Ohio Daytrip- Covered Bridges & Wine Tour

Ohio Daytrip- Covered Bridges & Wine Tour
Ashtabula County, Ohio

October 3, 2009

Visiting the historical covered bridges of Ashtabula County is something that I’ve wanted to do for years but never got around to doing. I requested info on the Ashtabula County Tourism website and they sent pamphlets about covered bridge locations, self-guided tour maps and other attractions in the area. One of the self-guided tours was a Covered Bridges & Wine Tour, which passed several vineyards while making a loop to view three covered bridges. This tour seemed like a perfect daytrip to take with my little sister, Megan and my best friend, Diana.

We headed out around 1:30pm from my home in Akron, Ohio and followed Interstate 77North to I-271N to I-90E to Route 528. We arrived around 3:pm to our first destination, Grand River Cellars. We had been very impressed with Grand River Cellars the last time we visited and wanted to try their restaurant, the Tipsy Grape. We were seated at a high table in a cozy section of the dining room with a huge fireplace, furniture groupings and old world charm. We each decided order an appetizer so that we could all share. I ordered the Brie & Pear with blackberry glaze, Megan had the Artichoke & Asiago Dip and Di went with the cheese plate. We were very pleased with our selections. The portions were generous, the dip was warm and creamy and the pear and berries complimented the baked brie perfectly. We shared a bottle of Grand River Riesling, the remnants of which I’m finishing as I compose this blog. We plotted our course and headed out. While pulled over to the side of the driveway to take some pictures of grapes on the vine, a man in a truck approached us, dangled a freshly picked bunch of grapes out of the window and slurred “You girls are going to hell for stealing those grapes!”, then laughed and sped away. Let me be clear- we did not steal any grapes but the entire scene was so comical that it deserved a mention. We were again impressed with our visit to Grand River Cellars and it remains one of our favorite wineries.

From Grand River Cellars we took Griswold Road and followed a sign to Virant Family Winery, a casual winery that serves a lot of fruity wines. There was a wedding going on at the location and we saw a beautiful bride. The actual building looks much like a family restaurant with quilts and crafts on the walls. We each sampled a variety of wines including Riesling, Chiffon, Chantilly Blush, Blazzin’ Blackberry and Rippling Raspberry. They offer snacks and casual meal options, as well.

Our next destination was South River Vineyard. As soon as we pulled in, we were blown away by the surroundings! The location is gorgeous, settled in endless fields of vines. They have added outdoor areas that seem perfectly suited for weddings and other events. But what is really breathtaking about this vineyard is the building, an old church that was originally built at another location in 1892 and escaped demolition in 2000, being relocated and opened as the South River Vineyard tasting room in 2002. The inside is just as beautiful as the outside- stained glass windows, hard wood floors and long pews maintain the church-look but candles, small tables and the marble bar top create a certain mood. We decided to relax at a table with a few glasses and take in the atmosphere. We tried the Riesling, Riesling Reserve, Temptation, Concord and Blush Ice Wines. South River Vineyard was the find of trip!

We were anxious to see a covered bridge and were now very close to the first one on the tour, the Harpersfield Covered Bridge. The bridge is the 2nd longest in the state, measuring 228 feet. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge was built in 1868 and has a lot of interesting history including being washed out by a storm in 1913. A walkway was added in the 1990s and we were able to cross the bridge and take pictures from a park area on the other side. It was fascinating to observe and utilize a tiny portion of Ohio history.

We followed the tour map and headed for the next bridge. This one was slightly more secluded, down a bumpy, pitted dirt road. The Riverdale Road Covered Bridge was built in 1874 and looks like it had been left to age gracefully. It was much smaller than the previous bridge but has the unique charm of something that looks worn.

From there we headed to the last bridge on the tour, the Mechanicsville Road Covered Bridge. The bridge is very picturesque with an arch construction. Built in 1867, it is believed to be the oldest of Ashtabula’s bridges. We crossed this bridge by foot, taking in its interesting architecture. Another landmark sits right beside the bridge- the oldest tavern in Ohio.

We decided that we’d like to visit one more winery before heading home. Someone had mentioned the Old Mill Winery earlier in the day and we decided to check it out. The restaurant was packed and we overheard management telling a patron that they almost always need to have reservations to get a table on a Saturday night. But, we just wanted to sample a few wines so we headed back to the bar. Megan ordered white sangria while Di and I tried a variety of dry and semi-dry wines. We spent some time relaxing on the outdoor patio and then headed home.

Visiting Ohio Wine Country is always a blast and experiencing a little bit of Ohio history by viewing a few covered bridges just added to the daytrip adventure. Even though Ashtabula County is only about an hour and a half away from my home, it is still a great place to spend a day or a weekend just getting away.