Thank you to all who worked so hard to bring an Elvis luau evening. It was a lot of fun! The food,…read moredrinks and community made it a wonderful night. I hope to return for another epic event

Castle Noel, came on a recommendation from a fellow Ohioan at Cleveland Zoo back in December 2022…read more After hearing about Castle Noel, and being someone with being a December birthday, Christmas, love of Christmas movies this was a must. The tour itself was 2 hours, the tour guides on my date August 31, 2025: last tour of the day 2pm, were informative, interactive, and made me feel like I was in Christmas heaven. The tour in my opinion is geared toward for kids 6 and up, and everyone else after that. All of our tour guides, hilighted there areas well. If you ever find you have to reschedule your tour, the staff are more then eager to help with that. Check in through the black doors, at gift shop ; be sure to browse and take home a piece of christmas or other souvenir. Everything about the tour epic, loved it all from Santa squeeze, to Grand Ball room to room with all the toys, restoration room, the slide from Christmas Story, Lord & Taylor clock at the start of the tour, all the Christmas windows. Look forward to returning and seeing all the new additions in future. Cheers to 10 years !!

Great local institution that promotes learning about the history of the city. Friendly volunteers…read moreoffer talks, fairs and classes. Nice grounds well kept up and several building to visit. Many family friendly events during the year. We have rented the one small building for parties and the price is very reasonable.

We went for two events. The first was a Halloween trick or treat and it was put together very well…read more Everyone was extremely friendly and our children loved it. I felt safe and it was nice to see the community participating. The second event was a fall festival where there was a petting zoo, some vendors, food, candle making, etc. We had a lot of fun and it was really neat to be able to go inside the buildings. It's taken care of very well and I'm glad it's a part of our community.

Such an amazing place kids love this place so fun definitely recommend going here so much to see !read more

This is charming. It's a cute little nature center in the Rocky River Reservation with some play…read moreareas, educational areas, restrooms, etc. This place is BUSY, so even the fairly generous parking area can fill up quickly. Trails from the Nature Center lead into several different directions, and you can either attempt the stairs that ascend to the moon, or avoid them if 9 flights of stairs aren't your idea of a fun hike. They also host occasional activities and plant sales.

Good festival for the limited amount of space. Good band line-up and very well organizedread more

Had a great time in spite of the heat. Stopped by unplanned as my mom was at Southwest. Great…read moreIrish Music & food. Had a great time as I stopped in for a quick bite! Hope to go back on Sunday night. The beer was too die for considering the high temps. Best Corn Beef around town. But don't forget ya gotta but 1.00 tickets in order to buy food or drinks!!!

I'm writing this review after hearing a deeply disturbing story from my younger sister, who was a…read morestudent in the Stow School District. Over the years, she visited this establishment multiple times through school-organized field trips. Her earlier experiences seemed educational and age-appropriate, but her final visit in 8th grade was traumatizing and completely unacceptable. On her first visit, she was a young child, excited to explore history. She remembers playing with wooden toys and engaging in fun, interactive activities. It was a harmless and enjoyable experience. On her second visit in 4th grade, the experience was still fairly lighthearted--she milked cows, churned butter, and watched glassblowers at work. It seemed like a continued effort to connect children with the past in a safe and engaging way. But her third visit in 8th grade took a shocking and horrifying turn. During this "A Fugitive's Path: Escape on the Underground Railroad" experience, my sister and her classmates were: Placed in shackles and treated like slaves Forced to simulate escaping through the Underground Railroad Exposed to the sound of blank bullets being shot into the air Surrounded by the cracking of whips Yelled at and intimidated by adults playing the roles of slave catchers or owners This wasn't education--it was trauma packaged as a learning experience. As her older sibling, hearing her describe the fear, humiliation, and confusion she felt during this simulation was gut-wrenching. I cannot understand how any school district, let alone an educational institution trusted with children's development, would approve of such a psychologically scarring experience. How could you slowly build a relationship with this place over several years, only to subject children--still minors--to a reenactment of slavery that includes the sounds of gunfire and whips? What kind of message does that send? What makes anyone believe that this is appropriate or effective? Let me be very clear: no child should ever have to go through this. Teaching about the horrors of slavery is important--but traumatizing children in the process is not education. It's irresponsible and deeply damaging. To the school district and the organizers of this program: What made you think this was okay? You crossed a line that should never be crossed. You failed these students. As a sibling, I'm heartbroken. And as a community member, I'm calling for serious accountability and immediate re-evaluation of what is considered "educational." This should never happen again--to any child, in any school, anywhere. This event took place in 2013-2014 school year however her trauma is still valid in 2025!!!!!!!!

My first time and what a great experience. The grounds were lovely although did need the grass cut…read more All of the employees were great with the exception of one who was not age appropriate and came off as mean.

I sometimes believe that a homemade make shift haunted house / yard are way better then a legit…read morehaunted house. Usually they take donations and don't charge. This house is neat. The owner does a good job and is very happy and willing to talk and discuss his yard. The whole walk through might take 10-12 minutes. The ending of course is the best part plus the "green, foggy" room. My kids and their friends enjoyed it and you can go through multiple times. Highly recommend give it a look at and enjoy the owners hard work.

Royal Scare is back!!! Paul pulled off an amazing re-launch of this SW suburban Halloween classic…read more So much craftsmanship and artistry have gone into the tiniest of details here. It's not too scary for little ones and it's scary enough NOT to be lame for teens. You have to see it for yourselves!!!

My daughter and I spent the weekend at the only drive-in theater in the area, doing one of our…read morefavorite summer traditions, a creepy double feature night. This time we saw The Mummy (2026) and They Will Kill You. With two screens, they usually offer a family-friendly lineup on one and thriller, horror, or action films on the other, so there's something for everyone. At $12 per adult for two movies, it's a great value. The concession stand has a solid variety, including made-to-order family-size pizza, bratwurst, mozzarella sticks, candy, and more. Audio is played through a designated radio station, so you can listen from your car. We usually bring a portable radio, but you can also rent one from the concession stand if needed. The Aut-O-Rama is clean, well-maintained, and even the restrooms are kept up nicely. It's tucked between the Ohio Turnpike and the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks on Lorain Road in North Ridgeville, which adds a bit of character to the experience. I can't say enough good things about this place. It's a true North Ridgeville classic and one we'll keep coming back to.

Love it here! Still feels like it did when i was a kid going to the drive ins! The concession area…read moreis great as well! Definitely was a fun experience for my kiddies and I! Would def recommend bringing your own stereo because the train can get a little loud if you are sitting outside.

Named Lakewood's BIGGEST SUMMER BLOCK PARTY, this festival had approximately 15,000 people in…read moreattendance. There were food, clothing, art, and other kinds of vendors in attendance. I attended the Lakewood Summer Meltdown Festival on 15 July 2023 which was a Saturday. Oh, it was a meltdown alright - not only did it rain at certain points throughout the day, but it was also hot too so needless to say, we were all melting...haha. For the most part though, I didn't walk all day in an umbrella so besides the rain, my friends and I had fun. BIG YET FUN ATMOSPHERE -- The festival is large because it spans down about 6 side streets all along Detroit Ave. in downtown Lakewood. There was a fun 1-mile family run and walk which I didn't do but I saw kids and adults lining up to race. There were many vendors and I didn't see them all or I passed through some of the vendor stations without fully stopping in each vendor booth. I did stop by the Seeds of Literacy table where I could take a free book plus I received a mini notebook, tote bag, and a pencil case from them. It was great to hear about all the wonderful things they do to bring literacy to those in need. They are always seeking volunteers to help so reach out to them if you are interested. If you have young children including teenagers, this festival is a great way to bring them out to experience food and culture in a fun and safe environment. Some vendors had activities for young kids to do such as arts and crafts. FOOD AND DRINKS -- There were about 7 options to choose from which isn't alot. I also bought some filipino egg rolls, called Lumpia, from the Parilya food truck and they were delicious. I think I bought the beef and pork lumpia or just the beef one. I also bought a 16-oz bottle of fresh orange juice from a new company called "Socially Raw". Specifically, I got the "Buster" which includes organic pineapple, orange, lemon, and ginger. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I bought some small cake pops from a cake pop shop but I forgot the name of the business. SAFETY -- I saw some Lakewood police officers walking down Detroit Ave. to make sure everyone remains safe. If you are looking to get out of your house or apartment in the summer months then I recommend the Lakewood Summer Meltdown festival in July as a fun activity. As of the time of the writing of this review, the festival was held in July 2023. I would suggest more food options for next year. My friend and I ended up getting lunch at a Thai restaurant on Detroit Ave. because we weren't fully interested in any of the food vendors but it was actually cheaper to eat at one of the surrounding restaurants. **** - 97/150 total reviews in 2023 - 648 total overall Yelp reviews - Reviewed on 19 December 2023