Off the Beaten Path - Small Town Destinations: Wooster, Ohio

Continuing with my Off the Beaten Path - Small Town Destinations Series, I bring you...Wooster, Ohio. 

Wooster's population is 27k+. Located fifty miles southwest of Cleveland, it's surrounded by rolling countryside with farms, wineries, walking paths and hiking trails. 

In the downtown area, we visited quaint shops, each unique in what it had to offer. The smell of delicious barbecue teased my nostrils as it wafted through the air from a restaurant at the town square. 

Tastefully decorated for Christmas, my anticipation for the holidays increased and the cogs started to turn for yet another Christmas romance with Wooster as the setting.   

We stopped for lunch at The Granary Restaurant located in the Pine Tree Barn. I had an amazing meal of a Club Croissant with ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato. Included was a cashew spinach salad topped with hot bacon dressing. Have I made you hungry?

You're probably wondering why I shared the food details. It's because writing should involve at least some of the 5 senses: sight, sound, feel, smell, and taste. *Grins* 

Pine Tree Barn is a spacious 25,000 square foot restored barn (originally built in 1868) that's not only famous for the restaurant part of their business, but also for their gift gallery, furniture and designs/decorations for the home. There were three floors of awesomeness to get lost in for hours. We were there for 2 and I'm not sure we saw everything.

(This is a picture of the front of the Pine Tree Barn, but it doesn't do it justice. Nor does it show how massive it is.) 

From there, we visited one of the wineries seven miles out of town on the edge of Amish country. It had quite the assortment of vino to sample/choose from. I had a lemon wine slushie. Outside the winery I took a picture of this gem - a shelter house with white lights strung amongst tall trees. I envisioned it as a perfect autumn scene that could be used for a romantic suspense or cozy mystery. I've written 1 romantic suspense and 1 cozy mystery, and the possibility now exists for more in those genres.  

Small cities/towns are as incredible as big cities, just differently. I'm glad I visited Wooster and its outlying areas. So many details are now written down or stored in my thoughts for future use.

That's all for now.

The magic of my next small-town adventure awaits. Stay tuned. 

Love, 

Jan

P.S. You can check out my books at: www.authorjanromes.com or on my author page on Amazon. 

Off the Beaten Path - Small Town Destinations: Port Clinton, Ohio

As a writer, it's important to visit new places for inspiration. I've chosen smaller locations the past few months. They're within driving distance and have a lot to offer in things to see and incredible people to talk to. 

Earlier in the month, we visited Port Clinton, Ohio - population just over 6,000. Located on the south shore of Lake Erie, we found it to be an awesome place to discover. It's a walkable city with quaint neighborhoods, and a friendly, vacationland feel. Nicknamed the Walleye Capital of the World, it offers world-class fishing and boating. The beaches (although quiet this time of year) are spectacular too. Port Clinton offers island ferries to Put-in-Bay and Kelley's Island. 

We checked out the waterfront from different locations. In this picture you can see Davis Bessie power plant near Oak Harbor.

 

As we wandered around, plots and storylines popped into my thoughts. I decided Port Clinton would be the perfect setting for a small-town romance or cozy mystery. The main character could work at a marina. Be that friendly face in a bank. Or maintain beach preservation as an employee of the state. A gas station attendant. Perhaps waitress at one of the great selection of restaurants. 

As they say, "When in Rome" (or in this case, Port Clinton), we stopped for food and hospitality. This restaurant was a good choice. The gal who took our order appeared genuinely happy to be there, as did the woman who brought our order to the table. Lots of folks, who we assumed were locals were knee-deep in conversations. The restaurant had a nautical theme. One of the rooms (in warmer weather) opened up for the patrons to enjoy watching boats coming and going, seeing jet skiers, hearing the squawk of gulls, and so much more. The food options were numerous. We decided on lobster rolls - another excellent decision.

 

This trip was a two-hour drive and well-worth it. I would recommend small-town visits when your creativity needs a boost.

I'm not sure where we'll visit next. Stay tuned.

Love,

Jan