Cleveland's Redeveloped Suburb On The Chagrin River Has Trails, Shops, And Restaurants Galore

Cleveland, or The Forest City, as it is affectionately nicknamed, is the most budget-friendly big city in America. If you venture outside of Cleveland's city limits, you'll find flourishing suburbs like the city of Willoughby on the Chagrin River, which offers visitors the chance to hike, shop, and dine on fantastic fare.

Willoughby is about 20 miles northeast of Cleveland and is, interestingly enough, the only city in the state that has been part of six different counties. Today, it is home to just over 24,000 people. The Chagrin River is a centerpiece of Willoughby, flowing 50 miles through northeast Ohio and into Lake Erie.

One of the best ways to explore a piece of Willoughby is by going for a hike. The Chagrin River Park — located a mere 5 minutes away from Willoughby proper — has an easy 3-mile loop trail providing picturesque views of the Chagrin River and the surrounding woods. Blue herons and kingfishers have been sighted from the trail. Another park worth visiting in the area is Gully Brook Park. Built in 1916, the park takes visitors down a 1.4-mile trail that showcases streams and forests, with birdsong for company. 

Willoughby is a growing suburb, with local boutiques, outdoor recreation, and new luxury apartments with state-of-the-art amenities including a dog park and a river walk trail. The City of Willoughby is working on redevelopment plans for two of its parks at the time of this writing. The Osborne Park Reimagination and Shoreline Protection Project is designed to give the city's Lake Erie shoreline a facelift, while a second project aims to connect two parks on the Chagrin River, Todd Field and Daniels Park.

Shopping options begin with a stop on your drive to Willoughby from Cleveland. Check out The Arcade, one of America's first indoor shopping centers, built in 1890 and nicknamed "The Crystal Palace." It houses a spa, restaurants, and The Library Shop, a project of the Cleveland Public Library to spotlight local entrepreneurs. Once in Willoughby, visit Blue Lake Botanicals on Euclid Avenue, which sells small-batch wellness products crafted with a focus on high-quality ingredients and sustainability. Their products include tea, candles, incense, and a variety of vinegars. 

There's also Finestra Gallery for trendy and hand-crafted jewelry, pottery, wall art, and glassware. Their products make great gifts, with one reviewer on Google writing, "Skip Amazon the next time you need a gift and spend a few minutes browsing their wide variety of wonderful products. Three of us were shopping and each found the perfect gift for someone — graduation, anniversary and birthday." Downtown Willoughby is also home to the Enchanted Grove, which specializes in New Age products including incense, candles, jewelry, and clothing. They also offer in-house psychic readings. 

Willoughby has plenty to offer as far as eateries go. Hook & Hoof specializes in serving elevated American fare using the finest, freshest local ingredients, with menu highlights including smoked mussels, French onion soup, heritage pork chop, and strip steak. 

Another Willoughby favorite is The Wild Goose. They're known best for their stone-oven pizzas, but they also serve up dishes like stone-oven quesadillas, pepperoni chips, buffalo chicken wraps, and Irish potato soup. It's not just the food customers love at The Wild Goose but also the general atmosphere, with one diner on Google writing, "The Pizza is amazing! The music is great! They had a ton of screens to watch all the football."

Driving to Willoughby from Cleveland will take you about 30 minutes, and using public transportation will take about an hour. Hotel options in the area include the Red Roof Inn, priced under $70 at the time of writing, or the restored historic landmark the Willoughby House. If you'd like to explore more of the area, check out Berea, an artsy college city with trails and kayaking about 30 minutes southwest of Cleveland.