Geneva, Ohio Overview

United StatesOhio
Written By Haley

Geneva is a great spot for a quick weekend getaway for friends! We’ve been three times so far!

Trip 1: We planned a bachelorette weekend here and had a blast on our winery tour. Read on to see what we did and for our recommended wineries to visit in the area.

Trip 2: We planned a day trip with a local shuttle company with a group of friends.

Trip 3: We had a couples weekend and stayed at an awesome house.

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Bachelorette Trip Experience

Where we stayed: This Airbnb

Our Itinerary:

Friday:

  • Check-in at 3 pm

  • Hung out and unpacked at our Airbnb and waited for everyone to arrive.

  • We decided to bring Costco taco party trays and stay in for the evening but there are a few places that were recommended to us for dinner that you could visit.

Dinner:

Saturday:

We woke up the next morning and got ready for our bus to come to pick us up at the house. We just brought breakfast food with us so we could have a slow start to the morning, but there are some spots recommended for breakfast.

Breakfast:

We went with Barrels and Bridges Tours based on a Google search and our driver Karen was AMAZING. She took a bunch of photos for us and had a bunch of great tips and knowledge of the area. We reserved our tour far in advance (3-4 months) and leading up to our pickup date we paid our final balance and shared our pickup location address. The bus picked us up and dropped us back off at our Airbnb which was SO convenient!

You can pick up to 5 wineries to visit, depending on your location and where the spots you pick are in proximity to each other. We ended up getting to visit four locations on our tour.

We started at Cask 307 as it was one of the few that opens at 11am (vs 12pm). This spot was busy because everyone seemed to have the same idea to start here, but their staff handled the volume well. They have a newer outdoor space with lots of eating and I enjoyed my wine choice. They do also have cocktails! They were not offering flights when we arrived.

Next, we headed to Hundley Cellars which our tour guide said was her personal favorite. They have a massive outdoor space with lots of grass for you to spread out. They offer flights and it was fun to get to try a larger selection but these wines were not my favorite of the tour. They had awesome snack options and we ordered a few to share for the table. They do not have cocktails here.

Our third stop was Stonegait, and our tour guide ordered us pizzas ahead of time based on our selection. It was the perfect spot to grab food and enjoy a seat outside on their covered patio. The bonus being the pizza was ready right when we got there! I really enjoyed my wine here, and they too have cocktails.

Our last stop was Laurentia, which definitely stands out among the rest. If they get too busy they will refuse tour groups, but we were lucky that they were still accepting guests when we arrived. The vibe is a bit more elevated here, and more reminiscent of Napa. They had a delicious selection of appetizers here and a HUGE outdoor space to spread out in. They assign tables when you walk in. I loved my wine here, so much so that I brought two bottles home.

All of the stops have you order right when you walk in, and then you head to seating, so it pays to be prepared and think about what you want at each location ahead of time.

On the bus, we could have snacks and wine/beer to sip in between our stops. We picked locations that were pretty close together so we didn’t really feel a need to drink in between. The snacks were clutch though!

We decided to go out for dinner after, but I would honestly not recommend where we went…. so pick your own spot! After dinner, we headed over to Karaoke at High Tide Tavern and it was SO much fun! Highly recommend ending your night here.

Day Trip Experience

We teamed up with a local shuttle company @platinumpartybus, to take a day trip to Geneva from our house in Lakewood. Our friends joined us at our house and we headed out to arrive in Geneva at our first planned stop around 11 am.

Stop 1: Laurello Vineyards

Laurello Vineyards is a family-owned boutique winery, and we were lucky enough to meet two of the owners during our visit. We enjoyed flights of wine & delicious food on the back patio. It’s shaded from the sun and offers ample outdoor seating. Laurello’s has music on the weekends from February through December. AND their patio is dog-friendly!

Stop 2: Ferrante Winery

We were lucky enough to meet one of the owners on our visit to @ferrantewinery! Mary Jo led a tasting for us and their Riesling is SO good the whole group took a bottle home. We will not be back in the area without a visit to Ferrante and it should absolutely be on your list. The outdoor space is spacious and the Ferrante sign is a great picture opportunity.

Stop 3: Baci

Our group loved our time @baciwinery!! We grabbed a bottle of a few of their favorites to share and loved the pizza. They have an awesome outdoor patio with plenty of space for live music.

Stop 4: Laurentia

I love the wine at Laurentia so it’s hard not to recommend but it stands out among the rest. We’ve heard that if they get too busy they will refuse tour groups, but we were lucky that they were still accepting guests when we arrived. The vibe is a bit more elevated here, and more reminiscent of Napa. They had a delicious selection of appetizers here and a HUGE outdoor space to spread out in. They assign tables when you walk in so you have to be ready to order pretty quickly.

Couples Trip Experience

Where we stayed: Two Front Doors Vacation Rental (use code TCBL10 for 10% off when you book now through 12/31/24)

Our Itinerary:

Friday:

  • Check-in at 10am (we requested an early check-in so we could get some work done while we waited for the rest of our group to arrive)

  • Drew and I went to Ferrante to preview their Spring Sparkling Bubbly Tour

Dinner:

  • Vincent William, newly opened this year

    • They have a bar to grab a drink before dinner

    • Will be opening as a B&B later this spring

    • Great dinner choice

Saturday:

  • We brought food to cook breakfast for the group in our house and then we elected to add the mimosa bar cart to our reservation so we could make some before getting on our winery tour bus

  • We booked a tour with Barrel’s and Bridges (my favorite company in the area). They pick you up RIGHT at your front door when you stay in the area and transport you safely to up to 4 wineries of your choice.

  • We went during the Ice Wine Trail so we picked our stops based on who was participating! We spend about an hour at each location, but you can be a little bit flexible. If you want to leave early or stay later your driver is great at making the changes. Below is our itinerary, we started at 11am:

  • We only had one night available for us, so we headed back to Cleveland after stopping for some coffee and light bites, but if we were staying another night (which I recommend), we would’ve done dinner at one of the following:

Here is an overview of all of the wineries you can choose from on the tour, any wineries with a star are recommended by The Cleveland Bucket List.

Haley

Haley has always loved reviewing locations and being in the know about the best neighborhoods, restaurants, and events. This passion fuels each guide and article she creates for Our Great Bucket List. She hopes you enjoy her stories and guides and get inspired to create an adventure of your own!

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