IF you are like me you have a tendency to put your romantic life on the back burner; with kids, their activities, pets, a house, a career – well, it just seems to happen that way. But on occasion you have to put all that on hold to do something for yourself. Including those little weekend getaways for romance and relaxation.
So ideally if I lived near the ocean I would spend my days in a bathing suit on the beach without much thought for anything else; but since I don’t, and I live where well, we have seasons, you look for alternatives.. and boy did I find one! I love when I find a place that is amazing no matter what the weather – like Shores and Islands Ohio.
The great thing about Shores & Islands is that you can enjoy it during any season, as a family trip, girls weekend – or a romantic getaway. There are a TON of things to do, and something for everyone.
If I’m not laying on the beach, I want to be doing SOMETHING – museums, shopping, restaurants , I love to explore! So visiting in the fall is the perfect time to do all of the above. We started a romantic weekend at the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton.
The Liberty Aviation Museum showcases operational, historical aircraft and vehicles including “Georgie’s Gal”, a WWII B-25 Mitchell Bomber, a U.S. Navy WWII TBM Avenger, Pt-boat, and more! You can also dine in the 1950’s era themed Tin Goose Diner!
There were so many amazing things to look at, artifacts from the Titanic, war and movie memorabilia , and some amazing vehicles!
We could of spent hours, but decided to head outside and enjoy the weather and check out the beach and lighthouse in Port Clinton at the Waterworks Park.
What I LOVE about the park is the walking paths, the beautiful lighthouse, benches to sit and talk with a view of the water, and pier fishing.
I love walking out onto the water and watching the fish jump, and the birds fly – just remember to bring a jacket if you visit any other time besides summer – it gets a little chilly out on the lake!
After exploring we decided to go check in at our bed & breakfast at The Captain’s Lodge. Beth & Turbo run the lodge, along with an amazing fishing charter – that makes this place one of the best, and unique stays near Lake Erie! I absolutely LOVE Beth & Turbo, they are one of the most down to earth BUSY couples I have ever met! Their stories of fishing and hunting, and all their travel make the stay at their bed & breakfast feel like home!
We were able to freshen up and get ready to head to dinner at The Orchard Farm Stand. I will have to admit, this was one of my favorite places (so be prepared to scroll through a lot of pictures)!
The Orchard Farm Stand offers coffee, bakery, applewood fired pizzas and sandwiches daily. Enjoy Orchard signature wine and cocktails at the indoor/outdoor Farm Stand bar featuring a view of the vineyard, apple and peach trees. You can also shop the market for local produce , honey, jams and jellies, french linens, coffee, wine, baked goods, kitchen items and more!
We ordered to appetizers to share and try; the Coconut Shrimp sounded amazing,(and it was!) and asked our waitress what was the best appetizer on the menu, she hands down said that the hot honey & whipped feta with grilled pita! She was right – it was amazing!
Also per her suggestion we ordered the Peach BBQ Burger – I really was unsure about the peach bbq sauce but OMG it was soo good, we bought some to bring home! It came with their signature hot catawba peach chips!
Last but not least, the chicken bacon ranch pizza with truffle hot sauce (WARNING: don’t pour on the pizza, dip lightly lol – hot BUT AMAZING!)
After dinner we checked out the store, and the stand out front, which I LOVED! I would love to bring my parents and my kids back up just to visit The Orchard!
After perusing the store and the stand, we headed over to the Orchard Bar, which had the cutest set up; this would be a perfect place for a wedding, or even a reception (which they did have going on while we were there) the sky was gorgeous, and as it got cooler they turned on the fire pits that kept us warm.
After some time hanging out and talking by the fire, we decided to head to the lake to see the sunset. There is something about a sunset over water that is just peaceful.
This was just Day 1! Keep an eye out for the rest of our romantic getaway!
