A Fall Staycation at Hart House Hotel

Spending a little time away from home, no matter how far you actually go, is always a nice break from day-to-day life. Cody and I had the opportunity to spend a night at Hart House Hotel in Medina and jumped at the chance – despite the fact that Cody lives exactly .5 miles from the hotel. Hart House is a beautifully restored factory with tons of tiny details that make it so welcoming.

When I was in elementary school, my favorite family trip was our annual long weekend in Rochester. Not Cape Cod, not Disney World, but a hotel with a pool an hour east on the Thruway. We used to visit the museum, planetarium, mall and bagel shop. These trips didn’t have a long car ride or the stress of not knowing where you were.

The same was true about our stay at Hart House. We knew what we wanted for dinner and where we were heading for drinks afterwards. We had time to stop in all the shops we’re always saying we should go into. I couldn’t even forget my leftovers in the hotel fridge because we stopped at Cody’s house between dinner and heading to the hotel.

We started our staycation with dinner at Mariachi de Oro, which is always a good choice for authentic fajitas and enchiladas, plus 60 ounce margaritas, if that’s your thing. We walked from Hart House to Fitzgibbons for drinks. Fitz has a great selection of Irish and local beer, plus gorgeous woodwork and servers in kilts.

We woke up at Hart House to a sun drenched morning, perfect for iced coffee and Roberts’ cider from Shirt Factory Cafe. The weather felt more like June than September, perfect for walking to shops on Main Street. Our first stop was to The Bread Basket for peanut butter chocolate chip and cookies and cream scones (disclaimer: Cody’s mom owns The Bread Basket 😉).

After wandering through the farmers’ market, the rest of our day included stops at Creekside Floral (for our Ale in Autumn tickets!), Ellen J. Goods and Filomena’s Favorites. Medina is ready for fall, with chrysanthemums and rustic decor in every direction. I even did a little Christmas shopping…

On my way home I stopped at Roberts’ Farm Market for cider and to wander through their mums, pumpkins and u-pick orchards.

If Hart House is a little further than a 15 minute drive, there’s lots to do between Medina and Buffalo. Spend the weekend and check out Alternative Grounds or Steamworks for coffee, hike at the Royalton Ravine or spend some time at Bear Bottom Wholesale!