We here at Wendi’s Weekend Trips and Whatnot love to get away and visit new places. However, life can get in the way of this happening more often than we would like. Thankfully, we have friends that travel to places we might like to see. I, Wendi, had a chance to sit down recently with my good friend, Sherry Jo Whitman, to hear about her weekend getaway with her daughter, Krista, and daughter-in-law, Tonya. They traveled to Geneva-on-the-Lake in Northeast Ohio. (I should mention that we actually have gone to Geneva-On-Lake, but just for a day. You can read about it here. and here.)
When Sherry Jo told me about the trip she and her girls were making, I knew I had to write a blog about it. She was the master trip planner for this weekend getaway. It started on Thursday afternoon when they made a stop at Fairlawn for Swensons for lunch. (We’ve been there before, too. You can read about it here.) After that they headed to The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake where they had rented a cottage for the weekend. The cottage is right on Lake Erie. Outside of their cottage was a path that one could walk or even borrow a bike from the Lodge to enjoy the scenery of the lake.
Sherry Joe told me that on Thursday night the plan was just to hang out at the cottage. The big events for the weekend were to start on Friday morning. It was then on Friday that they went to their appointment at the day spa at The Lakehouse Inn. They had the whole day scheduled there from 10:30 until 4:30. They spent their day being pampered with a 60 Minute massage, 60 Minute facial, manicure and pedicure.
The spa provided them with a nice lunch that was a chicken salad wrap with a quinoa salad, a small bottle of champagne and a chocolate molten cake for dessert. Talk about pampering! Made me jealous.
After the women got done with their day at the spa, they headed back to the cottage to get ready for a dinner theater at the Oak Room put on by Noble Art Entertainment. They had tickets for the show Greased. It is a comical musical murder mystery set in the fabulous 1950’s. Sherry Jo told me she really enjoyed it. “It was funny and good. The actors did great.” She especially enjoyed the how the songs fit so well within the story — songs that came from the era of the 50’s.
The dinner, too, kept the with the same theme. They were served a “Gourmet TV dinner” with sliced beef, potatoes and succotash. While Sherry Jo admitted she is not a fan of succotash, she was very pleased with the dessert. It was a baked apple crumble with ice cream.
Although their day was quite full, they weren’t done yet. After the show they stopped in at Horizon’s Lounge at the Lodge. Here they enjoyed an appetizer and Moscow Mules.
After a good night’s sleep in their cottage, they headed out on Saturday for a wine tour of four local vineyards. They visited Hundley Cellars, Grand Rivers Cellars, Harpers Field Vineyard and Laurello Vineyards. They were on a tour with about 12 other people, including a bachelorette party. While all the locations they visited were nice, Sherry Jo especially enjoyed the feel of the Hundley Cellars. She said that the setting was quiet and quaint. It was a place you could relax. Also, the staff was very friendly and helpful when it came to selecting wines for tasting and purchasing.
I don’t think I will ever go on a wine tour — as my drink of choice is a chocolate shake and my husband and I don’t drink — but for those of you who might, here is what Sherry Jo told me to expect: You can sample as much as you want, but on this tour, it costs $1 per sample. However, if you purchase a bottle of wine, the winery may waive the cost of the sample. Just a little helpful hint for those of you interested.
When they finished with the tour, the women headed back to the Lodge. Krista and Tonya went to hang out with the girls from the bachelorette party they met on the wine tour bus and Sherry Jo took a walk by the lake. She said that even though she knew she was on Lake Erie, it seemed a little like being by the ocean. “You can’t see any land in front of you, just like at the ocean. While it isn’t the same thing, it is still pretty close.”
When I asked Sherry Jo if she would do this weekend trip again, she answered with a resounding, “Yes!” She had such a great time. While I am sure she enjoyed the activities she, Krista and Tonya did, I believe being with her daughter and daughter-in-law is what made the trip so special for her. She said she was truly blessed to be able to do something like this with them. She mentioned how inspired she is by Krista and Tonya as they balance raising young children (both have 2 boys under 4) with their marriage and working outside of the home. Sherry Jo said it was a treat to get away and just able to relax for a couple of days.
It seems to me that if there is a good place to go for that kind of relaxing, Geneva-On-The-Lake is the place.
