Hale Farm & Village050

Visit Hale Farm & Village and you'll arrive in Wheatfield, a small Ohio village. The Civil War is raging and you'll hear all about it from Wheatfield residents as they dip their candles, card their wool, and make their families' suppers. You'll be able to join them in many of these activities.

Hale Farm is as real as history gets; the experience is more than you expect.

In addition to the first-person characterizations, a few 3rd-person "guides" are on hand, also dressed in period costume. The difference is this: the 3rd-person "guides" can answer your questions, and do, with impressive knowledge. (Ask one of the 1st-person characters if she has a telephone, and she's likely to reply, "Do I have a telephone? I have no idea what that is, young man. I am not overfond of too many personal possessions. If my husband were here, he would tell you that we have done very well for ourselves with our compliance to frugality..." - you get the idea.)

Visits to Hale Farm vary with the season and the weather (as life goes on in Wheatfield), but the costumes and characterizations are uniformly excellent, regardless of the program - er, season.

Even toddlers can walk about the entire farm and village without tiring, as shops and homes are close to each other, and there's something amazing to see in each. The area is stroller-friendly as well; while not all paved, the ground is level and hard-packed.

Kids especially love to see the cows, horses, and sheep, which are moved about as needed, but kept close by the village in historically-accurate paddocks and pens. (In other words, take your camera! With no wire fences to muss up your snapshots, you can get extra-nice photos. Just keep in mind Hale is an historical attraction, not a petting zoo.)

The hand-blown glass, hand-dipped candles, hand-woven baskets, and other objects created by Hale Farm craftsmen are available for sale at the museum store. Lunch is available in the deli-style café - on a hot day, it's a nice, cool break from the blacksmith and glass-blowing shops.

Rentals can be arranged of the gatehouse, carriage house, or grounds - "Turn of the century" weddings are popular here. Birthday parties can be arranged, but availability depends on other programs and activities. Call 216.721.5722 ext. x 320 for more information on rentals or parties.