Everyone should have a happy place where they feel totally at peace and at ease and for me that place is Lakeside, Ohio. It has been a place that I have gone for a week in June since I was 2 months old. I missed a few years when I was younger and moved away from Ohio but it has become a very important place for me to visit as I have become an adult.
Lakeside is located on Lake Erie on the Lakeside Marblehead Peninsula and is known as a Chautauqua. If that is a foreign word to you it is basically a community that welcomes people to gather and participate in lifelong learning opportunities through four pillars: religion, education, cultural arts and recreation. Lakeside has celebrated over 140 years of attracting families to the shores of Lake Erie to enjoy a time of fun and learning. Lakeside is one of the few remaining Chautauqua sites in existence and it keeps getting better each and every year.
Our family is steeped in the heritage of the United Methodist Church with my grandfather, father and sister all being ordained elders in the United Methodist Church. Others of us have worked in different capacities within the church as well and the week that we travel to Lakeside is the week of the East Ohio Annual Conference so we experience Lakeside in a slightly different way than those that come during the season. For us it is a time of meetings for those who are delegates, getting together with family and friends and relaxing in the laid back atmosphere that defines Lakeside.As a kid growing up I loved being at Lakeside because it meant a lot of freedom. It is a safe place where kids can ride bikes and walk just about anywhere and parents don’t have to worry at all about the safety of their young ones. There are so many activities for all age groups during the season that there is really something for everyone. A week probably is not long enough to take it all in if I were honest.
When I go these days for the week we stay in a cottage with my family –whoever can come does and we cram into a cottage that while it lacks a lot of luxuries it keeps us all under one roof so we can share time with each other. I mean who doesn’t want to share 1 shower with 11 people? Or sleep in a double bed when you are used to sleeping in a king sized bed? Or share a room with your adult son? It is all part of the “experience” of the week and it is the one week that I look forward to year after year.
The draw of Lakeside pulls me in year after year. It is the communion with family and friends, the worship services during Annual Conference, the sitting by the lake, the arrival of the mayflies, the ice cream cones, the miniature golf game, the shopping and the walking miles every day just because it is such a wonderful place to walk. One of these years we are going to go when it is during the actual season so we can take advantage of some of the great events that happen during those weeks.
For the next few posts I plan to share more about Lakeside because I think everyone needs to know about my happy place. There is something for every one there and I think you will agree after you read all of my posts that it is a magical place as well. Plus they have a daisy –my favorite flower.
If you want to learn more about Lakeside make sure to visit their social media sites.
39 Comments
Leave a commentLakeside looks very special. I am from New Jersey and not at all familiar with this place. I look forward to learning more about it.
It really is a beautiful place and hopefully you will be able to tell that from my upcoming posts. Thanks for stopping by, Bernadette!
Everyone needs a place like this. Since Dad sold the farm, we don´t have a getaway family place anymore and I miss it.
There are those special spots, aren’t there ? I bet your farm was the perfect spot.
Yup, very good memories for me and my kids.
AH…..how I missed being there. Once you go it tugs at your heart strings to get you back! The perfect place to renew your mind, body and spirit! The daily ice cream certainly helps too! ????
I agree! We missed you for sure. Maybe next year you can make a trek north to visit during conference week. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing! I was only aware of the Chautauqua in Northern Wisconsin (Bayfield area). Although, I am sure, it’s a wonderful place it’s an especially precious place because of all those family moments spent there. I look forward to following your series on this.
Doreen–we did see the one in the Bayfield area when Chris and I did a road trip a couple of years back. Now I need to go dig up those pictures!!!
Sounds wonderful. I know there is one in NY because I believe my parents went once or twice. So I decided to google it and read up more. This is what they say in Wikipedia:
“Chautauqua is a town and lake resort community in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 4,464 at the 2010 census.[1] The town is named after Chautauqua Lake. The traditional meaning remains “bag tied in the middle”. The suggested meanings of this Seneca word have become numerous: “the place where one is lost”; “the place of easy death”; “fish taken out”; “foggy place”; “high up”; “two moccasins fastened together”; and “a bag tied in the middle”.”
Funny, huh?
Yep. The one that most people know about is the one in New York and it is a popular spot. Thanks for sharing all of the other facts about it from Wiki! Funny explanations of the name.
This looks like a happy place for many people, Beth Ann. We’re doing a circle tour of the Great Lakes this fall so this goes on the list.
Oh yay! I know it is different when it is not the “season” but it is still a great place to visit anytime of the year. It just evokes so many emotions in me and holds so many memories past and recent that I can’t withhold my enthusiasm. The Marblehead Lighthouse is also a must see if you are there–I will be featuring it as well.
Your words and photos certainly convey why you love Lakeside so much. It’s beautiful. And to have that time with family in such a safe and lovely place, well, it’s like a slice of heaven on earth. Even with a double bed and a bathroom shared by 11.
It is so beautiful. Even with the mayflies. Even with the cramped quarters and the OCD neighbors. 🙂 I can’t wait tot share more with you.
Looks wonderful, I can understand why it’s your happy place!
Thanks, Katy. I really love it there and can’t wait to share more of Lakeside with you guys.
Yes, Lakeside is a place to refresh your spirit and enjoy the laid back life that is not experienced during most of the year. Great walk down memory lane , Beth!
Thanks for stopping by, Robie!
I share your experiences and feelings about Lakeside. We are fortunate to have a safe place where comfort and joy surrounds us. I hope that everyone can find their “Lakeside”
My place is the Sleeping Dune park on Lake Michigan. We went there for a week every year when I was a kid too. But anywhere on the Michigan shore of Lake Michigan will do. Nice to read about your place Good memories for your family.
I love how happy Lakeside makes you. It looks beautiful. Have never been there, but loved the part of the lake we got to see at Cedar Point.
What a beautiful and peaceful place…While I’ve never been there, I was born near Lorain, Ohio. Lived there for first 10 years of my life, beautiful places there on Lake Erie. If I remember correctly, Lakeside is located across the bay from Sandusky, out on the peninsula. Yep, Cedar Point, one of my favorite places to go as a child. Our youth group went there more than once, So happy you and your family has a place like Lakeside to retreat to, especially as our summer heats up!!
Sounds wonderful, and your pictures are lovely. I really like the part about safety for children to just be kids.
[…] For a more complete listing of the businesses that call Lakeside home please feel free to click on the highlighted links in the post. To visit the Lakeside website click here to explore more of this community that I love. To read my first post in this series please click here. […]
So cool you get to go here every year! We have a family reunion every year but the locale always changes… Happy Summer!
Loved the pics of Lakeside. Really missed being there this year – much more than I expected. Missed seeing friends, walking around, and the great worship services. Thanks for bringing a little Lakeside into my day.
[…] Lakeside, Ohio – My Happy Place […]
Beth Ann, you captured the spirit of Lakeside with your words and photos. I am adding it to my spot about Lakeside. Lakeside has been a happy place for people for over 140 years which is a blessing! I also read your post about the feral cats. You are right; some years it seems to be more a problem then others. A few years ago, I was at Lakeside for a night in late October (doing a final close of cottage). No one else was there on my street. Just before I went to bed, it was cold and dark, I heard a horrible screeching cry, and a bumping of my front door. I went to check and there was the skinniest little black kitten. I felt such anguish for her. I am sure she was desperate if she was seeking help from a human. I didn’t have any food, because we were at the end of the season. I found a few pieces of lunch meat and hard cheese. She wanted to come in, and it was so hard to say good bye and Godspeed to her.
Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and leave such a lovely comment! Thanks for the info about the cats. I am a huge cat lover and it is hard to imagine what happens to them in the winter. Thanks again, new friend!!!
[…] What’s there to do at Lakeside? Everything- from relaxing (napping) on your front porch while you feel the lake breeze and hear the water lap and sputter on the rocks, to the full palette of outdoor summer sports. You can swim, fish, sail, stand up paddle board, play miniature golf, pickle ball, basketball, tennis, and shuffleboard. But wait there’s more- there are hundreds of activities for your education, artistic and spiritual development. Here is a lovely word and photo essay about Lakeside from blogger Beth Ann Chiles. […]
[…] My Happy Place -Lakeside, Ohio […]
[…] Lakeside, Ohio: My Happy Place […]
Lakeside’s been my happy place for years- especially the campground!!
Angel– so many people have so many great memories that all stRt at Lakeside. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!!!
Angel, thank you for stopping by! And for leaving a comment! I am loving all of the positive comments about our beloved Lakeside. I have not stayed in the campground but my sister and brother in law used to and I know they loved it there as well.
For more than 15 years I wished that my grandparents had left me a cottage at Lakeside. Then I decided I could be the grandparent who would leave a cottage to my grandchildren. I’m so happy I purchased my small cottage.
Oh Mary—-I LOVE it! You have the best attitude and I bet your cottage is such a beautiful place for you and your family. I just love your comment. Thanks for stopping by!
What would you charge for rights to print 1 canvas for our daughters room. She was baptized near the gazebo. Now she is interested in pursuing ministry. We are looking at the sunset gazebo photo 😀. If not, please accept my compliments on the photo.