A Day Out//Hale Farm and Village

Anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time is aware of my deep love for Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts. There are a few posts about it here, here, and here. You can do a search and find a few others. When we moved away from Connecticut we were all sad about leaving behind a place full of so many memories and a place that makes us all feel calm and at peace. It is impossible to replace such a much-loved place but I hoped to find something similar in Ohio. When my sister and niece were visiting a couple of weeks ago we went to Hale Farm and Village.

The village is within the boundaries of Cuyahoga National Park and the surrounding countryside is beautiful. It recreates 19th-century life with 32 historic structures. They advertise costumed interpreters, animals, and craft demonstrations. We went into this experience with an open mind. No place was going to live up to Sturbridge Village in our minds but we wanted to appreciate this village for what it is. It was obvious right away that they operate on a much smaller budget than Old Sturbridge Village. Some of the historic properties were crying out for a paint job and many of the buildings were not staffed. Unfortunately, when a building wasn’t staffed that frequently meant the building wasn’t open which limited greatly what we could visit.

My son has always loved the blacksmith shop and was very pleased to know there was one here. It was one of our early stops in the village and, unfortunately, it was a letdown. I asked the smith what he was making and immediately he rudely scolded me for talking to him while he was working. I thought that was his job. If he can’t talk to visitors, never mind be polite to them, while he is working, maybe he shouldn’t be dealing with the public. We moved on quickly.

The glassblower was fascinating to watch and obviously very good at what he does. He didn’t talk much and I was left wondering how he fit into village life. Would there have been a glassblower in the village? What would he have made? After this, we spent a long time listening to the potter. Somehow, I missed getting a photo of him but he was one of the highlights of the day. He was friendly, engaging, prepared to talk to visitors, and knowledgeable about his craft.

We talked to another knowledgeable, friendly man in the barn who did a good job engaging with the child visitors (though my teenaged daughter was very indignant about being included in that group) and we wandered through a house where my son was scolded by a costumed interpreter when he commented on a painting on the wall. We couldn’t figure out why because he said the same thing she said only she said it louder and more emphatically.

We left shortly after this because we were all very hungry. We were definitely surprised to find that there was nowhere to buy food. We thought a place that advertised itself as being a day’s outing would have a restaurant or shop available. The website mentioned one but it was not opened. The gift shop was supposed to have snacks but there were only a very, very few items in a fridge mainly full of soda.

We all had mixed feelings about our visit. Hale Farm and Village has a lot of potential but it hasn’t achieved it yet. It is a beautiful location with an interesting history and there is so much they can do with it. As a casual visitor with strong feelings about living history museums I think they need:

More and better costumes for their interpreters. No modern jeans etc.

More training for interpreters so they interact politely with visitors.

Improved general upkeep. Paint the buildings that have peeling paint, etc.

Open the buildings for visitors to browse through even if they are not staffed all the time.

Except for the glassblower, potter, and blacksmith, there was nothing going on in the village. It would be good to have people working in the kitchens, weeding the gardens, and so on. None of those will require a huge outlay of money but they will contribute to the immersive experience.

At the minimum, increase the choice of snacks in the gift shop. Ideally, have more than that available.

I realize that Covid has changed the way places like this operate but some of these things have nothing to do with the current world situation. The paint has been peeling for years. As I said before, this is a place with so much potential and it is in such a beautiful location. I hope one day it achieves all it is capable of.

Hale Farm and Village

2686 Oak Hill Road

Bath, Ohio 44210