From a travel perspective, the past year has been devastating to the industry as a whole, and for those that feel fulfilled by traveling (ME!), the pandemic added another layer of disappointment to stay “holed up” for so long. Needless to say, after welcoming our second child amidst the pandemic in December, we were happy for an opportunity to safely get away on a one-night birthday trip to one of Ohio’s unique lodging establishments. We decided to spend the weekend shopping and eating our way around the quaint town of Wooster, OH located in the heart of Wayne County.
The St. Paul Hotel began as the CC Hotel in or around 1900, with 36 rooms on two floors and one shared bathroom on each floor. The hotel that welcomes guests today is very different than the hotel of the 1900s, known for card games and betting. The beautiful, boutique property that is downtown Wooster’s only boutique hotel was opened in 2011 after months of labor and love by local craftsmen. Visitors will notice local artwork throughout the building and each room has hand crafted and locally sourced furniture and fixtures.
We arrived in Wooster with the hopes of catching the end of some regular season college basketball, so we stopped by a local market and lunch spot Spoon Market to get a to-go lunch to carry-in to a local brewery, JAFB. After that, we arrived a little early for check in to get settled before heading out to enjoy the unseasonably warm spring weather. Downtown Wooster has worked hard to gain more independent retailers in its downtown shopping district. We took a step back in time and found a fun souvenir for our oldest at Operation Fandom, a fun toy, collectible & memorabilia type store. We found neat kitchen gadgets and foodie favorites at Graham & Burns. I hope next time we return to catch one of their cooking demonstrations! Finally, we found some awesome gifts and new threads at Blue Spruce Boutique.
After a whirlwind of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We caught a quick workout in the gym which was perfectly outfitted, even for two gym snobs. Back in the room, we were greeted by homemade welcome cookies, heated bathroom floors and a beautiful waterfall shower. Dinner was just across the street at The City Square Steakhouse.
We rounded off the weekend by visiting a new restaurant to downtown Wooster, The Leaf. Born and raised in Wayne County and a resident of downtown Cincinnati and then Columbus for the past 15 years, I admit I have very high breakfast standards. We are a family that loves to brunch and The Leaf had high standards to meet. I was absolutely blown away by the new restaurant that took the place of a long-time neighborhood diner, The Parlor. Most shockingly to me were menu items that I had never heard of or seen on a brunch menu. I happily ordered the Bana Crunch Yogurt Bowl and the … wait for it…Avocado Naan. What?! Two of my favorite things combined with eggs? Hands down one of the best brunch items I’ve ever had. Served up right there in Wooster, OH. TJ enjoyed the Wet Burrito, which was also amazing.
We can’t wait to return! -Halle