So remember how I mentioned the Mister and I had a weekend jam-packed with activities? (one of which being a delicious outing at VegiTerranean!)
Our first outing began on Saturday evening in Akron, Ohio at the Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.
Let’s take a little history lesson, shall we? I’ll try and be brief.
In 1898, F.A. Seiberling founded The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (perhaps you’ve heard of it?), naming it after Charles Goodyear, the inventor of the vulcanization process for rubber.
It at this time that the Industrial Age was forming modern America. Akron, Ohio was no exception – it built its foundation on the rubber industry to become the “Rubber Capital of the World.”
Like many in the industry, F.A. Seiberling had architectural aspirations. Between 1912 and 1915, he and his wife, Gertrude, built their country estate and named it “Stan Hywet” (Old English for stone quarry) the property’s most prominent natural feature. While European country houses were based on generations of title and wealth, the American country estates were built by self-made financial giants. Vanderbilt’s Biltmore, Rockefeller’s Kykuit, and Hearst’s San Simeon, are well-known examples.
As the years went by many of the other prominent estates met their fate with the wrecking ball. But Stan Hywet remains as one of the most important historic estates to endure from this bygone era.
“In 1957, the Seiberling family donated Stan Hywet to a non-profit organization so that the public could enjoy and experience a noteworthy chapter in American history. Above the Manor House entryway, the crest bearing the motto Non Nobis Solum (Not for Us Alone), welcomes guests as warmly today as it did a century ago.”
Each holiday season, the Stan Hywet invites people to come “Deck the Hall.” Described on the event website, “Christmas collections are the focus this year, as 25 rooms in the Manor House are decorated to create a warm and inviting setting for guests this holiday season. Ranging from snow globes to gingerbread houses to Christmas quilts to Barbie® and American Girl® doll collections, the Manor House features a different collection in each room.”
The estate also offers beautiful gardens and grounds, decorated in a winter wonderland of lights.
My parents had taken me to Stan Hywet Hall when I was younger, but the Mister had never been and I was so excited to experience the magic with him for the first time. Unfortunately the Manor does not allow photographs to be taken inside, but I managed to find a few online – check them out!
I did manage to take some photos of the exterior, too 
Isn’t it beautiful? This was such a fantastic was to spend some quality time with The Mister and I’m sure this will become a new holiday tradition for us
The holiday festivities continued the following day, as we made our way to a Gingerbread House contest and display.
Just look at some of these creations!
Incredible!
Perhaps this is enough to inspire the Mister and I to make our own lil creation??
Have you ever made a gingerbread house? Did you cheat and make out out of a box or create your own, from scratch?
