Mansfield Reformatory

Something that I really wanted to do this year was visit the Mansfield Reformatory. Mansfield isn't too far from me, about an hour away, so it was insane that I hadn't visited it sooner!

I think a large fraction of people visit because this is where parts of the film The Shawshank Redemption was filmed, I know that was a big reason my mother wanted to tag along! But I wanted to go for different reasons, I love abandoned places, especially when they have a lot of history and haunting lore and I could just imagine what a great photo op it would be.

The cells were incredibly small, I can't imagine having one person living in there, let alone two.

The Reformatory opened it's doors in September 1896. They eventually closed them on December 31, 1990 due to overcrowding and inhumane conditions. It housed over 155,000 men in it's time! Can you imagine walking through this area while it's filled with prisoners? It's so weird when you explore an abandoned place and try to imagine it as it once was, new and finished and full of life.

While exploring you would occasionally come upon a random chair sitting in the middle of a room or off to the side. For some reason this seemed very eerie to me.

A cathedral stood at the top of the reformatory. All of the pews and decorations were strewn all over the place but this piece was somehow still in tact for the most part.

Right outside of the reformatory was this beautiful lake. I remember this day was particularly very hot and all I wanted to do was jump in and go swimming.


The Mansfield Reformatory is open for tours throughout the spring and summer. You can take guided or self guided tours, I picked the latter. I preferred to explore on my own and at my own pace. You can also schedule an event to stay overnight at the reformatory, which I think would be incredibly interesting and I would love to do it, but definitely not alone.

During October they have a haunt, which I've never been to, but wouldn't mind checking out!

If you're ever in the area, it's definitely worth a stop. A place with so much history should be experienced, whether you're there since you're a fan of the movie, paranormal, or just enjoy exploring.

Honey Run Falls

The past few months I have been making a short list of places I want to visit in Ohio before I move. I have a couple places and surprisingly, they are all within an hour from where I live. It seems so odd to me that I have lived in this state for 19 years and have never really explored a lot of the neat places close by.

One of those places was Honey Run Falls. It wasn't a "must visit" place but I figured since it was close by I might as well check it out while I have the chance! I had heard about the waterfall there and had been wanting to see it for awhile!

There were lots of children swimming and playing around the waterfall so I really couldn't get many photos, which was unfortunate. But I'm hoping to go back when it gets a little bit cooler out so I can take more photos at different angles. Regardless, it was a nice little water fall and would be a really relaxing spot to spend the afternoon.

We came upon this little cave that seemed like a really cool little spot. It did smell like something had died in there though, so we didn't really venture much further.

At the end of the short trail you come upon this river. It was really peaceful except for all of the mosquitoes! For some reason I seem to be particularly tasty to those awful things because whenever I try to do something outside in the morning or evening they attack me! I came back from this short trip covered in bites but it was worth it. I do wish the area was bigger and that they had more trails to explore, I have so much fun walking around the woods!

I was also kind of disappointed that I didn't see much wildlife. I saw a couple dragonflies, but I was waiting for a turtle or something!

Honey Run was a really nice little park that I would definitely like to visit again! It's a short drive and I bet it would be completely gorgeous once all of the leaves start to change in the fall.

New Orleans | February 2015

A few weeks ago I got the chance to take a road trip with my closest friends to New Orleans! We all had never been and were so eager to experience a place unlike any other. 

We decided to drive down and we unfortunately got stuck right in the middle of a terrible snow storm in Kentucky. It took us 16 hours to drive to Louisiana! But we finally made it!

We had our own balcony and had a beautiful view of the city. We didn't get to New Orleans until about 8pm so we didn't explore much the first night. 

We had a very lovely meal at a beautiful restaurant known as Emeril's, yes it is one of Chef Emeril's locations, it was very beautiful and everyone was very kind! 

New Orleans during the afternoon

We got there on the last day of Mardi Gras, otherwise known as "Fat Tuesday". We only went to one of the parades but it was such a cool experience! It was so surreal to think that you're actually experiencing the REAL Mardi Gras. Everyone was dressed up and beads, stuffed animals, umbrellas and other items were being thrown into the crowd. 

How cool is this Alien float? It was probably my favorite!

We headed down to the French Quarter to explore and do some shopping. The whole area was so cute and artistic. There were so many cute and interesting shops as well. 

A very popular brand I saw nearly everywhere I went was "Slap Ya Mama" which I found quite comical.

There were horse drawn carriages all over the streets. It made me pretty sad for the horses, honestly. It was a weird thing to see though, we don't have those roaming around the cities back in Ohio.

It was so cool to see people just singing and playing instruments on the sides of the street. There was also performers, like the Statue Man, who I didn't get a photo of unfortunately.

This absolutely beautiful church I found looked like a castle and was sitting in the prettiest square/park. If I lived here I would come here every day to sit under the trees and relax, it was gorgeous here. 

We stumbled upon this woman named Aamara who gave palm readings. I got my palms read for the first time and it was such a cool and unique experience! I don't know if I 100% believed everything, but I think it was worth it just for the experience. I've always been afraid to get one of these but she had nothing but positive things to say, which true or false, is still a great motivator. 

We stopped at this gorgeous little restaurant and had absolutely amazing food! I tried crawfish and feta crepes and it was SO delicious. Definitely my favorite meal I had down there. 

My dessert was creme brulee and it was also the first time I had that as well and it was super yummy! 

We were only down there for about 2 1/2 days but it was so gorgeous and I wish we could have stayed longer! It was such an amazing experience and I definitely want to visit again! New Orleans is filled with so much culture and the kindest people, I miss it already!