Mill Creek South
Just 10 miles west of the Pennsylvania state line – halfway between New York City and Chicago – is a place bursting with life, good music, great food and adventure. Spend a weekend discovering Youngstown and get to know the trails, tastings and tee times Mahoning County has to offer.
Trails
This year, Ohio celebrates its Year of the Trails, and Youngstown has plenty of opportunities to join the party. Mill Creek MetroParks offers 4,400 acres of public lands, including 45 miles of trails, and facilities including the famous Lanterman’s Mill & Covered Bridge and Fellows Riverside Gardens.
Lanterman’s Mill operates today just as it did in 1845, thanks to a new waterwheel that was added in April. Modeled after similar bridges in the 1800s that farmers would use to access the mill, the Covered Bridge allows visitors the chance to step back in time. You can even take the mill experience home with you in the form of preservative-free, stone-ground cornmeal, buckwheat and whole wheat flour, all available in the mill gift shop.
Tastings
Mahoning County has a growing wine and beer scene, now home to seven wineries and four craft breweries. Mastropiétro Winery, the first winery in the county, opened in 2005 and is one of the only wineries in the area, with a thriving vineyard producing grapes for harvest. The winery sits on 14 acres of land in Berlin Center, just 25 minutes west of downtown Youngstown.
Head south to The Vineyards at Pine Lake, the newest winery to open in Mahoning County, which is situated on 42 acres of land and complete with an event center and a tasting room. Guests can enjoy a meal and good wine with breath taking views, thanks to the vineyard’s lakefront location.
If you have an affinity for craft beer, Youngstown has a few spots you can’t miss. Downtown at Whistle & Keg, not only can you try as many brews as you like, you get to pour them yourself. As Ohio’s only self-pour taproom, this is the perfect place to satiate even the most adventurous drinker’s curiosity.
In the old Smoky Hollow neighborhood east of Youngstown State University, there is an independent small-batch brewery and taproom with an unlikely façade. Noble Creature Cask House, one of the newest breweries in the area, calls a former brick church home. Built in 1923, this unique location provides an authentic, cozy atmosphere to accompany the brewery’s focus on aged sours, fine lagers, ales and kombucha.
Tee Times
Thanks to its success during the height of the steel industry, Youngstown has more nationally ranked public courses in the region than any other part of the country, and has been ranked No. 4 in the nation for top-quality, public courses.
Not only does the abundance of quality courses provide a variety of options, it also encourages competitive pricing and affordable green fees. Check out the Donald Ross-designed Mill Creek Golf Course for the chance to play on what Golfweek magazine calls one of America’s 30 best municipal courses.
Other popular courses in the area include Kennsington Golf Club, which blends natural beauty with a challenging layout, and Reserve Run Golf Course, designed around an old quarry and ranked one of Ohio’s top public courses. For an extensive list of local courses, visit www.youngstownlive.com/visit/golf.
Summer Festivals
Youngtown’s Slavic community gathers downtown on Federal Plaza East on June 16 for a day full of cultural celebrations. Simply Slavic festivalgoers can enjoy live music and folk dance performances along with homemade food and ethnic vendors. There will also be educational exhibits, workshops and children’s learning areas. Tickets are $4, but children 12 and under are free.
Youngstown State University is hosting its 20th annual Summer Festival of the Arts July 7-8. This juried art show, featuring more than 80 local, regional and national artists, is always a big hit among locals and visitors. Free festival admission and parking make it easy for visitors to enjoy the music, dance and theatrical performances that complement the art show.
Be sure to allow time for a visit to the world-renowned Butler Institute of American Art, also located on the YSU campus. Known as “America’s Museum,” Butler is the first institution dedicated to works of art created solely by American artists in all mediums. Its impressive collection spans a full four centuries of work and includes masterpieces by Winslow Homer, Norman Rockwell, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper and many more.
The Youngstown Wine & Jazz festival is also the first weekend in July, not to mention Gospel Fest, St. Nicholas Greek Summerfest and Youngstown Comic Con at the Covelli Centre downtown. This may be one of the busiest summer weekends in Youngstown, so don’t miss out on all the fun. For more details on the summer events in Youngstown, visit youngstownlive.com.
Jenny Wise is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at jwise@cityscenemediagroup.com.
RSVP for Fun
June 16
Simply Slavic
- Federal Plaza East
- Noon-midnight
- www.simplyslavic.org
July 7-8
Summer Festival of the Arts
- At and around YSU
- 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
- www.ysu.edu/sfa
Aug. 3-5
Greater Youngstown Italian Fest
- Central Square
- www.youngstownitalianfest.org
Aug. 11
Y-Live 2018: Florida Georgia Line with Morgan Wallen and Chris Higbee
- Stambaugh Stadium
- 7 p.m.
- www.ticketmaster.com
Aug. 11-12
36th annual Shaker Woods Festival
- 44337 County Line Rd., Columbiana
- 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
- www.shakerwoods.com
Aug. 29- Sept. 3
172nd Canfield Fair
- 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Rd.
- 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Friday
- www.canfieldfair.com
Sept. 16
Silly Science Sunday
- OH WOW! Children’s Center
- Federal Plaza West
- 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
- www.ohwowkids.org
