The Historic Spain Creek Covered Bridge

The historic Spain Creek Covered Bridge located in Union County, Ohio was built in 1870 by Reuben L. Partridge. The bridge spams 64 feet over Spain Creek and is one of the smallest covered bridges in the state, definitely the smallest in Union County.

In recent years it was renovated in 2008 and 2016 after damage to its upper braces. It's painted in your traditional barn red and off white color scheme that you see on many of these type's of bridges in the area and surrounding states. This bridge is still open to vehicular traffic, so you'll need to pull off the road, park and walk up to it to take your photographs.

We stumbled upon this bridge and several others while on a road trip through Ohio. We enjoy checking out, photographing and waymarking covered bridges that we find. Once home we got online and tried to find out some information on the bridge and there wasn't a lot of it that we could find. It's a really unique looking bridge!

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The Historic Harpersfield Covered Bridge in Ohio

The historic Harpersfield Covered Bridge spans across the Grand River in Ashtabula County, Ohio. It was built in 1868 and is the third longest bridge in the state. The double-span Howe Truss bridge is one of 16 that is still open to vehicular traffic in the county.

Back in 1913 a major flood washed away the northern end of the bridge. To repair it they replaced the damaged span with a new spam made from steel. The total length of the bridge (currently) is 228 feet long. In 1991 and 1992 they renovated the bridge and added a walkway for visitors to get from one side to the other, without interfering with vehicular traffic.

In 1975 the historic Harpersfield Covered Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. There is a historical marker on-site that reads as follows:

Harpersfield Covered Bridge

Replacing an earlier bridge that was carried away in a spring flood, the Harpersfield Covered Bridge was built in 1868 and spans the Grand River, a state-designated wild, and scenic river. This bridge, which currently carries County Road #154 (Harpersfield Road), is a two-span wooden Howe truss bridge, with center pier. The great flood of 1913 washed away the northern approach and it was at this time that the additional 140 foot steel truss was added. Extensive rehabilitation in 1992 included strengthening the lower chords, lowering and replacing the floor, and adding a cantilevered walkway. The 228-foot-long Harpersfield Bridge is the longest covered bridge in Ohio and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

By: 1996 by Harpersfield Heritage Society and The Ohio Historical Society.

The Historic Pottersburg Covered Bridge

The historic Pottersburg Covered Bridge was built in built in 1868 by Reuben Partridge. The bridge originally spanned over the Big Darby Creek in Allen Township. After the bridge was no long needed it was moved to its current location in Chuckery (Union County), Ohio in 2006.

Its done in the tradition Truss style and spans 94 feet over a dry ditch (an old rail bed) on a popular hiking trail. The Pottersburg Bridge Trail is a multi-use path to the village of North Lewisburg. It's popular with hikers, walkers, bikers and those who enjoy bird watching. The bridge is not open to vehicular traffic.

Every year during the month of September you'll find the family-friendly Covered Bridge Bluegrass Festival hosted at the site.If you've never attended the festival and will be in the area...add it to your to-do list during the fall. You can find information about the area and upcoming events by visiting the Union County Ohio website.

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Visiting Marblehead Lighthouse State Park

Marblehead Lighthouse State Park is located on the rocky shores of Lake Erie in Marblehead, Ohio. The park grounds are open year-round, however the Lighthouse, the Keeper's House Museum and Lifesaving Station Museum are only open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

Admission Price: Visiting the park is FREE. If you wish to climb the steps to the top of Marblehead Lighthouse, there is a small admission fee. It's FREE to visit the Keeper's House and the Lifesaving Museum. You'll find on-site parking within the park. '

Things to See and Do:

* Marblehead Lighthouse - Take a tour of the lighthouse and climb the spiral staircase (77 stairs) to the top for some incredible views of Lake Erie and nearby islands.

* The Keeper's House Museum - Sits adjacent to the lighthouse and was constructed in 1880. Over the years it was home to 16 keepers and their families. This is where you'll learn all about the history of the lighthouse, its keepers, information about Lake Erie and the surrounding area.

* Lifesaving Station Museum - is a replica of the original station (built in 1876) that was completed in 2016. It's located near the lighthouse and features a variety of exhibits. You can learn all about the history of the U.S. Lifesaving Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and more.

If you're planning a visit to Marblehead Lighthouse State Park you'll want to visit their official website for park information. If you're looking for cottage rentals or a list of restaurants nearby, you'll find a list on their website too.

The Official Ohio State Facts and Travel Tips

To the west of the Pennsylvania border you'll find the great state of Ohio. We live in south central Pennsylvania and can reach the border in about 4 hours. While we don't take many day trips to Ohio, we do enjoy heading there for weekend getaways.

Here are the Official Ohio State Facts along with some Travel Tips.

Ohio was the 17th state to enter the Union. Official statehood March 1, 1803. The state has a large economy based on agriculture (oats, corn, soybeans and grapes) and is one our country's leaders when it comes to manufacturing (steel, rubber, machine tools, automotive parts, glass and machinery).

Ohio is the 7th most populous state in America and the 34th largest state in regards to size. The word Ohio is an Iroquois word "ohi-yo" meaning large river.

Bordering States: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. The country Canada shares a border with Ohio to the north.

Top 5 Major Cities: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron.

Nickname: The Buckeye State
Capital: Columbus
Marketing Slogan: Ohio - Birthplace of Aviation
Flower: Red Carnation
Wildflower: White Trillium
Tree: Ohio Buckeye
Fruit: Tomato
Beverage: Tomato Juice
Bird: Cardinal
Insect: Ladybug
Animal: White-Tailed Deer
Reptile: Black Racer Snake
Amphibian: Spotted Salamander
Gemstone: Flint

Top Tourist Attractions and Things to Do in Ohio

Toledo Museum of Art
National Museum of the U.S. Air Force
Cleveland Museum of Art
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Columbus Zoo
Toledo Zoo
Professional Football Hall of Fame
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Cleveland Botanical Gardens
Kings Island Amusement Park
Kalahari Waterpark
Rocky River Reservation
Headlands Beach State Park
Cedar Point Amusement Park
Buck Creek State Park
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Krohn Conservatory
Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve
Mill Creek Park
Cincinnati Art Museum
Hocking Hills State Park
Mohican State Park

Ohio is one of those states that offers something for everyone, all year long! For myself personally, I love visiting their zoos, state parks and the Amish country. My husband is totally different and enjoys visiting their museums and halls of fame.

Visiting the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio

The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo located in Ohio is one of the best zoos we have ever visited, especially in the state of Ohio. It's one of those zoos that is laid out very nicely and has a wide variety of animals for you to see. It's beloved by both adults and children...a great place for the family to spend an afternoon.

When you visit the zoo you'll find a welcome plaza as soon as you pass through the main entrance gate. You can find public restrooms and a first-aid station nearby...so I suggest you visit the restroom before moving on throughout the zoo.

You'll want to follow your guide (map) and head to the right so that you can go through the African Savannah exhibits. Here you'll find lot's of animals that originate from Africa and it was one of our favorite areas in the entire zoo!

After we were done there we headed to the Northern Trek area and spent about 30 minutes visiting that area before we headed down to the Waterfowl Lake area. If you love birds that live near water, you'll really enjoy this exhibit. Since I'm a coastal lover, we spent some time here just watching all of the waterfowl eat and play in and near the water.

The Australian Adventure is one of my husband's favorite exhibits at this zoo. He has always wanted to visit Australia to see their native animals and we really enjoyed the nice variety of animals that we saw here.

When you visit, some of the animals you will see are: anteater, grizzly bear, sloth, gorilla, otters, flamingo, elephants, tigers, cheetah, camels, zebra, dingo, deer, donkeys, hedgehog, giraffes, koalas, lion, lemurs, orangutans, ostrich, red panda, python snake, sheep, sharks, storks, swans, various turtles, numerous different types of birds, wolves, various fish species and so much more! Trust me, this zoo has a really nice variety!

You can visit the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo website online to obtain driving directions, schedule of operations and to learn more about this fantastic zoo in Ohio. You can buy your admission tickets at the gate or to save time, you can buy them online. Admission price ranges from $9.25 to $13.25 depending on age.