Squire's Castle at North Chagrin Reservation
Since Andrew had Monday off, we got to take an extra adventure. We started our morning by walking around Bratenahl which is a wealthier neighborhood in the Cleveland area. It was fun to see all the giant houses sitting on the back of their big gated properties that were meticulously landscaped. If you are at all curious, you should look up Bratenahl real estate (like this 2.8 million dollar home).
We went to lunch at Choolaah, which is Indian BBQ, and then stopped at North Chagrin Reservation to see Squire's Castle. Squire's Castle isn't actually a castle. Feargus B. Squire bought 525 acres of land to build a giant summer estate. He started with this building which was to be the gatekeeper's house. After completing it, he never went on to build his actual mansion. He eventually sold it and the new owners defaulted on their loans leaving the "castle" abandoned. It was a popular structure for vandalism and was open to the elements. Once the Cleveland Metroparks acquired it, it was slightly restored. The structure still has a roof, but the interior is bare and the second story no longer has a floor.
We went to lunch at Choolaah, which is Indian BBQ, and then stopped at North Chagrin Reservation to see Squire's Castle. Squire's Castle isn't actually a castle. Feargus B. Squire bought 525 acres of land to build a giant summer estate. He started with this building which was to be the gatekeeper's house. After completing it, he never went on to build his actual mansion. He eventually sold it and the new owners defaulted on their loans leaving the "castle" abandoned. It was a popular structure for vandalism and was open to the elements. Once the Cleveland Metroparks acquired it, it was slightly restored. The structure still has a roof, but the interior is bare and the second story no longer has a floor.
Then it was home for afternoon naps. After dinner, we walked down to Lake Erie to help Taylor get some of his endless energy out. It doesn't matter what we do during the day, that kid is still going to be running around when we get home.