Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

I took the recommendation of a fellow JB member and took a day trip to Stan Hywet Hall in Akron. It was beautiful. There are 3000 acres of gardens (including Japanese and rose), a conservatory with butterflies and train, lagoon, and a mansion. The home looked like a castle inside with a huge indoor pool and enormous music/performance room. It was hot out and in (no AC in the home) but we spent 4 hours seeing everything. It was well worth the $12 admission. more

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is a good place to take out of town guests. The house is amazing! It's most interesting to see how the rich lived. The tour guides are well informed and know their stuff. The gardens are a site, especially in the middle of the summer and early fall. Watch for special events and dining opportunities. A high tea is offered several times during the year. It's a great way to go back in time. Tickets are not cheap, but well worth the money. more

This historic mansion and estate offer multiple uses, and have quite a bit of experience with weddings. Granted this is not for those on a strict budget, but the grounds are beautiful, the workers are professional and you will have plenty of photo ops. They have 2 seperate reception halls of different sizes. And they allow up to 4 hours of rental. They have a "hospitality rep" with you at all times throughout the day to assist, which is very nice. Something that I found to be a bit of a draw back was the set up of the ceremony itself. It would be most convenient to do the wedding and reception in one place, but the restrictions are difficult to work around unless you're having a very small wedding. They allow only 12 chairs to be set up in the gardens for preservation purposes. And there are a max of 100 guests allowed. ANother thing to consider is that it is open to the public, so unless you want to donate enough to rent out the entire estate, you'll probably be sharing your special day with onlookers. like a celebrity ;) more

If you're a history buff, like myself, you will love a tour of Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron. The home, formerly lived in by the Seiberling family (think Goodyear), is now a museum. Though I can't remember how many rooms the house has, the home is spectacular and beautifully decorated. Everything in the home, from the furniture to the rooms, is authentic. From grand pianos, to period rooms to an amazing game room, the inside of the home is breathtaking. But the gardens are what brought me back to the home for a second visit. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and sprawling. The admissions price is moderate and well worth it! more

Everytime I go to this house, it is just truely amazing. They close down every January to clean the entire house professionally. The house was built in the early 1900's and has most of the technoligy that we have today way back when. I find the house very ammusing, and ghostly amazing. The tour lasts anywhere from one to two hours depending on your tour leader and the questions people ask. There is also a great big garden area for those who are into gardening and the beauty of flowers. more