Bus Tours

BEGIN YOUR WEEKEND WITH ONE OF OUR “ADVENTURES IN CULTIVATING PASSION” BUS TOURS

 

Pick one of three exciting excursions: 1 – The Best of Akron; 2 – Cuyahoga Valley Adventure or 3 – Secrets of Secrest and More

 

Your bus tour co-chairs Lora Avens and Sam Morlan wish to convey the following IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL TOURS

 

  • Registration for the bus tours will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited.  PLEASE REGISTER EARLY TO ENSURE YOUR SEAT. Tour recipients will receive 5 CEs for each tour

  • All bus tours include lunch and shopping.

  • Please plan to board the bus at 8 am, as all bus tours will depart promptly by or before 8:30 am on Friday, September 16 from the Sheraton Suites and return around 4 pm.

  • Be aware that all tours involve walking or stairs.  Please wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes.  As always, since we can’t predict the weather, you may want to include an umbrella (just in case).

  • Please bring cash or your checkbook, as sites may not have access to credit card scanners.

  • The tour busses have storage for all the treasures you want to purchase and take home with you.

  • Please provide your cell phone number when you register

 

Bus Tour # 1 – Best of Akron Tour

This Best of Akron Tour begins on a private, wooded estate of extensive winding paths and perfectly maintained gardens.  Around every bend is another surprise.

 

The tour’s second stop, Summit Metro Park’s F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, is truly a hidden gem of Summit County. Explore the underground nature center and take a quick walk on the Cherry Lane trail to cross the suspension bridge over a 45 feet ravine. One can even hand feed the wild birds on the many winding trails. Enjoy the fragrant herb garden and then relax at the nearby pond that features a waterfall. The 104 acre Nature Realm includes a visitor’s center with exhibits, live animals and a gift shop featuring educational and locally-made items.

 

Hop back on the bus to head for a delightful lunch at Akron’s famous Mustard Seed Market & Café.  Peruse the diverse products offered that are not available in most other stores. From specialty wines and breads, meats and cheeses, and bulk foods to cosmetics, this market displays a multitude of items to satisfy all who enter its doors. The Mustard Seed Market is the largest locally owned retailer of natural and organic products in Ohio since 1981.

 

Next stop is the spectacular Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, home to F. A. Seiberling, co-founder of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Sashay through the breathtaking Birch Allee to discover a stunning vista overlooking the lagoon and the distant Cuyahoga Valley. Visit the beloved walled English Garden, designed by pioneer female landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman, with over 3300 perennials, a reflecting pool, lych gate and gorgeous statue, The Garden of the Water Goddess. Don’t miss the extraordinary children’s garden which will astound you with its magic. Other specialty gardens of the 70 acre property include the Breakfast Room Garden, the Dell, the Grape Arbor, the Great Garden and the Japanese Garden. The historic main home with its original furnishings is open for tours.

 

The last stop will be Don Drumm Studio & Gallery.  Inside the gallery resides the artwork of some 500 extraordinarily talented artisans. In the 1950’s Drumm pioneered the use of cast aluminum as an artistic medium. Now, his galleries are filled with the finest jewelry, glass, sculpture, ceramics and metal and graphics created by the most talented designer-craftsmen in North America. Drumm continues experimenting and constantly creating unique and highly sought after pieces of art which are for sale at his gallery.

 

Your Summit County Master Gardener Tour Coordinators: Priscilla Kiehl, Paula Mularcik and Marti Williams

 

Bus Tour # 2 – Cuyahoga Valley Adventure

 This bus will travel almost exclusively in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, one of the busiest of the national parks.

 

The first stop is at the Kurtz Bros. Renewal Energy Facility, which processes and amazingly recycles the sewage from the city of Akron. Discover how the waste is “digested” anaerobically, providing power to run the plant and producing a pellet-like organic material to be used for land applications. This site involves some step climbing.

 

Step back on the bus for the next stop at the outdoor living history museum of Hale Farm and Village. Experience candlemaking, glassblowing, spinning, maple sugaring and much more. Learn the story of the Underground Railroad.  Specialty gardens include the First Settlement Garden, an example of an early 1800’s “Kitchen Garden,” a Dye Garden, and a mid-1800s ornamental garden. Visit the Pint Size Farm, owned by The Great Lakes Brewing Co., which grows the greens and some vegetables used in its Cleveland restaurant.

 

Speaking of restaurants, the next destination is Sarah’s Vineyard, one of the earliest homesteads included in the Cuyahoga Countryside Conservancy program. Enjoy a delicious meal and then a tour of the vineyard.  Take notice of the several bee hives of the Urban Honeybee Co. This walk will not be far but it will be on irregular terrain.

 

A “shopping experience” awaits at the next stop of Szalay’s Market, a local landmark that boasts some of the best sweet corn in the region as well as fresh, often locally grown, produce, jellies and other unique wares. Make sure to try the awesome rocking picnic tables outside the market.

The next destination, time permitting, is Virginia Kendall Ledges and its spectacular panorama of the valley and surrounding area. The park is full of mossy sandstone outcroppings that turn it into a green wonderland.

Of course there must be some plant shopping on the tour. The final stop will be Suncrest Gardens, a popular local garden center, for plants, yard art and other garden whimsy.  Not only does Suncrest Gardens carry a wide assortment of unique plants, but their garden center has an inspiring collection of giftware and home and garden accent pieces.

 

Your Summit County Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinators: Sarah Vradenburg, Sue Worstall and Karen Petterson

 

Bus Tour # 3 – Secrets of Secrest and More

Since the early 1800s picturesque Wayne County has been home to an agricultural community that continues today.

This tour begins at a private home with a quaint garden/antique shop in the Village of Shreve (which is home to over 5,000 acres of wildlife habitat). With an eclectic mix of both antique and modern items, including handmade jewelry, baskets, dried flowers, plus unique and vintage collectibles, this shop contains a true potpourri of treasures.

 

Next destination is Pine Tree Barn & Farms’ Granary Restaurant for a scrumptious gourmet brunch. Enjoy your meal while taking in spectacular views of the Killbuck Valley. Then browse the three levels of the 1868 restored barn.  Along with a Christmas Shop, there are home furnishings and accents, a boutique with jewelry, handbags clothing and accessories, and a grocery to tempt with delicious treats.

 

Take some time to relax on the bus as the next stop is Secrest Arboretum & Gardens at The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center. Secrest is an expansive outdoor laboratory and landscape garden with beautiful theme gardens.  Its intent is to demonstrate the use of style, color and texture within plant habitats and to develop sustainable landscapes.

 

Joe Cochran, Secrest Director, and his staff, will lead a walking tour to reveal the wonders of Secrest. Then discover the amazing world of pollinators at the pollinatorium and be privy to the latest in research about honeybees with Denise Ellsworth and Dr. Reed Johnson.

 

While visiting the Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) trial gardens, explore the outdoor display gardens and wonderful historic conservatory.

 

The National Crabapple Plot is the next destination where the horticultural educator Jim Chatfield will illuminate how this plot helps to determine which crabapple varieties make it to the retail market.

 

No trip for Master Gardeners would be complete without the ability to buy plants. Secrest will open its private nursery to allow us to purchase some of our favorites from the very unique specimens of the Arboretum.

 

Your Summit County Master Gardener Tour Coordinators: Jackie Stringer, Pat Labbe, Helen Ryan-King and Margie Garrand