Three-day Outing to Lakeside, Ohio

I arrived at my girlfriend's house at 9:30 a.m. last Friday to depart for Lakeside, Ohio for a three-day outing with four wonderful ladies.  Lakeside is about a two-hour drive, and we had 11:30 a.m. reservations for Afternoon Tea at Tea by the Sea tea room.

This was my second visit to Lakeside Chautauqya.  I blogged about last year's visit here. The quaint, gated campgrounds, which is run by the United Methodist Church, West Ohio Conference, sits on the shores of Lake Erie and is open from May until September.  Since 1960, they've held an amazing antique show on the grounds every August, which is our main inspiration for going.

Approximately 300 picturesque cottages line narrow streets, 100 of which have year-round residents. It's a restful, slow-paced community, and reminds me of what Martha's Vineyard must be like [although it's not on an island]. Below is the gate we entered this year - much smaller than the main gate.  Tickets are purchased upon entering and must be shown when leaving and re-entering the grounds. 

We drove to the cottage where we were staying to unload our luggage, and had the privilege of meeting the hospitable owners who were out-of-town when we went last year. Then we rang for a 5-passenger golf cart [the mode of transportation on the campgrounds besides walking] to transport us to the tea room.

 Tea by the Sea is located inside Rainbow House.

Charming owner, Ruth Ann, was ready and waiting for us.

[L-R:  Louise, Barbara, Suzanne, Me, and Linda]

Our tea began with Swedish Scones, which look similar to Crumpets.  They're Ruth Ann's signature scones, and as long as she owns the tea room she won't share the recipe, but she said variations can be found on the Internet.

The first tea we selected was Coconut Pouchong by Golden Moon.  It was delicious with a wonderful aroma.  Later we switched to Ginger White Tea.

~ Three-tiered server laden with wonderful food. ~

Savories/Sandwiches

[Top L-R: Cucumber/Cream Cheese on Wheat Bread; Egg Salad on White Bread; Ham and Cheese pinwheel; Smoked Pimento Cheese on open-faced Pumpernickel triangle; and Chicken Salad in a fried Won Ton Wrapper - in center. Ruth Ann used fresh herbs from her garden - mint, dill, parsley and lavender.

~ Fresh Fruit ~

~ Desserts ~

Dark Chocolate French Truffle; Individual mini Apricot Cheesecake; and Neiman Marcus Bar. 

~ The meal concluded with a dish of Sherbet ~

~ A peek at the tea room ~

The wicker lady below was in the parlor.

[L-R:  Barbara, Louise, Suzanne; Me and Linda]

Then we were off to shop in the quaint stores at Lakeside until they closed at 5:00 p.m. Below is the yard of Marilyn's - a shop near the tea room.

You wouldn't think we'd be hungry again, but someone recommended Ciao Bella restaurant in nearby Port Clinton, so we went there for dinner.  

It was a lovely restaurant and I ordered Portabella Ravioli with cream, herbs and white truffle oil. It was delicious!

We drove back to our cottage with very full tummies, and sat around in our jammies and talked until bedtime.

To be continued...

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Today I'm joining Rose Chintz Cottage for No Place Like Home

Antiques and Teacups for Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Bernideen's Tea Time Cottage for Tea in the Garden