Exploring Springfield, OH!
Happy New Year everyone!!! We are so excited for all that 2022 has in store. To start the year, we are here with a fresh new blog post for you! At the end of 2021, Tiff D. and the hubby partnered with Greater Springfield in Ohio for a full day and a half of activities. Lucky for us, we visited during “Holidays in the City” which is a 5 week celebration with tons of fun activities. And for you holiday lovers, Christmas and New Year’s Eve may have passed, but it continues through 1/7/22! Let me just say, we had a blast!! But before we get to the deets on what all we did, let me share a bit about Springfield.
Springfield, also known as “Champion City” is a smaller city located in between the suburbs of greater Dayton and Columbus. It was founded in 1801 with the original growth stimulated by the construction of the national railroad which went through the area. There is deep cultural history here that comes from the booming businesses in the 1900s, financial industries and racial development. Right now, the area continues to be revitalized, which is exciting to see!
Fun fact: My brother is an alum of Wittenberg University which is a Liberal Arts college located in the city.
Ok…now to the activities!
We arrived early in the day and kicked things off by visiting Champion City Guide & Supply – This is a cool shop that has great apparel. They have sweatshirts, t-shirts, pants, mugs, hats, and much more. If you want to ‘rep your city’ with heritage apparel or buy local artisan goods, this is the place to visit first. They are also a Visitor’s Center, as they are partnered with the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. It gave us a feel for everyone’s true love for Springfield, which was apparent throughout the entire store.
Time to fuel up! Our next step was Winans Chocolates + Coffee. What I love about this Ohio based company is they have a nice appreciation for great quality and community. As their website says, they “develop products that are authentic to our history and relevant to the national culinary fabric and its continued development” and they “maintain appealing spaces where all members of the community can gather and feel at home”. I certainly felt this comfort from the moment I walked in and tasted the quality right away. We opted for chai lattes with a shot of espresso (dirty chai) and a pump of caramel. Deliciousss! It was exactly what we needed to get our day jumpstarted. If it weren’t so early, we would’ve dove right into all of their handcrafted chocolates because as they say, coffee and chocolate fit together like a glove! Having had their chocolates at another location before, we opted for their blueberry muffin which is just as tasty. Next time, I plan to leave with a huge bag to snack on later
Now that our energy was at a high, it was time for our tour of the Westcott House. The Westcott house was designed in 1906 and built in 1908 by the one and only Frank Lloyd Wright. If you’re unfamiliar with him, take a moment to do a bit of research on him, as he is one of the top architects of that time. This house was a site to see in the community! It’s horizontal lines and openness were far above its time. After the passing of the Westcotts, the house was converted to a multi-unit apartment building. This changed the original design so after many years and millions of dollars funded, the house was revitalized to honor the original design and is now open for tours to the public. We truly enjoyed being able to see the uniqueness and preservation of furniture. It was as if we walked back in time but were still viewing items that were modern. Quite a different and fun activity!
Now after all that learning, it was time to EAT! We were on our way to one of the best- and well-known restaurants in Springfield- Speakeasy Ramen. They’ve only been open for a few years but have already received numerous awards for their taste and quality. This was my second time visiting and it was just as delicious as the first. Yummmyyy! You can taste the freshness of the ingredients in every bite. This time around, we ordered:
One Holiday Special Cocktail- The Merry Martini & The Lemon Lavender Martini
Appetizer Wings- These are spicyyyy! Get the sauce on the side if you don’t like them hot!
JFC Taco- The most original taco I’ve probably ever had!
Japanese Curry Ramen with Shrimp- They’re known for their ramen!
All the items were flavored perfectly and filled us up with just the right amount of food. Great stuff! Be sure to check out the menu before you go. It changes frequently.
Now, if we were going to make it out anywhere else, we needed to get to the hotel for some rest! We checked in at the Courtyard Marriott, downtown Springfield for a bit of quiet time before getting back to things. The first thing we noticed was how friendly the staff were. They were super helpful with any question we asked and made general conversation, which is not always likely at hotels. If you’re picking a place to stay, I would encourage you to book this one because it’s updated, clean, modern and right in the heart of downtown. You can leave your car parked and walk to a great deal of options nearby. They also have all the major streaming services already set up on your tv so depending on the time that you have, you can sit, and binge watch your favorite shows before bed or before you head back out (which is exactly what we did).
It’s amazing how good rest causes you to work up an appetite! LOL Yes, it was time to eat again! For dinner, we walked down to Stella Bleu. Our walk was lovely because of the Christmas displays (including the HUGE Christmas tree in the center of downtown), and the holiday music playing in the air. Super romantic! We loved being able to visit during Holidays in the City. It made it extra special!
Sidenote: They are offering carriage rides through downtown through the 7th as well. The weather was not on our side for this but try it out if you’re in the area during this time!
Back to Stella Bleu…. They are a casual, fine dining experience in a newly renovated space. Their menu has quite a bit of variety to it so there’s likely going to be something for everyone you visit with. What we really enjoyed about this restaurant is they had great menu options that were nicer than your typical dining place, but they were also reasonably priced. So, if you want to have a date night or night out with your friends and family, this is your place! We ordered:
Stella Frites (superrrr good!)
Salmon Entrée
Butter Chicken Entrée
All entrees came with a side salad and complimentary biscuits. The biscuits were so good that we asked for more lol The service is also FAST! If you want to take your time a bit more, ask them to space out your options and they gladly will!
Who’s ready for cocktails?!!! We are!!! After finishing our meal, we walked down the street to CoHatch, which is a coworking space that also has restaurants and events. There are several throughout the state and other regions, so it was nice to also see one in the transitioning area of Springfield! This night, we went specifically for Market Bar. They are a cool, hip bar that offers up a huge variety of fun drinks. It happened to be a Tuesday night when we went which meant Tequila specials!! Woop! The bartender made us THE BEST margaritas that I’ve had in a long time. And they have a ton of flavor options that you can mix and match to make a custom one. What was cool about this area is one of the rooms nearby had public salsa dancing available for everyone. They looked like they were having a ball! And every so often, they’d come to the bar, grab and finish a drink, then go back to dancing! It was a fun vibe that I would keep coming back for!
And now….it was time to head back to the Marriott for a good night’s sleep because we still had a few more things to get into in the morning!
Alrighty! It was now morning and the first thing I always want to do when I wake up is EAT! Lucky for us, Ironworks Waffle Cafe, which is located inside of CoHatch, was waiting on us. A bit about them: They were founded on the goal of restoring vitality and passion to the rich historic downtown of Springfield. They also name every waffle after a notable Springfield icon. Let’s get into these waffles though! They have sweet and savory selections to fit whatever your taste buds are calling for. We ordered one of each:
Savory- The Johnny Lytle which had fried chicken and bourbon syrup. This one comes with a side. I recommend the waffle fries
Sweet- The National Road- which was a traditional waffle that we topped with fruit and whipped cream
I loveeee traditional Belgian waffles so these were right up my alley. They were the perfect way to start our day.
Oh, don’t forget to get coffee from Ironworks. We ordered our regular Dirty Chai with caramel. Veryyy good! We also were able to see more of the CoHatch space and all that it has to offer. It’s pretty cool!
Ok, last, but certainly not least was our stop at the Gammon House for a tour. For those that don’t know, the Gammon House was built in 1850 and is one of only three existing Ohio stops on the Underground Railroad owned by a free person of color. George and Sarah Gammon were extremely courageous in helping slaves get to freedom. They risked paying a huge fine or jail time if caught. Over the years, the house has been revitalized and is now like a mini museum, displaying many historical facts about slavery in general, Springfield happenings related to race, and Ohio news related to race. I learned so many new, and very important things visiting. It sent me through a wave of emotions primarily because it’s hard to continue to hear about the treatment of my people, but it’s also encouraging and motivating to see how far we have come and hear about the heroic people who paved the way! I encourage all people to visit this historic house. And in great news, we learned that they just purchased the land across the street to expand the space for more facts and additional events! Kudos to them!
Well ya’ll, that wraps up our time in Springfield. We loved learning more about the area and enjoyed visiting some of the top spots the city offers! We look forward to visiting again in the future. We hope this encourages you all to visit as well!
Cheers!
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