Spotlight: Hale Farm and Village With Kids

Thank you to Hale Farm and Village for providing complimentary tickets for my family.  As always, all opinions are my own. 

Hale Farm and Village is a historic property that features preserved buildings and craft and trade demonstrations.  The costumed docents and artisans are each brilliant story tellers and really brought mid-nineteenth century Ohio history to life. Hale Farm is located in Bath, Ohio near Akron and about 30 minutes southeast of Cleveland on the original homestead of Jonathan Hale.  Because Ohio history is near and dear to my parents, who are each Ohio natives who both majored in history, Hale Farm was a perfect place to spend their 50th wedding anniversary. We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this open-air museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society and recommend Hale Farm and Village as a fun and educational destination for a day out with kids.

Visiting Hale Farm With Kids

Our first stop was at the Hale Sheep Barn where one of the artisans was demonstrating broom making.  The brooms are made of broomcorn, which is grown on site.  Broomcorn is actually not corn at all but a sorghum.  Brooms are not only used for floors but also for barn ceilings to remove potential fire hazards like cobwebs.

We then visited the blacksmith shop where the blacksmith was making a decorative leaf.  We got to see him heat and shape the leaf, which is sold as a necklace pendant in the gift shop.

Glassworks was my favorite craft demonstration.  We watched the glassmith expertly shape the glass to make a Christmas ornament.  She then placed it in a furnace so that it would cool slowly enough and not crack or shatter.  The final products were also available for sale at the gift shop in the Visitor’s Center.

Pottery was my eight year old son’s favorite craft demonstration.  The potter explained the techniques he used to shape the clay into a mug on the wheel.  Once shaped, the clay needs to dry overnight to leather hard.  At this point, the potter can smooth the bottom surface and then waits until the piece is bone dry before firing it using a kiln.  Salt is used in the kiln to glaze each piece, and the final product is dishwasher and microwave safe.  This presentation convinced my son that he would really like to try his hands on a pottery wheel and make a bowl.

A number of historic homes have been moved from around northeast Ohio and reconstructed on Hale Farm’s property across Oak Hill Road from the Visitor’s Center.  The relocated homes include the Jonathan E. Herrick House, the Jonathan Goldsmith House, the Stow House, the Jagger House and the Saltbox Home and feature period-appropriate furnishings and decorations.  My four year old noticed on her own that the homes did not have bathrooms, and a docent gave her a brief lesson on outhouses.  The kids now have a new appreciation for indoor plumbing.  We also noticed the stark differences between the highly decorated rooms used to entertain guests with the stark private quarters used only for the family.

Another building relocated to Hale Farm include the law office of Benjamin Franklin Wade.  Wade was particularly notable as president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate in 1868 when President Andrew Johnson was impeached.  He would have become Acting President if Johnson was convicted.  There is also a church and a log schoolhouse, where we participated in a mock classroom and learned about common discipline techniques used in 1858.  My kids are glad that school facilities have improved considerably since the mid-1800s when school fees were about $2 per student per year.

Every summer, Hale Farm hosts the largest Civil War reenactment in Ohio.  We got a preview during our visit, which was the day before the weekend event began.  We met many reenactors on site to prepare and a few horses, too.

The 2018 event on August 11-12 features a reenactment of the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Field commanders have a basic script, but reenactors simply follow the orders they receive from their commanders.  They find it more fun to improvise rather than memorize a script.  The reenactors travel from all over Ohio and even as far as Tennessee to participate in the event.  Throughout the weekend, they each stay in historic period tents that they set up on site.  These canvas tents do not use modern conveniences like nylon, zippers or mesh windows.  Nonetheless, we learned if these tents are set up properly, they rarely become waterlogged.

Why We Loved Hale Farm With Kids

Our family had the perfect day for a visit to Hale Farm and Village.  The grounds were not overly crowded, likely due to threatened rain that held off until we were headed back to our car.  Our family was able to personally interact with all of the artisans and docents and asked many questions at this living history museum to gain a better understanding of pioneer life.  We also really enjoyed our preview of the Civil War Reenactment without the hundreds of visitors expected for the weekend event.  Hale Farm is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018, and many events are scheduled to celebrate this milestone.  We definitely recommend visiting Hale Farm with kids.  It’s one of the best living history museums in Ohio.

• Pro-tips:
  • Hale Farm Tickets:  Hale Farm admission costs $10 for adults age 13 and older and $5 for youth age 3 to 12.  Visitors age 2 and under and active military are free.
  • Hale Farm Hours:  Hale Farm is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays through Sundays in June, July and August and on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October.
  • Hale Farm Parking:  A large parking lot is available next to the Visitor’s Center.
  • Hale Farm Map:  The Village layout is generally self-explanatory, but it’s helpful to pick up a map when purchasing tickets and inquire about which sites are open.
  • Hale Farm Caution: The Village spans both sides of Oak Hill Road, so use caution when crossing the street with small children.
  • Eating Near Hale Farm:  The Winking Lizard in Peninsula is a great, family-friendly option for lunch after visiting Hale Farm.  If there is a wait for a table, the kids can check out the lizard and the endless free popcorn.

Every so often, we encounter a place that is so fabulous for those traveling with kids that it is worthy of being featured on its own. For more fabulous locations, please check out our other Spotlight features!  Also, be sure to check out all our category of posts on Cleveland with kids.