Take a Summer Road Trip to Lake County

Celebrate Summer

All the country charm of Nashville returns to Willoughby Aug. 1 during NashWill. Now in its second year, the all-day music festival features around 35 acts performing inside bars and restaurants throughout town. Tennessee-based artist Nick Walker kicks off the event at 1 p.m., and visitors are welcome to walk around, dine and shop throughout the day. In past years, shops and boutiques have sold Nashville-themed merchandise, while restaurants, bars and cafes spice up their menus with themed food and drink offerings. This year also brings kids crafts and activities to West Point Park between 1 and 5 p.m.

“This was actually my brainchild,” says Tanja Bartulovic, co-president of the Downtown Willoughby Bar & Restaurant Association with Teanna Vitantonio. “I have always loved Nashville, and I thought the landscape in downtown Willoughby was perfect to host a nontraditional music fest where we could have each venue, bar and restaurant participate and kind of create a mini Broadway.” 

The Lake Erie Sand Sculpture Tour brings an annual tradition of sand artistry July 11. Originally held at Headlands Beach State Park, the event expanded to multiple beaches across Lake County for the first time last year. Drawing roughly 25,000 people, the event features a full day of artists molding and sculpting to create large-scale sand sculptures.

Head to the Lake County Fairgrounds June 26 through 28 to travel back to the age of Vikings. Visitors to Ohio Viking Fest can take part in classes and workshops or immerse themselves in the Reenactment Village, where a group of dedicated reenactors demonstrate traditional Viking crafting skills and combat techniques. 

Check out live entertainment, including traditional music and instruments, jousting and a water-balloon battle. Shop from vendors selling handcrafted wares made from leather, glass, wood, bone, metal and fiber.

The Lake County Fair runs July 28 through Aug. 2, with a patriotic giveaway set for Aug. 1. The first 1,000 visitors through the gates receive a Frances Jennings Casement bobblehead, which honors the Painesville resident who was born in 1821 and played significant roles in both the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements. 

Tour Wineries

After looking for an activity to pursue in retirement, Kathy Crowley enrolled in an applied science program in viticulture and oenology (the study of wines) at Kent State University. In anticipation of her graduation from the program in 2015, Crowley purchased a 105-acre property in Madison, which became Emerita Winery.

Since then, she and co-owner Ann Moore have made renovations to the ranch home on the property, transforming it into a welcoming tasting room that opened in November 2025. They also planted vines and rehabilitated the 15-acre vineyard.

“This is just a much smaller boutique winery,” Moore says. “We want to greet our guests and spend time with them and ask them about what they like and what they drink. … We’re happy to talk to them about that.”

In addition to sampling one of eight different wines and enjoying small plates in the pub-inspired tasting room, visitors also have the option to take part in the winery’s U-Pick, which allows them to harvest their own grapes or buy them by the pound. Current days of operation for Emerita Winery are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and Crowley hopes to offer live music during the summer months.

Another relative newcomer to Madison is Fossil Creek Winery. Owners Kevin and Don Jacobson used to ride dirt bikes around the property that would eventually become home to their vineyard and tasting room. Memories of riding down the ravine to the creek bed and finding fossils inspired the name. 

Today, visitors can sample five different wine varieties in the airy, industrial-feeling tasting room, which was completed in November 2024. It features concrete walls, a metal roof and large interior windows overlooking the ravine. (The winery has been growing grapes and producing wine since 2014.) In addition to wines and other drink options, Fossil Creek offers pizzas, charcuterie, bruschetta and caprese salad, shrimp cocktail and more.

Also in Madison, nestled along the Lake Erie shore sits Vincent William Winery. With a sprawling vineyard across the front lawn and an elegant dining and tasting room inside, this winery offers the experience of a waterfront vacation. 



Explore Willoughby

Summer just got a little sweeter with the arrival of Jeff’s Candy Shop to Willoughby. Previously located on Waterloo Road in Cleveland, Jeff Morsfield moved his candy-making operation to the former Brandt’s Candies building on Lost Nation Road.

Morsfield started by making and selling toffee using his mother’s recipe and later began producing other items such as candied nuts and popular hard candies that come in a variety of flavors. 

His Willoughby storefront offers all these products, as well as those made by other local candymakers, including gummy bears, vegan candy and soda. The shop also holds candy-making demonstrations for visitors on Saturday and Sunday.

“People light up around candy,” Morsfield says. “I have a lot of fun. I make candy every day, so it’s hard to be upset about that.”

Also new to Willoughby, Double D’s Honky Tonk & Smokehouse brings the spirit of Nashville to the corner of Erie Street and Mentor Avenue. Dustin Dysktra opened the country-themed restaurant and bar in May 2026. It has a scratch-made southern barbecue restaurant on the ground floor and a honky-tonk on the second floor that features live music, a dance floor and outdoor patio. Locally sourced and reclaimed corrugated metal and wood add to the rustic country vibes. The menu completes the overall atmosphere as well, with brisket, ribs, pulled pork, house-smoked kielbasa and a smash burger. 

“I wanted to do my own thing, and I wanted it to be a little bit different,” Dysktra says. “I wanted to push the envelope a little bit in a very unique and intentional way.”

Erie & Vine arrived in downtown Willoughby last summer with Beanie Cap Coffee Co. for morning visitors, food by Tony’s Burger Shop, craft cocktails and a vibrant bar atmosphere. 

While walking around downtown Willoughby, keep an eye out for colorful murals and art pieces by the Willoughby Arts Collaborative, which works with local artists to beautify downtown spaces. The nonprofit organization is also responsible for community events like the annual Chalkfest, which is held each August.

When You Go
For more information about these and other destinations in Lake County, visit tourlakecounty.com.

Emerita Winery
emeritawinery.com

Fossil Creek Winery
fossilcreekwine.com

Vincent William Winery
vincentwilliamwine.com

Jeff’s Candy Shop 
jeffscandyshop.com

Double D’s Honk Tonk & Smokehouse
ddhonkytonk.com

Erie + Vine
erieandvine.com

Willoughby Arts Collaborative
willoughbyartscollaborative.org

NashWill
dtwilloughby.com

Lake Erie Sand Sculpture Tour
tourlakecounty.com

Ohio Viking Fest
ohiovikingfestival.com

Lake County Fair
lakecountyfair.org

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