Cleveland Rocks! Cleveland Rocks! Cleveland Rocks!

(Hee Hee Hee....couldn't help it!)


Downtown Cleveland Ohio viewed from Voinovich Bicentennial Park.

Leaving Fairport Harbor and heading west, we stopped at the always rocking Cleveland Ohio! While downtown, we seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Browns Stadium, but our main objective was to see the Cleveland Lighthouses. In downtown Cleveland there are three lights; the Cleveland East Pierhead Light, the Cleveland West Pierhead Light, and the Cleveland East Entrance Light.


Both the Cleveland West and Cleveland East Pierhead Lighhouses.

The weather was very typical Ohio weather. It was nice to start the day, then turned windy and cold as the day went on. Matt and I went to Voinovich Bicentennial Park in downtown Cleveland to see some pretty good views of the city. From here we could see two of the three lighthouses downtown and a beautiful view of the city skyline.

Voinovich Bicentennial Park

A parcel of land perched on the shore of Lake Erie, Voinovich Bicentennial Park provides some of the most spectacular views of the city's skyline and unadulterated looks at the lake. The park was named for former Cleveland mayor and current U.S. senator George Voinovich, the man under which so many of the city and lakefront revitalization efforts were commissioned in the late '80s and early '90s. Located behind the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and part of North Coast Harbor, the park is the site of many of Cleveland's major events including the Pride Festival, Rock & Boom (July 4 fireworks) and Gravity Games. Voinovich Park also is the home for the Goodtime III, a local cruise line. When it's not attracting hundreds of thousands for marquee events, it's a nice, and often quiet respite for a jog, bike ride or place to simply sit on a bench and enjoy the view. While finding parking can be difficult for some of the bigger events, the park is easily accessible by bus and Rapid. -- Daniel Rivkin

Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse from Voinovich Bicentennial Park.


Cleveland East Pierhead Lighthouse from Voinovich Bicentennial Park.

Because the weather wasn't cooperating, we decided on our next trip to Cleveland we would stop by and see the lights again. At least today we became familiarized with the position of these lights, and found some good information about the dinner cruises available for next summer. That would be a nice treat! Today, it was just too bitterly cool and windy to stay out any length of time. For now, we crossed off a couple more lights off of our list.

Now, it's time to go shopping!

Until next time...

On the Road, Again.

...I can almost hear Willie singing it right now, can you?

After our "Tour de Thumb", we took off a couple of weekends in October. Our daughter, Taylor, was turning 3 and we wanted to have family and friends over for a little celebration.


Taylor turns 3...your my big girl now!

Of course we weren't going to sit around for long, we were checking off lighthouses now at an alarming rate and couldn't wait to get back out again. Autumn is my favorite season; the leaves turning, the crisp air, and that distinct smell...ahhh. I can't help it, I want to be outdoors as much as possible. Put my two absolute favorite things together (lighthouses and autumn) and I'm in heaven!

Taylor was lucky, she got to spend the day with her grandma baking. This trip was a first for mommy and daddy out venturing alone. We wanted to revisit the Fairport Harbor Lights as well as a couple of lights in Cleveland Ohio that we missed the first time.


Taylor baking cookies with her grandma.

After we dropped Taylor off, we were on our way. We got a pretty good jump on the day and by 10 am we were on the Ohio Turnpike. We love having Taylor with us, but the break for the afternoon was also a nice breather. Matt and I talked about taking advantage of our "freedom" and getting some needed Christmas shopping done as well.

Our first stop was at the Headlands Beach State Park in Fairport Harbor/ Mentor on-the-Lake. We had already visited the Old Fairport Harbor Lighthouse a couple of months prior (see the post Road Trip Part Deux!) but it was already dark when we arrived. When we were there that night, the Fairport Harbor Light out on the breakwall was not visible, so we really didn't know what we were in for.

If you'd like more information about the Headlands Beach State Park, please Check out their website HERE.


The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse from the breakwall.


A view of the Old Fairport Harbor Lighthouse across the harbor.

Walking the beach was a nice change of pace for us, this beach was long and unobstructed, we could see exactly where we were headed. At best guess I would say we walked a mile or so out to the light, catching some pretty impressive views. In addition to the Breakwater light, from this vantage point we also caught a view of the Old Fairport Harbor Lighthouse across the harbor.


Fairport Harbor Lighthouse from Headlands Beach State Park.

After Matt and I finished our stroll, we headed across the Grand River to the Old Fairport Harbor Lighthouse. This was a very different lighthouse during the day than it appeared on our last visit. While walking to the light, we meet a couple who were also there visiting. They even took our picture together in front of the lighthouse, something Matt and I rarely do. We showed them the photos we just took from the beach, and they were very impressed. They didn't know they could get that close. We gave them directions and tips on where the best vantage points were to see the same views. Talking with the other couple, we discovered not only have we visited many of the same places, but we also live only about 40 minutes away from each other! What odds, having to travel across the state to meet your neighbor!


Old Fairport Lighthouse.

When we parted, the older gentleman offered the best words of encouragement I've heard in a long time. He said he hoped to see our guide on his coffee table someday. Wow, maybe we can really do it! Our goal is to someday publish a guide book or journal of our adventures. I do hope someday we don't let him down. Matt and I stuck around a little bit longer and took more photos of the Fairport Harbor light. It was really nice meeting others just as obsessed as we are. I hope to meet more light buffs like them out on our journeys.


Fairport Harbor Lighthouse across the Harbor.

Now off to Cleveland, we've got lights to see and shopping to do!

More to come...