Great Lakes Options (1)

A Culinary Delight

There are innovative gastronomic experiences to be had a little closer to home. Take the Student Café in Chesterland, where the public can taste the literal fruits of advanced culinary arts students’labor during a five-course luncheon. The café is run entirely by the student chefs of The International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute, who do everything from write the menus to serve the food (and, of course, cook it). Customers get a say in whether the students make the grade — diners are asked to fill out an evaluation after their meal. Come November, the Café will move to the school’s new 12,000-square-foot pad. The lunches are served at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. selected Saturdays through December and cost $15. Reservations are recommended; call (440) 729-1110 or visit www.icasi.net for more information.

An Eerie Walk

Victoria King Heinsen, co-owner of The Marshall Inn bed and breakfast in Port Clinton, has been leading tourists on “supernatural” evening strolls for the past four years. While contact with spirits isn’t guaranteed on Heinsen’s ghost walks, strange occurrences such as rocking boats and flickering candles on windless evenings are known to happen. “Twilight is the most fun because that’s when they [spirits] are out,” Heinsen says. Her one-hour tours give the historical, romantic and spiritual background of spots around town, including the courthouse, coffee shop and Lake Erie Triangle. Tours convene at the BandB at twilight until Oct. 31 or by appointment. The cost is $5 apiece for guests of the inn or groups of 10 or more, and $6 for the general public. For more information, call (877) 376-5531 or (419) 734-2707.

What a Shocker

The spirit of a past curator is lurking in the shadows of the underground galleries inside the Cincinnati Museum Center. At least, until Halloween. To celebrate the thrills and chills of the spooky season, the museum is hosting Shocktober. “Frightening hour” tours, held until 10 p.m. every evening except Sundays, feature the unsettling true story of the life of Joseph Dorfeuille, a museum curator who was famous in Cincinnati during the 1820s for his exhibits "Chamber of Horrors" and "Infernal Regions." For the little ones who aren’t quite ready for a haunting experience, Shocktober offers “friendly hours” during the day when kids can participate in a number of hands-on activities with a Halloween theme. Tickets are $10.50 for general admission, $7.50 for kids. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (513) 287-7000 or visit www.cincymuseum.org.