Ask me about Medina and I’ll talk up the train. The Medina Railroad Museum has popular rides with Thomas the Tank Engine, to travel through colorful foliage and visit Santa. My previous trips followed a formula: Browse the museum, take the train and head home.
Had I walked a few minutes from the depot, I would have discovered a reason to return to Medina regularly: a quintessential small-town Main Street. The pedestrian-friendly area is one-stop shopping with an unexpected variety of stores to buy clothes, gifts, furniture, appliances and art, plus places to eat.
You can buy flowers at Creekside Floral & Design, sweets at Della’s Chocolates, wine at Main Liquor Store, cigars at Vintage Cigars and gifts inside Rosenkrans Pharmacy & Gift Shop (opened in 1937). American Craftsmen Gallery sells handmade art and pottery and Downtown Browsery has more than 70 vendors. Daniel’s Men’s Apparel and A Lily & A Sparrow are clothing boutiques.
People are also reading…
The Author’s Note bookstore at a book launch event for its owner, author Julie Berry.
I was enamored with Author’s Note, an indie bookstore with a selection that rivals larger retailers. (It had seven versions of “Wuthering Heights,” none of which I have in my collection.) There are gifts, games, art supplies and a sizeable selection for kids which makes sense since owner Julie Berry is a best-selling children’s author who returned home to buy the bookstore in 2021.
Dim lights, soft music and the aroma of tea set a calm mood inside The English Rose Tea Shoppe. Browse jars of loose tea (I lost count at 150 varieties), colorful tea pots and accessories, bedding and kitchenware. Herbalty Cottage is another serene stop where owner Bonnie Heck, a certified herbalist, will talk you through organic spices, herbs, Himalayan salts, olive oil and vinegar.
Two hours of leisurely walking built up my appetite. My nephew said the cheeseburgers (my favorite food) would not disappoint at Zambistro, known for its upscale menu by chef/owner Michael Zambito. He was right. The burger was delicious, and the white tablecloth experience was great—even my side of mustard came on a china plate with a doily.
I won’t hesitate to make the 45-drive to Medina just for Zambistro’s cheeseburger, to revisit Author’s Note and buy my new favorite chocolate chip cookies at Hans’s Bakery on Main. But I also plan to bring friends for a day of shopping and eating. And perhaps a train ride, too.
If you go
Main Street’s architecture is built with Medina sandstone, also used for the Brooklyn Bridge and Buckingham Palace. Learn more in the Medina Sandstone Hall of Fame.
The Visitor Center, in a pocket park on the corner of Main and Center streets, looks like a tiny storybook house. In warmer months, volunteers have brochures and souvenirs. Behind the shops, you can walk along part of the Erie Canal.
Believe it or not
Medina has two landmarks recognized by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The Church in the Middle of the Street: St. John’s Episcopal, erected in 1832, nearly had to be moved during the village expansion. Instead, planners wrapped a new road around the church, leading to this nickname from Ripley’s.
The Medina Culvert: This is the only place you can drive (or walk) under the Erie Canal. Constructed in 1832, the stone arch—called the eighth wonder of the world in the 19th century—creates a short, atmospheric tunnel. Perennially damp, the culvert has large icicles hanging from the ceiling in winter. Ripley’s considers it an “engineering marvel.”
