December 29th and we had a bad case of cabin fever. Can't go boating, or camping so DAY TRIP it is! I went on line and simply looked at a map of Ohio and picked a place that I didn't think we had been. Mt. Vernon it was. So after breakfast we were off.
After about an hour drive we arrived in the town of Mt. Vernon. We parked near the town square and started out exploring. First stop 8 Sisters Bakery for a snack, yes a snack even though it was after 11. I guess you could say we had dessert first! We then walked over to Kudos (15 N. Main Street) which is an artists co-op, I could have spent most of the day there. We talked to one of the artists and she gave us some great ideas of where to eat and what to visit while in town. We always try to talk with the locals to see what is popular in the area.
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Entering into downtown Mt. Vernon |
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Sweets at 8 Sisters Bakery |
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A cute little shop in the back of 8 Sisters |
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Some sweets for the stroll around town |
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A visit to Kudos a local artists co-op |
We made a decision that we wanted to tour the local park but would eat lunch first. Yes Mike had just finished his donut. So off we went down the street and decided to stop in a new place called Build a Biscuit at 3 N. Main Street. We walked into this quaint little place and were quickly greeted by a friendly young woman, the owner. What a wonderful place this was. She served exactly what you think, these delicious big biscuit and at least a dozen different ideas of toppings. If you visit Build a Biscuit be sure to talk with the owner she has some wonderful stories to share of how she started her shop here in Ohio.
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Build a Biscuit |
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Such a yummy menu |
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Cozy fun seating |
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Things to do while you wait |
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This was the Ham and Cheese Biscuit and it was FABULOUS!!!! |
Now that we had enjoyed this wonderful lunch it was time to go work it off with a walk over at Ariel Foundation Park. I can't begin to describe this park so I decided to pull something off the parks website. at www.arielfoundationpark.org.
"Ariel-Foundation Park is a spectacular 250-acre public green space under construction in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The park is being built on the site of the former Pittsburgh Plate Glass manufacturing plant. Located within walking distance of Mount Vernon’s historic downtown, Ariel-Foundation Park will be one of the most unique public parks in Ohio. Visitors will be able to enjoy lakes, woods, walking trails, picnic areas, a bike path, an events center, a restored railroad depot, historic ruins, terraced landscaping and more. Some sections of the park are already open and ready to visit. Other sections are in various stages of development. The entire park is expected to be completed sometime in 2015. We hope you will visit us soon!"
By the time we arrived at this one of a kind park it had started to drizzle, but we were so intrigued by this place that we headed out weather or not. It was so worth it. This park is an awesome example of making a derelict building and location into a beautiful use of space.
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The remaining smoke stack that you can now walk up. |
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Glass chunks left over from the days of PPG |
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Parts of the old PPG building were purposely left standing |
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This was an awesome place to take photos, specially portraits |
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Mike |
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Mike even got a picture of me. |
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Just being a little silly |
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Elevator Shafts from the original building |
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Freight Elevator |
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A portion of the original PPG building were left standing |
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The observation area on the old smoke stack. |
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A river of glass |
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This part of the old building that was left standing is now a venue for concerts, parties, etc. |
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The park is still a work in progress but what has already been completed is spectacular |
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Beautiful samples of the glass that was melted down to make sheets of glass |
At the one end of the park is lake and a woods area. There are also several steel sculptures of parts of the old buildings. It really was a fantastic place to spend the day taking a nice walk.
We will absolutely be back in the spring to see how this has progressed along.