Are you crazy? That was the oft-repeated question about the annual Mystery Trips I planned for my family for more than a decade. People didn’t question the trips as much as the timing because I always planned them about 10 days before Christmas.
Yes, before Christmas—right in the middle of all that rush and madness. But providing a much-needed counterpoint to the holiday frenzy was part of the strategy.
Getting outta Dodge and seeing how another city in another state celebrated the holidays was part of the lure of our Mystery excursions. I’m going to share a lot more about MTs in the months ahead, but to give you a little taste, let’s recreate a small part of our 2004 trip right here.
Everything about our annual Christmas trips was a mystery. But there’s no mystery in having a good time with family or friends. But you do have to be inventive. You have to look for ways to break the routine a bit. In other words, you have to invent travel opportunities—even if they’re only a day long. That’s what this day trip is about.
Start by making your way to I-69. Once you get there, head south to Auburn, IN, and follow the signs for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. This is truly a one-of-a-kind museum housing some of the most storied luxury motorcars of all time. Even better, the museum is housed in the original art deco showroom, which is itself a work of art worthy of inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Auburn is about 110 miles from here.
We left home early, spent about an hour and a half at the museum and then headed north and east about 35 miles to stop No.2. This was the Christmas Manor, a wonderful old (1874) Italianate mansion in Bryan, Ohio, displaying thousands of Christmas treasures for home and tree. If you like old houses, this is one you’ll remember.
Stop No. 3 was the Candy Cane Christmas Shop located another 25 miles or so down the road, just north of Archbold, OH. Located in a renovated school building, the shop features several theme rooms arranged around a Grand Christmas Room. There’s also a nook where you can take a break, get a cup of coffee or tea and sample cheesecake, ice cream and homemade fudge.
On the day we were there, it was cold and blustery. No snow to speak of, but the wind was flecked with specs of white. In our van I had the next surprise waiting—hot chocolate and Christmas cookies. No one but me knew we were headed for Columbus, and the treats were a welcome tide-me-over for our hours on the road.
That’s what we did in 2004. If you actually recreate this as a Christmas Day Trip, you can do anything you like at this point. You’re only a couple hours or so from home and it’s probably only mid-afternoon.
All the details:
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
1600 Wayne Street
Auburn, IN 46706
260/925-1444
Hours: 9-5 daily
Admission: Adults $8, Students $5 (Family and group rates available)
www.acdmuseum.org
Christmas Manor
317 West Butler Street
Bryan, OH 43506
419/636-3082
Hours: Call ahead or check site
www.christmasmanor.com
Candy Cane Christmas Shop
22897 U.S. Rt. 20-A
Archbold, OH 43502
419/445-5828
Hours: Call ahead or check site
www.candycanechristmas.com
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