Ride to Ohio’s Mysterious Gravity Hill This Halloween

Ohio is full of weird places, and in some of them you can experience the weirdness firsthand. Mentor’s “Gravity Hill” is one of them.

Imagine stopping your car at the bottom of a hill, placing it in neutral, and then sitting back as your car rolls UP the hill, hits the crest, and down the other side.

Sounds impossible, right? Like something that can only exist in your imagination?

Turns out you don’t need to imagine it. You just need to take a short drive to King Memorial Road in Mentor.

We know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. In fact, Mentor’s infamous “Gravity Hill” is one of many dotting the American landscape.

To find this one, you’ll want to go to King Memorial Road in Kirtland Hills. Find the intersection of Little Mountain Road, then go about 100 yards past it. That’s where the magic happens. Pop the car in neutral – though be aware that local police discourage people from doing this – take your foot off the brake, and wait as your car begins rolling UPHILL.

It’s kind of unnerving. And yes, it’s a real thing.

How does it happen? Most say it’s nothing more than an optical illusion. By all appearances you are sitting on an uphill incline, but in fact you’re actually on a downhill slope.

Sit in your car in front of this “hill,” though, and you’ll be all but certain that you are facing an uphill slope. As you roll, the feeling that you’re rolling uphill is unmistakable, but it’s just a trick of the eyes.

One thing that sets Mentor’s Gravity Hill apart from others in the country is that there are no scary myths about tragic car accidents and fiery wrecks attached to the hill.

Most other “gravity hill” locations come with local legends about flaming school buses and families caught in terrible wrecks, but not King Memorial Road. It’s just a weird bit of local oddness.

So needless to say, if you like weird stuff in Ohio, this is a road trip you’ve got to take, and on or around Halloween seems like the perfect time to do it.

Just one thing that is important to clarify first: stopping in the middle of the road is dangerous and can cause accidents. The hill is a cool curiosity, but don’t be irresponsible. People can get hurt. And understand that the local police probably don’t want you doing this, either.

4 Creepy Cleveland Crimes to Recount For Halloween

Cleveland has some chilling, often creepy historical murders that not everyone knows about, or at least they don't know that they happened in our city.

October 31st being Halloween, right now seems the perfect time to dip a toe back into these unsettling cases...

The Franklin Castle Murders and Haunting

Franklin Castle, which you can see in Cleveland’s Ohio City at 4308 Franklin Boulevard, is often called Ohio’s most haunted house – and that should come as little surprise, considering four children died there in just a few short years in the 1890s.

We should first point out that Hannes and Luise Tiedemann, the parents of those ill-fated children, were never charged with killing their kids.

That did not stop the rumors from running rampant, though, especially when three of them died three years in a row. Afterwards, the Tiedemanns began adding gargoyles and turrets to the home, supposedly constructed secret passages, and generally turned it into Weirdsville. Neither parent lived much longer, though.

The house was sold in 1895, and over the decades many owners have tried to turn it into a home, only to move out shortly thereafter.

The Torso Murders

In the 1930s, a maniac sometimes called the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run tormented Cleveland by chopping up at least a dozen of the city’s residents.

And we do mean chopping up. All the victims were decapitated. Many were cut completely in half. Males were castrated.

Yes, it was a messy business, so messy that the famous Eliot Ness, the man who took down Al Capone, came to Cleveland to help with the investigation.

The killer, alas, was never caught. Maybe that reclusive old guy down the street has a dark past …

The Real Life Fugitive

Remember that awesome movie where Harrison Ford jumps off a dam while Tommy Lee Jones looks on in frustration?

Well, turns out it and the show it was adapted from was loosely based on the story of Dr. Sam Sheppard, a Cleveland surgeon wrongly convicted of killing his wife.

The real killer was (probably) Richard Eberling, Sheppard’s handyman and a killer convicted of another murder (Ethel May Durkin) and suspected in several others.

Most of the evidence against Eberling didn’t begin to surface until late in life, however, and when he died at 68, the cases he was tied to were unofficially closed.

John O’Mic, Cleveland’s First Execution

Native Americans in Ohio sided with the British during the War of 1812 in part because of the hanging of John O’Mic.

O’Mic was part of the Massasauga band of Chippewas, and in April 1812 he was accused of murdering two trappers, Buel and Gibbs. O’Mic became the first Cuyahoga County man found guilty of murder and was hanged in Cleveland’s Public Square before a crowd of excited onlookers – but not before causing a big scene and demanding to be given whiskey before his hanging.

His executioners obliged. He got his whiskey. And then he was hanged.

On that note...Happy Halloween!

5 Totally Different Music Acts to See This Fall in Cleveland

Music and Cleveland go hand-in-hand, and if you've ever encountered our insurance agency, you know we’ve got a lot for music lovers.

Part of being a fully-rounded music lover is exposing yourself to as many different genres as possible.

Well, this autumn there will be lots of opportunities for music lovers to get out and see an array of great, musically diverse shows. There are too many to list, but we’ve selected five of the big ones for you, in case you want to explore or expand your tastes.

Matchbox Twenty & Counting Crows – Sept. 20, Blossom Music Center

This double feature of soulful bands from the ‘90s and ‘00s is going to be so packed full of fantastic radio hits you probably won’t stop singing all night.

Either one of these bands could be worth a trip on their own, but both of them playing together? That’s a show worth getting out for.

Olivia Newton-John – Nov. 12, Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park

She still sounds great after all these years. From Grease to her big #1 hits, she’s going to put on an all-star show of favorites that both old fans and new fans alike will enjoy.

This is sure to be a fun show that is going to bring back great memories of our youth!

Jay-Z – Nov. 19, Quicken Loans Arena

Are there any hip-hop stars bigger than Jay-Z? Probably not. He’s sold over 100 million records, won 21 Grammys, and has had 14 records go to #1. That’s amazing!

Even more amazing is that he’s still doing it and doing it as well as he ever did. He’ll be hitting Cleveland in November. Are you going?

Joe Bonamassa – Nov. 25, Connor Palace - Playhouse Square Center

This modern blues legend has played with B.B. King, Stephen Stills, Eric Clapton, Foreigner, Buddy Guy, Steve Winwood, Derek Trucks and more – and he’s only 40 years old!

If you enjoy seeing what a blues great can do on the guitar, this is a show you won’t want to miss.

Katy Perry – Dec. 10, Quicken Loans Arena

She’s one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, and one of the most provocative. This fall she’s bringing her huge stage show to Cleveland.

No doubt the venue will be loaded with screaming fans waiting to hear Roar and California Gurls. She’s touring to support her newest album, Witness.

It’s a music town, so don’t be shy about getting out there and taking advantage of it. And don’t forget the smaller venues, too. There are dozens of shows coming up. (Check with Craig on Twitter for all the details you could ever want.) Guaranteed at least a few will interest you.