Rabbit Run Theater, housed in what once was a barn,   provides summer entertainment   in Madison Township.   Rabbit Run Theater in Madison is one of the only authentic U. S. barn theaters still up and running. Rabbit Run is located near the shores of Lake Erie where summer productions are performed in the 300-seat, fully equipped community theater. A children’s summer theater camp gives talented young folks a glimpse into the world of theater.

Around every corner in Lake County you will find a bit of history. Churches, country estates and cemeteries tell the stories of a community that has stood the test of time. Lake County is proud of its heritage. In areas like Old Mentor Village, with its tree-lined streets, brick sidewalks, and memorial rose garden, history stays alive as residents and visitors alike are able to enjoy an array of specialty shops and fine dining, in some of the very buildings that formed its history.

The Lake County History Center in Kirtland Hills has the history of Lake County stored within its walls. Shadybrook House, once the summer home of the Arthur D. Baldwin family, is full of history itself. The 15-acre, turn-of-the-century, estate museum perched atop a bluff has a view of Lake Erie and the Cleveland skyline on a clear day. Visitors can take hands-on heritage tours, picnic on the grounds and hike the walking trails. It now serves as museum, research library and headquarters for the Lake County Historical Society and also is the site of many educational programs and special events.

The first Europeans to set foot in what is today’s Lake County were men of God, trappers and traders. Moses Cleaveland arrived in the area in 1796, leading a surveying party of 52 men. Cleaveland’s purpose was to determine the holdings of the Connecticut Land Company. The company paid $1.2 million for a rectangle of land 68 miles wide and 120 miles long. Called the Connecticut Western Reserve, the area spread across Northeast Ohio from the Pennsylvania border to Sandusky.

The first white settlement was established in Mentor Marsh by returning surveyor Charles Parker. Entrepreneurs began arriving and within a few years, mail and stage coach service was established. In 1805, a log cabin was built in Unionville, replaced in 1818 by the Old Tavern that exists today as The Phoenix Winery on 84. Joseph Rider built a log cabin inn five years later. Rider’s Inn is now a successful restaurant and bed and breakfast.

Years later, at the turn of the 20th century, Lake County became home to many wealthy Cleveland industrialists, including Harry C. Coulby, Fergus B. Squire and Frank Rockefeller, who built lavish mansions at the turn of the century. Many still remain, renovated and operated as conference and visitor centers or city halls.

The elegant Mooreland Mansion was home to Edward W. Moore, a banker who made his fortune in electric railroads and telephone distribution. Once a retreat for the wealthy, such as Polish Prime Minister Ignacy Paderewski and Eleanore Roosevelt, it is now a state-of-the-art conference center.

Time had taken its toll on the huge home and a decision had to be made to either demolish or restore it. Work began on the dilapidated mansion with a feasibility study in 1993. With assistance from The Cleveland Foundation, the college renovated the mansion while maintaining its historic integrity. Situated in Lakeland Community College's backyard, the manse is now on the National Register of Historical Places. The completed facility offers the relaxed atmosphere of an early 20th century summer home with the comforts and technology available today.

The stately Coulby Mansion now serves as Wickliffe City Hall. Set on a beautiful 54-acre estate, it once was home to millionaire businessman Harry C. Coulby and Wickliffe's first mayor.

Other famous landmarks include Lake Erie College’s Morley Mansion, Lake Metroparks Pine Ridge Country Club, the former Corrigan Estate; the Wildwood Estate in Mentor designed by Abraham Garfield; the former Skeggs Arabian horse farm, now home to Lake Metroparks Farmpark; and the Warren Corning Estate, Lantern Court, at Holden Arboretum.

Historic Kirtland, which opened in 2003, has been compared to a “Mormon Williamsburg-type development.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invested $12 million in renovations to complete the project.

The 25-acre site includes a 10,000-square-foot visitors’ center complete with a 120-seat theater; the Whitney Store, dedicated in 1984; the reconstructed John Johnson Inn, the first brick building in Kirtland; and the restored Newel K. Whitney Home, where the Latter-day Saint Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife Emma lived for a short time in early 1831.

This beautiful historic walking village also includes an ashery, a saw mill and a replica of Kirtland’s first frame schoolhouse, which was built in 1819.

The Kirtland Temple, operated by another denomination, the Community of Christ, is a National Historic Landmark a few hundred feet south on Route 306, just down the road from Historic Kirtland. Both sites are architectural wonders and a step into history sure to captivate both Mormons and non-Mormons alike.

Maritime history comes alive at the Fairport Lighthouse & Marine Museum, also a National Historic Site. The museum was founded in 1945 by the Fairport Harbor Historical Society, which is devoted to preserving and perpetuating the historic tradition of Fairport Harbor and the Great Lakes area.

The original lighthouse was completed in 1825. The tower stood 30 feet high, capped with an octagonal-shaped iron lantern. The lighthouse was accompanied by a two-story keeper's house. Due to deterioration, the tower and keeper's house had to be replaced. Rebuilt in 1871, the tower now stands 60 feet high and has a spiral staircase of 69 steps which leads to an observation platform.

The museum houses a number of artifacts maritime exhibits pertaining to life on the Great Lakes. The former pilothouse from the Great Lakes carrier, the "Frontenac," is attached to the museum.