages, snacks, and both a winery and cafe located in the back. I'll have to make several trips here to be able to experience it all. I think most of the prices looked fair, but a few were higher than I would've expected. The parking lot is massive and paved. They also have a public restroom available inside.

I haven't done the farm in a few years but I love the store. Loads of fresh veggies and fruits, the…read moremost delicious baked goods, and a cute little winery. They also have a gift shop upstairs with some nice homemade items. Service is always friendly and helpful.

If you have kids, Pittsburgh's International Children's Festival (http://www.pghkids.org/) is…read moresomething to look forward to every year. This year the festival was held May 16-20 (Wednesday to Sunday) in Oakland at Schenley Plaza and the University of Pittsburgh theaters. My son isn't quite old enough to appreciate theatrical performances just yet, so we took advantage of most of the free activities (petting zoo, carousel rides, music performances under the Schenley Plaza tent, percussion play with everyday objects, blowing bubbles, "shooting" (rolling) glass marbles in a ring, various arts/crafts activities) and paid $5 each to enter the huge, colorful, 'balloon castle' that is Mirazozo (see the pictures I took). Wonderful family fun! Edit: Please note that the address listed is for The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust which is located downtown. The Children's Festival has been held in Oakland for the past several years (and a long time ago it was held on the North Side).

I had most horrible experience at the children's festival today. I had 3 children with me 5 years…read moreold and under. There is no safe place for them to just run around (like it use to be in Oakland), too many people on very dirty streets of downtown. Parking is a big problem (it took 40 min to find a parking spot by the Liberty Bridge and drag 3 kids to the other side of downtown), traffic is bad because of some streets are blocked for the festival. No fun at all.

Ah, the Pittsburgh Irish Festival. The Irish Festival is an extremely popular event - this year in…read moreparticular it was swamped. I admit, it's a beloved tradition, but it can also be a bit of an underwhelming tradition some years. I personally know what I'm getting into every year, but I can see where first-timers would get frustrated. But still, there really is plenty to appreciate here, especially if you have a family. I love walking around with my mother every year and always look forward to the following: *Exploring the enormous Irish marketplace. *Saying hello to a friend who brings their gypsy caravan to the event as a nice cultural addition. *Trying the beers and ciders - expensive, yes, but also very, very good and worth it! *Seeing the animals that are brought out - an array of Irish dogs and ponies is not uncommon here, although it varies on the day, weather, etc. *Listening in on several workshops; there are always really wonderful musicians and storytellers here; they're wonderful additions to everything else. *Stopping in at the vendor booths along the paths; the Welsh cookie stand is one of my favorites! BUT, I do admit, the festival is not without flaws: -Food here is expensive and a lot of it reminds me more of American pub food than Irish food, although I admittedly can't comment on just how authentic the food actually is. -The marketplace, despite being an amazing place to shop, is, well, pretty Americanized. For every jeweler or wood crafter that makes their items by hand, there's two stands selling "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" shirts and other things along those lines. It's kind of sad to see so many awful commercialized items mixed in amongst the handmade ones. -Last but not least, yes: parking is a NIGHTMARE. Be prepared to deal with it. I'm sorry. It can't be helped. Well, flaws or not, I'll keep coming back, and I do recommend that everyone visit at least one time! After all, if enough people attend maybe the festival will move to a bigger location with better parking - right?

In general, this festival is disorganized and extremely overpriced. Full priced tickets are $16,…read moreand parking is an additional $6 on top of that--and that's before you even enter! Once you're inside, expect to pay steep prices for food that's really not that uniquely Irish, as well as drinks--both alcoholic and non. In order to get drinks, you have to stand in line to get tickets, and then stand in another line to use them! This process should be streamlined so that you can buy and use tickets without having to stand in two lines. The highlights of this festival are the Irish music and dancing and the handcrafted merchandise. If you're really into those, then it might be worthwhile to go (although even then, I'm not sure, given the price of admission). Otherwise, I'd give this festival a pass and head over to the Ren Fest, which charges about the same for admission, doesn't charge for parking, and has more reasonably priced food/drinks--not to mention more fun activities and varied entertainment.

Great festival, live Celtic and Irish pub music, family friendly…read more Only complaint is there is not enough Irish inspired food. A lot of carnival food. Would like to see more authentic foods.