Here in the Heartland, spring is in the air. Temperatures in the low 60′s are allowing the daffodils to make their first appearance, and our family’s annual “ice breaking” trip to Kelleys Island took place yesterday.

Which makes this the perfect time to consider your first outdoor destination road trip. One of my greatest pleasures is looking for new and off-the-beaten path things to try. I mean, anyone can call a travel agent to plan a trip to Disney, right? But how many get to make the Dandelion May Fest their point of destination?

Work with me here, people.

So it’s not glitz and glamour, but you have to admit that it sounds quaint. If you live in Cleveland, it’s only a 90 minute trip to beautiful Amish country, and the festival truly offers something for every family member.

The Dandelion May Fest is held the first weekend in May (2^nd and 3^rd in 2008) at Breitenbach Wine Cellars in Dover, Ohio. The winery makes 40 varieties of wines, one of the most popular being their Dandelion Wine. Wine tasting and cellar tours are part of the festival and finals for The Great Dandelion Cook-off are held during the weekend. There will be dandelion foods to sample, including dandelion sausage, dandelion salad, dandelion bread and dandelion gravy. The festival also features a juried arts and crafts show, 5K Run and various forms of entertainment.

If you need a place to stay, I found several interesting options. Of course, you can stay right at the winery in their B&B, but I imagine that they are booked at this point. If you find that they have no rooms available, another option is Cricket Hill Cabins. They have four secluded cabins in neighboring Millersburg, OH. You may also want to check out Donna’s Premiere Lodging, located close by in Berlin, which has cabins as well as numerous other types of accommodations. Or, if you want to stick with a B&B atmosphere, I think the Garden Gate looks very nice. I’m all over that Garden Gate Suite with the Jacuzzi tub and fireplace!

On your visit, be sure to enjoy the gracious nature of the local Amish community. There are several options for Amish lodging, and many more choices for shopping, dining, and visiting. Amish Tours of Ohio offers progressive meal tours (although none are scheduled for the weekend of the Dandelion May Fest), meals in Amish homes, historic tours, and private tours that allow visitors to experience Amish culture firsthand. If you are part of a larger group of 20 or more, consider utilizing Country Coach Adventures to head up your group’s tour.

Regardless of what you do, I hope you find something that allows you and your family and/or friends to enjoy the feeling of renewal and see the beauty of spring time in Ohio!

Clevelanders can feel it. Spring is in the air. And with spring, comes America’s favorite pastime: BASEBALL.

Save your comments about apple pie and lemonade. What any Cleveland Indians fan wants is a winning season. The bittersweet taste of last year’s season still lingers on the tongue of many an Ohioan, and hope always remains alive for a stellar follow-up in 2008. To fall one game short of winning the World Series is not something that is easily forgotten; however, Clevelanders are adept at manning up and moving on, so we face the upcoming season with anticipation.

The season lineup consists of Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko, Casey Blake, Franklin Gutierrez, and Jhonny Peralta. While you won’t be seeing a barrage of home runs every night from this group, they have a thousand different ways to get the better of other teams with their combination of power and speed. Sensible hitting is what will make this one of the American League’s best lineups.

As far as pitching, C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona create a double-whammy impact and lead one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. This alone will hopefully be enough to lead the Indians into the postseason.

With manager Eric Wedge at the helm, there will be little excuse for the Indians not having a great season. This is Wedge’s year to prove that he’s a solid manager, so he will no doubt be focused on proving his ability for longevity. Combine that would a solid team with good chemistry, and 2008 should prove to be another exciting, if not World Series-bound season.

For season ticket info, visit The Official Site of the Cleveland Indians: Tickets.

Visit their Cleveland Indians: 2008 Schedule page to choose the home and away games you’ll attend.

To keep up with the active roster and injuries, bookmark this page.

If you are interested in an active forum in which you can discuss all things related to the Tribe, check out Cleveland.com’s board.

And last but not least, Go Tribe!

Easter is almost here, which means spring is just around the corner! There is so much to do in Cleveland, and Easter time is no exception. If you haven’t made your plans already, here are some suggestions. But don’t wait until the last minute, places that aren’t booked already will be soon.If you are looking for a fun outdoor family excursion, head to Lyndhurst to view the Manolio family’s egg-ceptional Eggland. This unique display is set up for just 10 days from Palm Sunday until just after Easter each year. The Manolio family has been decorating their lawn with thousands of painted egg shells since 1957, and the display includes cartoons, secular Easter bunnies, and religious images — all made from real, hand-painted eggshells. The 2008 display will be up from March 16^th through the 24^th. It’s fun and it’s free, so be sure to check it out!

If you are unable or not interested in cooking a big dinner at home (I, for one, am all about letting someone else to the cooking and cleaning), think about enjoying Easter dinner on the Lake. Head down to the Flats and out on the Nautica Queen for Easter brunch on March 23 from 1:00pm to 3:30pm. The Easter Bunny will be on-board to help in celebrating spring as it unfolds along the Cleveland shores.

Another option is attending an Easter Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues. The Stan Moore Gospel Ensemble will perform at both the 10:00am and 12:30pm brunches, and plenty of delicious Southern-style food will be available on the buffet. Lively, uplifting, fun, and tasty. Sounds like my kind of celebration!

Lastly, if you want to take the kids to a movie, Atlas Cinemas is showing Easter in Bunnyland at three of its Cleveland area locations. Two cinemas in Mentor and one in Euclid are showing this family favorite, and it may be in a theatre near you and not showing up in the bigger search. Be sure to look up your local movie listings if this outing interests you.

No matter what you do, be safe, have fun, and enjoy your day with your friends and/or family!

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, so it’s time to take a look at some fun things to do in the Cleveland area. I had about ten activities that look awesome, because let’s face it, Cleveland rocks. But I will narrow it down to three so that you all don’t fall asleep before the green beer even begins to flow.

For the adult Clevelanders, check out the Oberlin Inn’s St. Patrick’s Day Irish Murder Mystery. Located in Oberlin, the Inn offers a package that includes overnight accommodations, dining on an Irish Feast, and a fun-filled Jovialities Murder Mystery evening.

The Irish Murder Mystery will take place on Saturday, March 15 and begins at 5:00 PM. A cash bar will be available and St. Patty’s Day attire is recommended.

As far as the kiddies go, encourage their creative side with exposure to some Celtic art! Visit the Cleveland Children’s Museum for Great Artists: Shamrocks. The days are Wednesday, March 12; Friday, March 14; and Monday, March 17; all three events begin at 3:30 PM.

The Great Artists series explores works of Celtic art and encourages kids create their own masterpieces based on the examples of and techniques used by the featured artists. Geared toward kids ages 1 through 8, this looks to be both educational and fun.

For a St. Patrick’s Day event for the entire family, attend the annual Cleveland Irish Parade on Monday, March 17 at 1:04 PM. The parade will begin at the intersection of Superior Ave. and East 18th St., then will travel southwest on Superior Ave. to East Roadway. The parade will head northwest on East Roadway for one block; and then it will head northeast on Rockwell Ave. It ends at the intersection of Rockwell Ave. and East 6th St. This is a different route from years past, so be sure to check out a map of the new route.

Regardless of what you do to celebrate the history of the Irish, do it responsibly and with respect. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, and may the luck o’ the Irish be with ye throughout the year!