The owner, Don Barnes, is a retired US air pilot who loves history…specifically transportation related.
The vision was to recreate a small town train station that would also house his collection. So in 1989 tracks were laid and 4 train car were brought into the small village of Harlansburg The Barnes family spend the next 3 years renovating the train cars, building the train station and setting up the museum. In the fall of 1991 the museum open followed by the gift shop in Spring of 1992.
The train station and rail cars contain transportation related artifacts and memorabilia that include trains, Air Force, nautical, motorcycle and more.
One train car is filled with a H.O. Scale train layout highlights coal mine, steel mills and old small town living.
The gift shop has a large selection of transportation related items for every age group.
Take your time going through the gift shop and you’ll notice that it also contains many historical items.
The museum is located at the intersection of route 19 and route 108 just minutes from Volant, new Wilmington, McConnells Mills and the Grove City Prime Outlet. Please remember when you visit this is a cash only stop.
After the museum we headed south to Frew Mill Road. The road crosses a bridge spanning the Slippery Rock Creek and an old mill dam waterfall.
The view is beautiful but be careful the bridge is on a curve and there isn’t much room to pull off.
The property around the bridge and creek is private so the visit is limited to the bridge but the view is worth even the short stop.
After a little riding we headed to Racheal’s Roadhouse. If there’s a wait for the dining room you can head out to the patio and grab appetizers and drinks while you wait, or in our case that’s all I was wanting, so no wait at all.
Check out my Instagram for videos, and Facebook for more pictures.
Our recent bike ride took us to some local historic spots. First stop was the Greenville Railroad Park & Museum in Greenville, PA. The park is located near a working track, currently operated by Norfolk Southern (the former Erie Railroad mainline). Started by volunteers in 1985 to preserve Greenville’s railroad history, the park is now part of the Greenville Museum Alliance.
The Union Railroad engine #304/604 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Work in 1936 at Eddystone, PA and retired in 1958. You can climb into the engine to check out the view from the driver’s seat and even ring the bell. Every instrument in in the driver’s compartment is labeled, and information on the engine is displayed on various signs inside and out.
Next climb aboard the 1985 Bessemer caboose and explore how the crew would have lived, complete with a kitchen and bathroom.
The Bessemer Ore Jenny #20567 (pictured far left) was built in 1952 at the Greenville Steel Car Company close to where the park sits today.
The Wheeling & Lake Erie Caboose #0205 (center 2 photos) was 1 of 60 built in 1948 by Wheeling & Lake Erie. Today you can explore the car when the park is open, but it can also be rented for events like birthday parties.
Attached to the party caboose is an open air car that has picnic tables (far right photo)
The park also includes an indoor museum and a gift shop. Inside you’ll find tons of railroad related items, a replica of a dispatcher station and an operating model railroad display.
Look closely at the display and you’ll notice it includes a replica of Main Street Greenville.
It’s amazing how many items they have at this museum, and the volunteers have done a fantastic job of labeling and providing the history and information on all the items on display. The volunteers are also very informative and friendly so take a moment to talk to them and learn a little of the history of Greenville and the railroad industry.
Next stop was The Canal Museum in Greenville which provides the history of the Erie Extension Canal that existed between 1854 and 1871.
Inside the museum you’ll find various items related to the canal, ore furnaces and other local history. The location of the museum is the site of Lock No. 22 of the canal.
Also in the museum there is a replica of a typical canal boat, the Rufus S. Reed. You’ll see how the cargo was stored, as well as a peek into the living quarters on the boat.
The last historic stop of the day was Kidds Mills Covered Bridge. Built in 1868, it is the last historic covered bridge in Mercer County, PA.
The bridge is 120 feet long and spans the Shenango River.
The Kidds Mill Bridge Park also includes a hiking/biking trail and dock designed for kayaks.
We wrapped up the day by grabbing a bite to eat at the Jug Handle in Transfer. The bar offers indoor dining, a patio and even has a drive-thru option.
This is a nice large bar with plenty of pool tables and skill games to keep you entertained while you wait for your food or if you just want to stop in for a few drinks.
We had the mozzeralla sticks while we waited on our pizza. It was a nice thick crust with plenty of cheese, but what I liked best was the toppings went clear to the edge.
With full bellies, we traveled the backroads home enjoying the weather and the beautiful countryside.
To view some videos from the day check out my Instagram page.
Recently we took a ride out to Ravenna, OH to check out Bear’ s Vintage Motorcycle Museum. The museum is in a historic grain mill built in 1881. In 2006 Bear and his wife purchased the building and preserved the bins, shuts and machinery. As they put the museum together they put the items around the original pieces of the mill.
The museum has over 60 bikes, promotional items, memorabilia and much more. Although their passion began with Harley Davidson items, the museum encompasses many more brands and anything that has to do with motorcycles.
Leave yourself plenty of time because there is a lot to take in and if you don’t take your time it’s easy to overlook all the items tucked in every nook and cranny.
Bear himself came and showed us some of the more unique items, giving us the history and even the backstory of how he attained the items. He was super friendly, knowledgeable and it was clear how passionate he is about motorcycles and and the feeling of freedom he gets from riding.
The Harlette bike was a very interesting story. He was especially proud of having this one in his collection because it is the only one in the US. Check out the picture below for more about the bike. Bear and his wife also do an awesome job of writing up and labeling the items in the museum.
Another rare items is the Harley key. There were only three made and one resides in Bear’s Museum.
The museum is also home to two of the original “CHIPS” bikes signed by George Barris.
One of my favorite exhibits were the custom-built “Rat Bikes”. Now these are truly unique. Check out my Instagram post for videos that shows one of them up close so you can see the creative use of items not commonly found on a bike.
There are so many more items I could never touch on everything in one post. Check out my pictures here and on Facebook, and make sure to make a trip to Bear’s Vintage Motorcycle Museum. Trust me you will not regret it whether your a motorcycle nut, a fan or history or even someone like who’s just like seeing new and unique places like me.
Recently we took a road trip to Sugarcreek, Ohio and some of the surrounding businesses. Sugarcreek is known as the Little Switzerland of Ohio and is most famous for having the World’s Biggest Cuckoo Clock. This, of coarse, was the reason it landed on my travel bucket list.
Let’s start with a brief history of the town…
The early settlers of Sugar Creek valley were Amish families, then German and Swiss families. It is said that the German and Swiss settlers chose the area because the climate and beautiful countryside reminded them of the where they originated from. The Swiss families had deep roots in cheese production and began producing cheese in what is now Sugarcreek using the milk from the local Amish families. Cheese productions is still a big part of the community today, and you can see traces of the cheese production history throughout the community. During our visit I saw several cheese vats on display at various location such as in front of the Cuckoo Clock and at the Broad Run store.
To promote the cheese produced in the area and to draw visitors to the town, Sugarcreek held the first Swiss festival in 1953. The festival was such a success they continued doing it annually and the popularity continued to grow. Seeing how successful the festival was and how many tourists it brought into the town the local business owners began turning Sugarcreek into a Swiss Village. By the 1970’s tourist-oriented business began opening in the town.
We began the day by stopping at Broad Run Cheesehouse. When you walk in you are met with some eclectic items that seem to serve as decorations for the shop, but most are also for sale.
The main area has a deli and assorted packaged cheeses. According to their website they have over 30 varieties of cheese to choose from.
The rest of this building, including a second floor, is a gift shop and boutique. There is a wide range of items including everything from wine and food items, clothing jewelry, home decor and many more unique items.
Next stop was breakfast at Dutch Valley Restaurant. The restaurant offers Amish inspired food in a beautiful dining room. For breakfast they have a full menu to choose from or a buffet, we opted for the latter. I can never turn down a buffet because it allows me to sample more of what the restaurant has to offer. Something unique about the setup of this buffet that I had not seen at others is they have a place built into the buffet were the plates are kept that keeps the them warm. I love this idea! No more cold plate chilling your food before you can get it back to the table to eat.
All of the food was delicious but my two favorites were dishes that I had never tried before…their bread pudding and a frozen pineapple dish. I know, I know…frozen pineapple?!? It seemed weird but boy was it good. I asked the waitress about it and while she couldn’t remember what all was in it it she did know it contained bananas, orange juice and of coarse crushed pineapple. The combination, at least to me, worked very well together.
In addition to the dining room there is also a bakery and coffee shop attached. They have prepackaged items as well as a bakery counter service. The coffee looked so good, but we had eaten so much already there just wasn’t room to try any. I guess that leave me something to look forward to trying next trip.
In between the restaurant and bakery there was a small gift shop with a wide variety of items, including many locally made items. I especially loved the squirrel section…it rang so true to what I deal with everyday at my house lol.
Where the restaurant is located there is also a hotel, theater, gift shop and market. The Dutch Valley Hospitality website has information on all that they offer and other locations. We wondered around and explored the market and gift shop and worked off some of our breakfast. The market offered frozen food, deli good, dry and canned good and so much more.
The gift shop was absolutely beautiful. Made up of three floors brimming with home decor, outdoor decorations, kitchen items, clothing, toys and so much more. What made the shop so beautiful was more than just the building itself, it was how they displayed the merchandise.
We finished up and made our way into downtown Sugarcreek. The first thing will notice is the Swiss-styles storefronts and the murals throughout the town. A local artist, Tom Miller, painted the murals and also designed the storefronts.
Make sure you to stop and look at the mural on the Huntington Bank in particular. A train emerges from one mountain tunnel and then enters into another tunnel, it’s easy to miss if you are not looking for it.
Sitting as the centerpiece of the town is the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock. The clock is over 23 feet tall and 24 feet wide. In 1977 the clock was featured on the cover of the Guinness Book of World Records.
The clock began it’s life in the 1970’s as part of the Alpine Alpa restaurant in Wilmont, Ohio. After the closing of the restaurant in 2009 the clock was purchased and restored as part of the “Save-a-Landmark” program and found it’s new home in downtown Sugarcreek in May 2012.
During the spring, summer and fall seasons you can see the full operation of the clock every half hour from 9am to 9pm. The cuckoo bird will pop out and the Swiss polka music will being as the band emerges and a couple dances. Please check out my Intragram for videos.
Across the street from the Cuckoo Clock is a brick wall containing 13 sculpted brick panels that depict the story of Sugarcreek and the surrounding area. The panels were designed and sculpted by a local artist, Sherry Crilow.
Next up the up, the Alpine Hills Museum which takes you back in time with three floors of displays relating to the early days of the town’s Swiss and Amish Heritage. Some of the displays even have audio and video presentations.
On the main floor you’ll see displays of a traditional Amish kitchen, a 1890’s cheese house, woodworking shop, printing press, vintage clothing and many other items.
The second floor has displays that depict the everyday life of those living in the Sugarcreek area, a music display complete with Swiss Alp Horns and other remnants from the rich history of the area.
The lower level was probably my favorite. This area contains a display and audio presentation of 1895 fire equipment, modes of early transportation, and tools of the trade from the past.
After taking in the main attractions we explored several of the stores. One quirky store stands out from the rest because it is just as much of an attraction as it is a store. Unfortunately I cannot tell you the store’s name because there was no signage outside to tell me but it is located on the main drag.
Within the store you will find a variety of antiques and oddities for sale, these items alone are interesting to just walk around and check out.
One display in particular I found fascinating was the replica horror movie houses on the top shelf as you walk into the store. I have never seen anything like these.
In addition to the items for sale in the store, they offer a Sci-Fi – Horror movie “Museum” made up of Halloween props, horror movie memorabilia and random horror/sci-fi items.
While this store felt out of place from the town and other shops, me being the Halloween and horror movie fan that I am, I loved it.
Walking around Sugarcreek, listening the the Swiss music, make sure to take your time and notice all the little extra touches that have been added. There are many interesting things to be seen.
We finished out our day by exploring a few other shops around the area including in Millersburg and Walnut Creek, but did not have time to take in everything. This just means I will need to plan another trip to the area, maybe more than one…I still need to check out the wineries too.
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