Oh, the places we will go!
Travel tops the list for the majority of seniors, and yes, this includes the aging baby boomer generation. Most opt for educational trips and the ambience of beautiful landscapes and countryside. Comfort usually trumps money (although comfort can be found in thrifty ways). Sixty percent of senior citizens would rather stay in a condo than a motel, and 68 percent would rather stay in a hotel than with family.
Some seniors dream of traveling, but hold themselves back due to: lack of a travel companion, fear of not being able to physically keep-up and affordability. At the Westlake Center for Community Services, we have solutions for all of these obstacles and can help make your travel dreams come true!
Every year we offer a variety of trips including day trips, mini trips and extended cross-country travel. Our Hyways and Byways edition to our newsletter will be available at the end of this month, detailing this year's offerings. In the meantime, allow me to tempt you with some very local day trip offerings. The beauty of the day trip is having the feeling and experience of really "getting away" without having to pack a suitcase. It's like dangling your toes in the swimming pool of travel!
HISTORIC HOUSES OF WORSHIP
Thursday, April 6. Departs 8:15 a.m., returns approximately 5:30 p.m. Cost: $59. Come explore the amazing religious heritage of the Greater Cleveland area, without worrying about driving and parking! The guided tour begins at the historic Lakeview Cemetery and includes visits to several churches and cathedrals of architectural and historical interest. No one ever goes hungry on these tours, which includes a delicious home-cooked lunch at Sokolowski's University Inn.
BEER TASTING TOUR OF CLEVELAND
Tuesday, May 2. Departs 10 a.m., returns approximately 5 p.m. Cost: $69. Here is your chance to enjoy a unique tasting tour to sample different beers of Cleveland's own micro-breweries, currently enjoying a renaissance. At each brewery we will enjoy a presentation on how barley, malt, hops and water are transformed into liquid gold! We will sample these beverages (4.75 oz.) to become knowledgeable about the amazing taste that fresh, craft beer provides. A brewery tour at the new Palace of Fermentation will kick off the day followed by lunch at the Market Garden Cafe. After lunch we visit the Brick and Barrel in the Flats and end up at Portside Brewery and Distillery. Please note that this is NOT a pub crawl, but a fun and educational experience!
LUNCH AND A MUSICAL
Tuesday, May 16. Departs at 10:30 a.m., returns approximately 4 p.m.. Cost: $79. The musical "Forever Plaid" begins one stormy night in the 1960s, when four eager singers known as The Plaids meet their untimely end on the way to their first big gig. In 2017, this quartet of comic crooners get one last chance to return from the afterlife to do the show that they never got to perform. Enjoy this playful, unforgettable show presented in the historic Hanna Theatre. You may find yourself rolling in the aisles and humming along to the great nostalgic pop hits of the 1950s. You will also enjoy a delectable lunch at Windows on the River prior to the show.
These are all professionally led JKL bus tours. If you don't have a travel companion, let us know and we will introduce you to some folks. You will have more than enough travel companions before you know it. For more information, contact us at 440-899-3544 or stop in and say hello at 29160 Center Ridge Road. Check out our newsletter on the Westlake Community Services website at www.cityofwestlake.org/157/Community-Services. You can also find the Hyways and Byways Travel Brochure by visiting www.cityofwestlake.org/160/Hyways-Byways.
Lydia Gadd
I am the Director of the Community Services Department for the City of Westlake. I am also a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor.