Looking to get away for a weekend over the holiday season? Consider a quick road trip to Canton! Visit Canton recently invited my family out for a hosted trip & I am so excited to share our itinerary because it really was perfect!
DAY 1 – FRIDAY
Our first stop Friday afternoon was to the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum. While this wasn’t our first time to the Canton area, this was the first time visiting this museum & I was so impressed! Not only does it pay tribute to President McKinley, there is also an entire indoor interactive science center & planetarium. My favorite was The Street of Shops which is a life-size replica of a historic town. It was out of season for visiting the Memorial but there is so much to do within the library & museum that is worth an off-season visit. It was also beautifully decorated for the holidays.
Next, we made our way to our hotel, the Hyatt Place Canton. We are actually big fans of the Hyatt brand of hotels so we are familiar with the great accommodations they have to offer. The indoor pool was a big plus, too!
After we got settled into our room, we headed out for the evening starting with doing an escape room at Escape Room Downtown. We did the Elf Hunt! & while we weren’t successful at saving the elves, had a great time at the attempt! After we were done, they let us know about a partnership they were doing with The 19th Hole right across the street & gave us a free one hour pass to play their indoor golf which was a first for us. It ended up being a great night!
Lastly, we were treated to dinner at Mike’s Pizza, a newer New York style pizzeria in downtown Canton which was delicious!
DAY 2 – SATURDAY
We started off the morning having breakfast at the hotel. They offer hot options like turkey bacon, eggs, an assortment of breads, & more. Next, we swung by Shale Coffee Company to grab some drinks before our first stop of the day.
This wasn’t our first time but we got to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame! This is a must-visit for any football fan! There are a ton of things to see, shows to watch, & interactive activities to partake in. It’s so amazing to me that the NFL started right here in Canton. There is also the Hall of Fame Village‘s Winter Blitz that starts on December 14 which will have a variety of fun, winter activities.
Next, we had lunch at John’s Bar in Oakwood Square which was absolutely amazing! They had a bunch of options for both lunch or dinner & was incredibly kid-friendly.
After lunch, we walked over to the 720 Holiday Market which was set up right in the square. There was a bunch of local vendors, food trucks, & even reindeer! There are a few weekends left so I added those the calendar HERE.
We then headed to Hartville Hardware & Lumber. Don’t let the name fool you, there’s *so much more* they offer than hardware & lumber including home + holiday decor. If you’re looking for unique gifts, they have two options: personalized ornaments &/or YETIs. We chose to get a YETI personalized for our kiddo as an early Christmas gift & it was so neat. It only took about 15-20 minutes. They can do any text with a variety of fonts to choose from & images as well. We went with a Cleveland skyline of course!
It was time for dinner so we headed right next door to Hartville Kitchen Restaurant & Bakery. We visited the bakery last year when my in-laws were in town but it was our first time dining in at the restaurant & it was so good! The menu had plenty of options to choose from & I couldn’t believe there wasn’t any wait to be seated on a busy Saturday evening. It was a great way to spend some quality family time before our last stop of the day at Hartville MarketPlace & Flea Market.
If you’re not familiar with Hartville, it is a huge complex composed of the hardware store, kitchen, & marketplace. The hardware store & kitchen are within walking distance of each other. The marketplace & flea market is in the same complex but a bit more in the back so you just need to hop in the car & drive back there to get closer. This year, the MarketPlace started doing a holiday themed light display called Winter Wonderfest which features more than 500,000 lights & a variety of displays to view. They even had horse drawn carriage rides but it was quite frigid when we were there so we opted to skip that. You can really make a day of just exploring all of Hartville & ending the night with this activity. There is also a kids scavenger hunt & if they finish it, they get a coupon at the shops for a free bouncy ball.
DAY 3 – SUNDAY
We started our morning utilizing the indoor pool & hot tub the hotel has to offer. It was a great way to end our stay at the Hyatt Place Canton.
Next, we made our way to breakfast at Twisted Citrus in North Canton. I was so surprised walking in to see the restaurant completely done up for the holidays. They offer a holiday bar for adults at night but during the day, it’s kid friendly as a breakfast/brunch/lunch spot. Our food was great & we loved dining in such a festive location.
Afterwards, we swung by Tremont Coffee to pick up some beverages & muffins to bring back home before heading to our last stop of our Canton trip, Ohio Christmas Factory!
This is a newer attraction open just last year. It’s 50,000 square feet of holiday fun! I was surprised to find out that this is where Factory of Terror haunted house is during the Halloween season & I just think it’s so neat they converted it to something for Christmas. It was huge! There is a ton to see & do here, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There are live actors walking around, fun mazes to go through, pictures with Santa & The Grinch, & so much more! My personal favorite was their Spooky Town which paid homage to the Nightmare Before Christmas. As someone who absolutely loves Halloween, I was totally in my element here!
All in all, Canton has so many things to do & see. This wasn’t our first time the area & it definitely won’t be our last!
Thank you, Visit Canton, for this experience.
If you have kids 12 & under, be sure to check out Pigskin’s Pals Adventure Pass, a FREE digital pass to get special offers & deals at family friendly attractions all over Stark County.
To learn more about all that Canton has to offer, visit: visitcanton.com
