A few years ago, my family and I spent a perfect Saturday in Cook Forest and I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and share why this is one place you should add to your “must visit list” this upcoming Fall season. After we took this initial trip, we have found our way back almost every year since.
I do some freelance work for the lovely Clarion River Suites in Cook Forest and my family joined my husband and our (one son at the time, now we have two) to the forest.
The drive there was nothing short of breathtaking. If you are looking for orange, red and yellow trees galore, this drive provides them all. We went in October, and the year we went, fall foliage was peaking. You can Google charts and maps to give you an idea of the best times to see colorful trees across our area.
The Suites sit on top of the world; at least it feels that way, right above the Clarion River and literally in the heart of Cook Forest. This is the deck where many people snap photos, as you can see in the next few shots, what lies behind you is just a blanket of color.
Soon it was time for lunch, so we headed close by to Iron Mountain Grille and sure had our fill of pizza, salad, sandwiches, soup, and more! It was family-friendly with great prices. Photo below courtesy of their website.
There are many restaurant options in and around the forest no matter what type of fare you are craving.
After lunch, we decided to just drive along the road and see where it led. We found a craft fair going on that day and dodged the rain to check out local jewelry and other vendors.
Then we stumbled into this general store.
My sister ordered me an amazing candle online last year for Christmas, and low and behold, this store carried those very same candles. Of course, we had to purchase some of those and I suggest if you ever find these near you, buy one!
I adore the mason jar style, not only smells awesome, looks awesome, too.
Lining the outside of the store were mini pumpkins and my son was thrilled to pick one out. He carefully looked them over and then grabbed one, clutching it the entire rest of the trip. He brought it with him into every store and I think he would have slept with that thing if I let him. The fact that he picked it out himself and that it was just his size meant the world to him.
It really got us into that Fall/Halloween mood since it was still early in October.
We also stopped at the Pickle Barrel. Another cute shop with all sorts of gifts, and a lot of, you guessed it, pickle-themed novelties. We started to do some Christmas shopping for one another and sat outside on the rocking chairs just enjoying the beauty all around.
This was just our family day in the forest and every time we go back, we find new places to visit.
This is a great escape from the city or the suburbs and there’s plenty to do for singles, couples, or with the kids.
You can walk in the forest and climb up the Fire Tower, canoe down the Clarion River or ride a horse on a trail ride, to name just a few.
You can visit the Cook Forest website to explore all the fantastic things there are to do and see and to check out the many events happening year round!
