State Facts

State Capital: Columbus

Nickname: The Buckeye State

State Motto: "With God, all things are possible."

State Bird: Northern Cardinal

State Flower: Scarlet Carnation

State Tree: Ohio Buckeye

State Song: "Beautiful Ohio"

Founded: Ohio became the 17th state of the United States on March 1, 1803.

Population: Ohio has a population of over 11.5 million people.

Major Cities: Besides the capital, Columbus, other major cities in Ohio include Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, and Akron.

fun fact

Ohio originated from the Iroquois word ohi-yo', which means “great river.”

Stops

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Black Box Fix

One of Cleveland’s Metroparks

Greeting from Cleveland Mural

Why Ohio? The inspiration was actually from my then 8 year old son. At the time he and my youngest daughter where taking a very engaging U.S.

Geography class on Outschool, an education platform that offers online classes for kids and teens ages 3-18. Each week the students were introduced to a new state and given a 30 minute overview that included all the states cool facts and details. What is the states flag, bird, when was it incorporated or established in US history, etc. For some reason this was one state that stuck with him. Maybe because it was her home state and he related to her enthusiasm, maybe it was because he liked to pronounce the name O-HI-O. I don’t even know if he knows; I ask him and he shrugs. For me it was an indication that we should make this a stop on our way to Niagra Falls (our ultimate destination). Of all the places we could have chosen we settled on a metro area. Although it wasn’t in our original plans, It wasn’t too far off of our route. It was important for us to stay on route and stay within the budget. We chose CLEVELAND, O-HI-O.

On our way to the “Greetings from Cleveland” mural, we noticed many colorful expressions of art in murals on the sides, fronts and backs of buildings. Not able to catch everyone of them on camera, we just took it all in as it brought a sense of excitement and appreciation for the city. This most recognizable mural was painted by Victor Ving. Ving and Lisa Beggs brought their “Greetings Tour” to the area in 2015. Actually located in a neighborhood called “Ohio City”, Victor Ving and a collaboration of local artists brought to life this representation of the Cleveland spirit.

“Greetings from Cleveland”

Address: 2104 West 25th Street

(Corner of W 25th and Chatham)

Artist: Victor Ving

For me this was our coolest candid shot. I ended up taking this pic from the middle of the street. There were cars parked on both side of the block, so while keeping an eye out for oncoming vehicles, they made a quick dash to the wall click, click, 2 snaps later, we have our very own Greetings from Cleveland post card. It was meant to be as laid back as they are :) A shout- out to my oldest for the suggestion. I am a bit embarrassed to admit, I totally forgot about this spot.

Cleveland Museum of Art

Unless you have a particular focus or interest, it can be easy to get "lost" in just about everything. We would have to allot more time on out next visit. There are several floors and rooms filled with historical artifacts and busts from the past century to millennia. We found ourselves spending more time in the African gallery by way of the Ancient Egyptian artifacts to view new and interesting sculptures not often displayed elsewhere. One bust got my attention almost immediately as it’s facial structure and features favored my mom. It was a West African “head” from Nigeria made in the early century. Which led me to pay more attention to the other displays and research origin and era.

As a person who lives in the Lowcountry area of SC, as person learning more about my culture, as a parent teaching- facilitating children’s knowledge, it’s important to be able to show our connection to the West African coast in another way. It is documented that more than 48% of the then enslaved Africans entered the U.S. through Charleston, SC. Our Gullah/Geechee culture, is heavily based and preserves what was brought, and taught of the West Africans influence. They are not so far removed from us.

The African section of the museum was considerably small in comparison to some other areas however, I can imagine with other museums placed around the world not all of “Africa” can be housed in one place. Surprisingly but not surprisingly, the students were equally interested and spent a good amount of time reading up and taking photos until closing time. We spent a good hour and a half total time.

Prices of gifts and souvenirs in the gift shop, food in the restaurant/cafe are as you would expect ($$ to $$$) but exploring will cost you nothing.

This is most definately a space that one can visit time and time again and learn something new each time.

where we ate- the black box fix

Not knowing exactly where to start, we discovered OHIO.ORG. From within the websites portal, we typed an inquiry for black owned business, which leads you to a link of 115 Black Owned Businesses! Based on our travel route, we decided on The Black Box Fix. Located within the Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, OH, a "village" of quaint unique shops, about 15 or so minutes from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Black Box Fix, serves your standard sandwich shop fixes but with elevated flavors. Because we are a family of 6, in a place we have not visited before, there are things we look for before deciding where to go. Besides the proximity to where we are, I need to know that it is well lit, staff is friendly, the atmosphere is appropriate for my younger two, we can be comfortable dining in and how it's priced. This restaurant checks all boxes and some!

THE BLACK BOX FIX -IN THE LEGACY VILLAGE

25359 Cedar Rd,

Lyndhurst, OH 44124

OPEN 12-9 PM MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, SUNDAY 12-5 PM

When initially looking up the menu online, I was very impressed with the presentation of the food, and overall aesthetic, the menu is moderately priced. Upon entering, we were greeted by the staff. That is a huge plus for me. I feel patrons/customers should be acknowledged even if there is a line. I planned to order the Veggie Philly but my eyes were redirected to the Rasta Pasta, I ordered from the kids menu for the youngest children, the teens decided on the classics like the OMG Philly, Best Damn Cheesesteak, and the Hot Honey Garlic Chicken Sandwich each with a side of Garlic Parm Fries. Do keep in mind, fries and any other sides are separate, except with kids meals, and drinks are separate except with the kid's meals (a carpi sun juice pouch). There are no fountain drinks, just a choice of can sodas and water. Just a bit disappointing there because I am trying to stay within a certain budget HOWEVER, I just assume The Black Box Fix's focus is on the remarkable flavors and exceptional presentation. Everything else just looked inviting, Because of our dietary restrictions, we could not try the Jerk Steak, Lobster & Stoner Fries which are fries topped with, grilled steak, lobster, mushroom, onions, peppers, cajun cheese sauce, jerk sauce and scallions. I can only image the taste. Maybe you can try them and let me know what you think? The menu is impressive. So, If you are in the area, you will must give them a try.

Please do not let my dietary restrictions prevent you allowing your taste buds to right to enjoy food from the Black Box Fix. Check out the menu from their website

We were so ready to try these dishes we forgot to take a picture of them. I had to stop my oldest daughter before she went “in” on her Hot Honey Garlic Chicken Sandwich.

one last stop

The Metroparks system consists of more than 18 reservations, covering over 24,000 acres of land. These reservations are connected by parkways and provide a range of recreational opportunities.

We drove over to the Garfield Park Reservation. Garfield Park’s history dates back to 1894, when the city of Cleveland purchased three farms to create Newburgh Park, now Garfield Park. It was leased to Cleveland Metroparks in 1986.

This was a perfect last stop to stretch before we got back on the road heading to Buffalo, NY. Less than 15 minutes from I-77 that would put us back on our planned route. Unfortunately, we did not have all the time to explore the trail but it’s a pin on our map and perhaps on the next visit we can walk it. We did enjoy the lush greenery and waterfalls.

Lesson wise, one of the points the children/students were to note was the differences of being in a northern region of the U.S. The difference in climate, geography. For example being further from the equator, the summer temperatures there feel very different, as it is milder in comparison to our 100° summers and high humidity, no mountains or waterfalls where we are. It was important for the younger children to understand the diverse landscapes.