Gina McKnight, Monday Creek Publishing Author, Freelance Writer, Equestrian, Blogger, and Poet! Welcome to my international blog about horses, writers, authors, books, cowboys, equestrians, photographers, artists, poets, poems, and more horses. As seen in #FloridaEquineAthlete, #ArabianFinishLine, #HorseGirlTV, #LivingRuralTV, #AmericanHorsePublications, #trueCOWBOYmagazine, #HayNetUK, and #GirlGab.com...
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Milliron Monday: Apricot Spice 11 30 2020
Monday, November 23, 2020
Milliron Monday: Thankful 11 23 2020
Saturday, November 21, 2020
A Day Trip to Youngstown, Ohio by Matthew Caracciolo
Butler Institute of Art, Youngstown, Ohio Photo by Matthew Caracciolo, Author & Travel Writer |
A Day Trip to Youngstown, Ohio
by Matthew Caracciolo
Nestled halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Youngstown,
Ohio is often overlooked as a small, industrial city and rust belt sob story.
While there’s no denying the city’s struggles after the decline of the steel
industry, Youngstown and the general Mahoning County area maintains the strong
bones of an older, established city: fine museums, beautiful parks,
longstanding restaurants. If you’re passing through in need of an excuse to
escape the highway or an Ohioan looking for a new adventure, Youngstown
delivers on all fronts in terms of a day trip: inexpensive, nearby, and worthy
of exploration. Better yet—some of the best things to do in Youngstown are
free.
Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor
The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, affiliated with the Ohio History Connection, is a good place to get your bearings on what Youngstown is and used to be. Focusing on the steel industry that brought Youngstown to prominence, the museum explores the industry’s ascent, its part in shaping the city, the waves of immigrants that arrived for jobs, and the eventual decline. Exhibits interpret life as a steel worker, the process of making steel, and domestic and cultural life in Youngstown during the city’s height. There’s a small admission fee, and you don’t need more than an hour or two here.
Youngstown Historical Center
Photo by Matthew Caracciolo
Butler Institute of American Art
While museums in the early 20th century were busy
collecting European art, local steel industrialist Joseph G. Butler Jr. sought
after art from his fellow Americans, an idea not exactly in vogue at the time.
His collection became the Butler Institute of
American Art, the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Just
about any American artist of note—Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Norman
Rockwell, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, etc.—is represented in the collection
within the immaculate Renaissance Revival-style building. The galleries are
laid out chronologically, beginning with the landscapes prevalent in early 19th
century paintings and ending with contemporary art. Portraits of American
Indians, special exhibitions, and folk art round out this most unusual and
surprising of Ohio’s major art museums. Best of all, admission is free. This is
truly one of Ohio’s best hidden gems.
Fellows Riverside Gardens
Another free attraction, Fellows
Riverside Gardens is a small but stunning botanical garden within the
woodsy Mill Creek Park corridor. Gazebos, rose gardens, fountains, and
perennials mix and match in this landscaped paradise, which also has a café and
a gift shop in the visitor center. Parking is easy and most of the paths are
handicapped accessible, though some do wander into the woods for more natural
displays. Also within Mill Creek Park a few miles away is Lanterman’s
Mill, a working 19th century mill with a store inside. The
building sits on a picturesque spot popular for autumn color pictures.
Fellows Riverside Gardens Photo by Matthew Caracciolo |
Italian food
Youngstown has been home to a significant Italian community
since the early 20th century. At one point, the city was known as a
Mafia hotspot, with rival families from Cleveland and Pittsburgh stretching
their muscles over this unclaimed territory. Though this reputation has
somewhat diminished over the decades, a more savory aspect of the city’s rich
Italian heritage lingers on: loads of Italian restaurants. Some are century-old
neighborhood haunts. Others are more recent. All represent some of the best
Italian food in Ohio. Near the Butler Institute of American Art is Cassese’s MVR, a lively family lunch
and dinner spot with typical Italian entrees and bocce courts. Or, for a more a
la carte experience, check out Jimmy’s Italian Specialties,
an Italian market with a deli counter, bakery, and rows of imported goods.
Sandwiches are large and cheap, or you can build your own pasta or salad. There
is a dining room and patio to enjoy your choices, or you can always head to a
nearby park.
All told, a day trip to Youngstown is an easy, affordable
option that is often overlooked even by fellow Ohioans. What have you found in
Youngstown that’s worth a stop?
Matthew Caracciolo is a freelance writer and author of The Waygook Book: A Foreigner’s Guide to South Korea from Monday Creek Publishing. He also maintains his own travel blog, Travel is Fatal, on his website. To find out more about The Waygook Book or Travel is Fatal, please visit matthewcaracciolo.com.
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Thursday, November 19, 2020
Diamond Dust: Poems From the Black Sea 5-Volume Photo Book Series by Anca Ioviță
Monday, November 16, 2020
Milliron Monday: Keeping critters healthy 11 16 2020
Saturday, November 14, 2020
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Monday, November 9, 2020
Milliron Monday: Routine Pet Care 11 9 2020
The Vacation Vaquera: An Interview With Donna Shade
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National Historic Marker Day: Help Music History Sparkle & Shine! In 2021, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation (WGPF) established the la...