MANSFIELD, Ohio – For those celebrating the Christmas holiday, the season wouldn’t be complete without a tree – the center of all Christmas festivities. In Richland County and the surrounding areas, there is no shortage of options to find the perfect evergreen.
The Christmas season at Kleerview Farm will officially begin on Nov. 27, nestled in the Clear Fork Valley for the past 34 years.
The farm offers other holiday attractions for the entire Christmas experience, including a 130-year old “Christmas House” fully decorated for the season, and Santa’s Barnyard Express where children can visit calves, horses, pigs and other animals. And of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without reindeer Blitzen, Noel and Belle.
Kleerview offers a variety of evergreens, including Blue Spruce, Scotch Pine, Fraser Fir, and White Pine, all of varying needle lengths and strengths. The farm also offers two new types of trees this year, Concolor Firs and Buckeye Frosted Trees.
Pricing varies based on height and type of tree; Kleerview will shake, net and load the tree. Guests have the option of cutting their own tree if they wish.
Kleerview Farms is located at 2454 Baughman Road in Bellville and is open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
Liberty Lawncare and Gardens on state Route 13, just south of the city limits, opened up their doors for business during the holiday season two years ago to sell Fraser fir trees and poinsettias.
The trees, according to owner Isaac Freeman, are bought from Carpenters Christmas Trees in Knox County and range from $30 to $65 depending on size. The poinsettias, which range from plain, red to ‘Jingle Bells’ varieties are available for five dollars to $20.
Liberty Lawncare and Gardens is open Monday through Friday from 12 to 6 p.m. Saturdays, they open up from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. They are located on 5822 State Route 13 in Bellville.
One of Ohio’s oldest and largest Christmas tree farms, Pine Tree Barn is a popular destination for tree seekers.
There are two locations available for choose-and-cut trees. The original Pine Tree farmstead has more than 60 acres of trees to choose from after a horse-drawn wagon ride onto the property, or a 4,000 square-foot barn of fresh-cut trees to choose from. The location also hosts the historic 25,000 square-foot barn for gourmet lunch, Christmas decorations and a boutique.
For those looking for just a tree without the fuss of wagon rides or shops, just down the road is the Valley Road Farm with choose-and-cut trees only. The Valley Road Tree Farm fields are only open on weekends through the third weekend of December.
Trees available at Pine Tree Barn include Fraser Fir, Blue Spruce, Canaan Fir and White Pine. Bowsaws and tree carts are available on a first-come, first-served basis for cutting your own tree, and shaking and baling your tree is done free of charge.
Pine Tree Barn is located at 4374 Shreve Road in Wooster. The main Christmas tree farm is open seven days a week, with choose-and-cut hours from 9 a.m. until dusk.
Just outside Richland County sits Sugargrove Tree Farm, recognized by the state of Ohio as a Century Farm with a heritage dating back to 1823.
Family fun at Sugargrove starts with a wagon ride into the Christmas tree fields, and once a tree has been selected and cut with a provided saw, a driver will pick up your family and tree to make the return to the barn. Horse-drawn wagon rides will be available on Nov. 27, 28 and 29, and Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13. Hot chocolate and cookies can be enjoyed in the heated barn while your tree is shaken and baled.
Sugargrove grows four species of Christmas trees – White Pine, Blue Spruce, Fraser Fir and Canaan Fir. Prices vary from $29 to $89 depending on the size and species of tree. Pre-cut trees are also available, as well as live trees for planting.
Sugargrove also participates in “Trees for Troops” as part of the Christmas Spirit Foundation that provides Christmas trees for military families. During Trees for Troops weekend on Dec. 5 and 6, guests can sponsor a tree for a military family for $25.
Sugargrove Tree Farm opens their Christmas season on Nov. 27 and will close for business on Dec. 19. The farm is open Friday, Nov. 27, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are located at 1619 Township Road 1455 in Ashland.
In addition to Christmas trees, the most exciting attraction at Wade Gardens is their unique Christmas gift shop.
Throughout the holiday season, the gift shop at Wade Gardens is filled with holiday decorations and gifts, often locally-made Ohio products.
Santa Claus himself will make an appearance at the shop on Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wade Gardens Landscaping, Garden Center & Gift Shop is located at 3360 Possum Run Road in Mansfield. They will be open for holiday hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Currently in its 87th year, Wade & Gatton Nurseries offers a number of chances to pick and cut your own Christmas tree.
Wade & Gatton will provide visitors with their own hand saw and allows visitors to drive through the field to select and cut down their own trees. Twine is available to tie the tree onto your vehicle, with assistance provided if needed.
Christmas trees available include Scotch Pine, White Pine, Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Concolor Fir, White Spruce, and Colorado Green and Blue Spruce.
The nursery also offers three types of live “balled and burlapped” Christmas trees for planting, Serbian Spruce, Norway Spruce and Eastern White Pine.
For those wanting a freshly cut tree, Wade & Gatton has two local lots with fresh cut trees individually priced. Hours on the lots are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and located at 1296 Lexington Avenue in Mansfield, and 2139 Stumbo Road in Ontario.
Wade & Gatton Nurseries’ “cut your own tree” locations are at 1288 Gatton Rocks Road in Bellville, and Wade Christmas Tree Farm at 6715 Garber Road in Bellville.
