Gervasi Vineyards and Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (7/20/2014)

Sunday, July 20, 2014
We met Kent's colleague, Fernando, and his wife, Josefina, at their home in Brecksville, then drove together to Gervasi Vineyards in North Canton, OH.

Gervasi Bistro and Piazza (H Brown)

We had a wonderful lunch at the Bistro. Afterwards we headed out the back door across the busy patio called the Piazza to see the manicured grounds with a lake and villas in the distance.
Today they were hosting the Bellissimo Art Show in the Outdoor Pavilion and along the pathways. We saw some pretty unique and creative items. (I only took photos if the artist was not watching!)

Cast birdbaths

Stuffed turkey

We drove north to Akron to the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens.

Part of the Stan Hywet Hall façade

Stan Hywet is Old English for stone quarry, a feature of the original property. The Tudor Revival mansion was built in 1912-1915 and designed by Cleveland architect Charles S Schneider for the family of Franklin Augustus Seiberling. Seiberling and his brother Charles Willard Seiberling were co-founders of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

South Terrace

Because it was later in the afternoon, we decided just to explore the gardens and grounds. The estate's immediate 70 acres were designed by landscape architect Warren Manning.

London Plane Tree Allée

English Garden

The English Garden was redesigned in 1928 by Ellen Biddle Shipman and this is the only fully-restored Shipman garden open to the public.

Anemone japonica had flowers/buds both singly and in clusters

English Garden fountain

Dahlia

West Terrace and rear of San Hywet Hall

Nymphaea/Water Lily

Begonia boliviensis on the West Overlook

Japanese Garden

Vines in the Japanese Garden

Viburnum trilobum berries

Stan Hywet presents Shakespeare performances in the summer.

Shakespeare play rehearsal

Birch Tree Allée

Ricinus communis/Castor Bean cultivar

Eustoma grandiflorum in purple

Eryngium sp/Sea Holly

Solanum melongena/White eggplant cultivar

There was a replica of the original greenhouse.

Nepenthes sp/Pitcher Plant

A scale model of the Seiberling family summer home

Summer home called Cedar Lodge on Long Island
at the northern end of Lake Huron

There was also a butterfly conservatory.

Danaus plexippus/Monarch Butterfly

Kent with a Nymphalis antiopa/Mourning Cloak

We had left and were in the parking lot when Fernando noticed Josefina had a hitchhiker! She returned the butterfly to the conservatory.

Josefina with a Mourning Cloak butterfly on her shoulder

Today we had seen two spectacular properties, the kind that are popular for weddings and other major events. On the drive home, we followed Riverview Road through Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We were parallel to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSRR) tracks and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. We took a short detour into the town of Peninsula, and saw the CVSRR train in the station! A perfect way to complete a perfect day!