Day Tripping: Cruising the Ohio

"BB RIVERBOATS Welcomes Carol Allin Party of 3----Captain's Lunch Cruise" is what is printed right there on the ticket stub. For about two years this notion of taking some family and making the jaunt down to the Newport Landing has been hovering like a plump summer bumblebee, vanishing in the winter, but returning with the change of season. This summer in particular it felt important to set aside some specific time with our second born, Toby. He'll be graduating from O.U. in another year and is already making plans to be anywhere other than Yellow Springs once he has matriculated.

With my husband Bruce's complicity we schemed to ambush Toby into spending several hours with us by announcing we wanted to take him to lunch at 'a special restaurant' in the Cincinnati area. Toby graciously checked his busy social calendar and was able to fit us in this past Tuesday, July 27. When I first broached the subject with Bruce, privately, he gave me one of his startled eye-widenings that was (per usual) accompanied by no comment what-so-ever. Having learned, over the years, to provide both sides of the conversation to this fairly typical response, I just went ahead and gave him our marching orders: Leave 9:30am in order to arrive by the 11:00am check-in time, cruise embarks at noon, and returns to dock by 2pm. And so the reservation was made.

It is possible to also book the 2-hour cruise without partaking of the buffet-style luncheon, but eating on board the riverboat while travelling the 3 miles upriver was most definitely a large part of the appeal. There are also night-time dinner cruises available, and they will book parties for special events, but the lunch cruise was perfect for an informal and low-key good time. The food was middle-of-the-road decent, American-style cuisine. Since we all skipped breakfast and decided to have a couple drinks prior to eating, the cruise got off to a jolly start. I was very grateful that the BB Riverboats were equipped with air-conditioned comfort in which to dine and escape the typical muggy weather, as well as the option to go out into the fresh air on the upper decks without being enclosed. Once we had eaten we were all eager to pop outside and lean on the railings and watch the watery sights go by.

In addition to the scenery of the Cincinnati skyline rolling past, there are many beautiful parks and natural areas on both sides of the river. One of the charming features of the day was our banjo-strumming narrator of the cruise, combining interesting tidbits of riverboating trivia, old-timey tunes, and a minimum of bad jokes. Perhaps it was the two glasses of wine on an empty stomach influencing my perceptions, but I thought he did a very nice job steering us along through the oral history. In fact, I can say with all honesty that the three of us did learn some new and interesting facts about our region's lore.

The final 10 or 15 minutes of the cruise offered passengers the option of coming back inside to play Bingo for prizes, if you liked. Bruce and I played, neither of us won, but it was fun watching a couple of the kids who did win get excited about stepping up to the prize basket to make their selections. Toby seemed to have had enough boat ride with Mom and Dad by then, especially when our tunester encouraged us all to whistle the theme from The Andy Griffith Show along with him. But hey, I'm a good whistler and by gar! I whistled. Just two hours on the Ohio River, and you'll be saying things like 'by gar!' in true river rat fashion too. Nautical attire not required.

By Carol Allin

Editor's note: There are some really cool things to do just short drives from our town. The Blog is interested in publishing pieces like this about day trips from YS, whether about upcoming events or your experiences on your visits. Please feel free to submit them by email. They will appear under the category "Day tripping" and will be tagged, so they can easily be recovered.

Day Tripping: Columbus Asian Market, the Micro Center and a few good places to eat

An Asian market and a computer store may seem like an unlikely combination for a day trip, but it makes sense to me. While Amy is shopping in the Columbus Asian Market (CAM) in the Bethel Centre on Bethel Road, just west of SR-315, north of Columbus, I kill time cruising the lanes of the Micro Center at the other end of the parking lot.

CAM is a large modern supermarket carrying a wide variety of Asian groceries, including fresh produce, meat and fish and canned and dry goods. If you can’t find it here, you probably can’t find it anywhere in the region. But, you might try the Sunrise Market a few miles away at Reed Road and W. Henderson Rd. in Upper Arlington, or one of the three smaller Asian grocery stores along North High St. between Lane and North Broadway, north of OSU.

The Micro Center is part of a small national chain of computer stores that has everything a computer buff could hope for, from mother boards and memory expansion modules to laptops, desktops, monitors and a wide variety of accessories. They have the cheapest prices I have found for flash drives. They sell them unpackaged like candy from large glass jars at the registers.

You are probably going to want to eat while you’re up here. In the same shopping plaza is the Hometown Deli, an odd name for a Chinese restaurant, but that’s what it is. Unassuming and inexpensive with good food, it’s a convenient place for lunch while shopping at CAM. Less convenient, but with more to offer for the educated palate are Sunflower on Sawmill Road, near the Columbus Zoo and Little Dragons on Morse Road, a couple miles East of I-71. Sunflower is the place to go for dim-sum. We also order from the considerable Cantonese menu. Little Dragons is my favorite Chinese restaurant in Ohio. I usually have the Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bau) and spicy frog legs. The menu is probably best described as Taiwanese. But, the spicy items, and there are lots of them on the menu, are right out of the Hunan and Szechuan provinces.

Sunflower and Little Dragons are a bit of a drive from CAM, in opposite directions. We usually eat first then make our way over to Bethel. If you are going directly to Sunflower, take I-270 toward Cleveland and get off at Sawmill. Turn left off the exit. The restaurant is just a quarter mile north on Sawmill on the right. For Little dragons, go toward Cleveland on I-71 and get off at the Morse Road exit. Make a right on Morse. The restaurant is in the Patio Shopping Plaza on the left about two miles east.

Day Tripping: The Air Force Museum

Now that the weather is starting to cooperate, it's probably time to start thinking about day trips again. One of the most overlooked attractions in our area is the Air Force Museum in Fairborn. Just a half-hour drive from Yellow Springs, one might not think of it as a day trip. But, even though it just takes a few minutes to get there, you better set aside a full day to tour this mammoth air and space attraction. Better yet, if you want to see everything and explore many of the exhibits in depth, since the walk will probably wear you out, you should probably do it in two half-days.

With original aircraft starting from the dawn of flight right up to modern day supersonic stealth planes, this museum rivals the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum in the nation's capitol.

We took our Thai exchange student to the museum.

Got visitors coming in from out of town? Don't know what to do with them? Looking for something unique to our area that will be sure to impress? Look no farther than the National Museum of the United States Air Force (official name). It's a national attraction right in our own backyard and admission is free. For more information, check their Website.

Got a day trip you'd like to tell us about. Write it up and send it to gunchpress@yahoo.com. Attach photos if you've got 'em.

Day Tripping – Columbus Pt. 2

The newly opened Grange Audubon Center (http://grange.audubon.org/) is located less than a half mile south of downtown Columbus on the banks of the Scioto River. I grew up in Columbus and can remember this place, literally, as a dump. Over the course of many years the area served as an incineration site, landfill, police impound lot, multiple warehouses, electrical substation, water treatment plant and the list goes on. It finally reached EPA brownfield status in 2002. Makes you want to jump in the car and get over there for a visit.

Today, the location is home to a beautiful, very green, Audubon nature and education center. Lots of work still to be done but its well worth a stop the next time you’re in Columbus to see how a much abused piece of land is being restored to protect native wildlife habitat. Free admission for now.


After visiting the Audubon Center we headed north on High Street to the Short North District – the hub of the Columbus art scene. Lots of places to visit in this area but our two stops on this trip were the North Market and Sherrie’s Art Gallarie.

The North Market (http://www.northmarket.com/) is an indoor, year round farmer’s market with a few other little shops mixed in just to keep it interesting. And, it’s always a good spot for mid-morning coffee. Our main reason to visit this time was Pastaria Seconda. They have a variety of fresh, hand made ravioli and accompanying sauces that freeze well and make super easy meals when unexpected company shows up – even I can prepare a meal with these ingredients – heat and serve. Allow at least 30 minutes to walk around and enjoy the sights and smells of the market. I don’t think you can visit this place without buying something.





While we’re talking about farmer’s markets, if you haven’t already heard the good news, the YS Methodist Church, starting in January, is going to host a winter farmer’s market with some of the same vendors you see in the summer. More information as details come available.

Next stop, Sherrie’s Gallerie (http://www.sherriegallerie.com/). A medium sized gallery on High Street with a constantly changing line up of artists that keeps us coming back. We’ve known Sherrie for a number of years and she a big fan of Yellow Springs. Two of our local artists (Alice Robrish and Michael Jones) currently have work in the gallery. Renee is the Assistant Director for the Gallerie and on the side, she’s skates in the Ohio Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby League – remember the movie “Whip It”. Be nice to Renee – she’s cool.


Parking is always a problem in the Short North District – there is a free lot behind Sherrie’s that most visitors won’t find – now you know.

From Sherrie’s or the North Market, it’s just a couple of blocks to I-670 and then its 50 minutes back to Yellow Springs. Our round trip was 4 hours – nice way to take a break from the daily routine – enjoy.

A. Reader

Related post: Day Tripping – Columbus Pt. 1

Day Tripping – Columbus Pt. 1

Every now and then, we run over to Columbus and just bum around – galleries, bookstores, some shopping and maybe lunch. Tuesday was just such a day – we voted early and decided to take a free day.

Fifty miles and 45 minutes later we’re at the Grandview Ave. exit on I-670. Turn right at the traffic light, go one mile north and you’re in front of Stauf’s - the best coffee shop that’s not in Yellow Springs. This is our standard starting point. A cup of coffee, something a little sweet and then plan the rest of the day. Stauf’s is always busy - people working on their laptops and Blackberries, just chatting and I suppose closing some big business deals. My travel partner bought her last laptop based on a series of observations on what was being used by the customers at Stauf’s – 3 times in a row, the Mac outnumbered the PC by 2 to 1. Interesting way to pick a computer – one of those things I know better than to question.

If you continue along Grandview Ave, you’ll find lots of restaurants, more coffee shops and also Jeni’s ice cream – worth the stop and they will gladly indulge you with a couple of free samples. Spagio’s, about two doors up from Stauf’s, is one of the many good places to have lunch in Columbus.

After coffee, we continue north a few blocks on Grandview Ave. and turn left on Fifth Ave. Almost immediately on the right is Acorn used books. Nice place, owner operated and packed, but well organized, with good reads. I like the place because they have so many entertaining posters and cartoons to read while “someone else” is deep in the back row trying to find an undiscovered rare book – so far, that’s never happened but it’s the search that’s fun, or so I’ve been told. And, they gave 10% discounts if you could show your “I voted today sticker” – nice touch. Wonder if we could promote that in the Village?

Leave the Acorn and continue on west for a few blocks. On the left side at 1165 W. Fifth you’ll find the Ohio Craft Museum (http://www.ohiocraft.org/museum.html). It doesn’t look like much from the outside but they manage to have 3 or 4 good shows each year. Right now they’re just closing out a contemporary quilt show that was very good and getting ready to open their annual holiday sale of handcrafted items from 50 artists around the country. In past year’s this was an excellent show and well worth a stop.

The day was going along fine but quickly went downhill. We hadn’t been to the Columbus Art Museum (which incidentally is free if you have a Dayton Art Museum membership) on E. Broad St. for several months. They were advertising a big Chihuly glass show. However, at least 75% of the museum is closed for a year of remodeling. The glass show was “ok”, Chihuly is not my favorite, but that’s it – not much else to see. My recommendation is to forget this stop until late 2010.

For some reason, the CMA stop got us off track and the day ended with a terrible lunch at Whole Foods (I was going for cheap) which I heard about most of the way home and again today. I suppose this means a trip to the Wind’s or Sunrise to make up for a not so great day trip. More on Columbus in a coming blogs….

A. Reader

Day Tripping follow up: Freshwater Farms Shrimp and Fish Festival

The Gunches made it up to Urbana on Saturday, but as anticipated, because Mona Gunch had to work at the Bank until 1:30, by the time they arrived all the freshwater Malaysian shrimp were gone, at least those that were to be sold for home consumption. All was not lost, however, as a fine little festival was underway with good food and music, and those Southeast Asian sweeties offered up both grilled and encrusted with coconut. Grilled trout, fried catfish and homemade potato chips washed down with crushed-berry lemonade were among the other treats offered. After lunch, they toured the premises, bought a couple pounds of live craw daddies and pet the sturgeon. To top off a lovely afternoon, Springer Holly Hudson was spotted in the crowd.

They will definitely be going back again next year. Mona thinks they should get up there the day before and camp out.

Related post: Day Tripping: Urbana & West Liberty

Day Tripping follow-up: The Mothman Festival

Admittedly, this is not for everyone. But since I'd been thinking about making a Mothman pilgrimage for sometime, Jean Payne's Day Tripping contribution was enough to tip me over the edge. It looks like the rain yesterday kept the crowds down. But somehow, I suspect there never are any crowds. The Mothman Museum ($3.00 for adults) and the Point Pleasant River Museum ($4.00 for adults) were a bargain. The $20 tee-shirts..? Well, I guess that depends on what kind of a nut you are. You will probably see me around town in mine.

More pics here.

Related Post: Day Tripping: The Mothman Festival, Point Pleasant, WV

The Mothman myth in a nutshell: There are four aspects to the Mothman myth: the Mothman, UFOs, men-in-black, and a tragic bridge collapse. It started one night in 1966 with the sighting of a large birdlike creature at an abandoned munitions factory near Point Pleasant, WV. This was followed by a number of sightings, all by credible witnesses. Thereafter, there were a number of UFO sightings in and around the town. Soon there were men in black suits combing the town, trying to disuade the witnesses. 13 months after the first Mothman sighting, the Silver Bridge, which spanned the Ohio River from Point Pleasant to the Ohio side, collapsed killing 41 people. In the minds of many residents the events were connected. Before the bridge tragedy, there were phonecalls from an eerie voice warning some people that there was going to be a disaster. The day before the collapse, witnesses saw the men-in-black climbing around the bridge, as if they were looking for something. There were no further Mothman sightings after the disaster.

Day Tripping: Hocking Hills

This from a reader:

Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve (Sept 2009)

Leave the Village in almost any direction and you’ll see the color starting to change in both the soy bean and corn fields, and maybe, even in a few trees. It won’t be long and folks will begin thinking about taking the annual drive to see the fall foliage. Load the family in the car, maybe pack a few sandwiches, and head out to see who can find the brightest reds and the purest golds.

We’re fortunate to have lots of places around Yellow Springs to walk, bike or drive to enjoy the gradual change of seasons. But something inside us seems to say that we have to go some place else because the colors might be just a little bit better – probably some sort of latent migratory gene.

Hocking Hills is one of the usual destinations – not my favorite place and way too crowded at the big name spots like Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave and Cedar Falls to name just a few. However, we found a book (Wild Ohio by Jim McCormac) that talks about the 40 best remaining natural areas in Ohio. Three of those sites are in the Hocking Hills and well worth the drive if you enjoy hiking what seemed to us during a recent visit, “the roads not taken”.

Clear Creek Metropark is actually part of the City of Columbus park system. Conkles Hollow State Park – probably the most well known of these three and maybe the best views of the fall color if you hike the upper trails – a little over 2 miles. And finally, the very pristine, Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve (see picture) located just outside of Jackson. Lake Katharine is noted for the rare umbrella magnolias and the endangered bigleaf magnolias – sometimes over two feet long.

You can find lots of additional information about these three places on the web. By the way, Clifton Gorge and Cedar Bog are both mentioned in the book. Enjoy!

Day Tripping: Jungle Jim's & Uncle Yip's

We drive down I-75 to Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield so often (at least once-a-month), it took awhile for me to realize that the ride really qualifies as a day trip. If you like Trader Joe's, multiply it 100 fold and you still don't have Jungle Jim's. This place may be unique in all the world. It's the Disney Land of food - well worth the hour drive just to experience it, even if you don't buy a thing. Even the restrooms are special.

As you enter through the main entrance, you find a sushi bar, a make-your-own antipasto bar and a deli section with items from all over the world. Don't eat before coming, you are going to want to try the dozens of generous free samples.

Moving on past the cheese section, ice cream shop and Starbucks, you arrive at the liquor store and wine and beer department. There are so many fine wines and beers from all over the world that I get dizzy trying to decide what to get.

Next is the on-premises bakery with breads you probably can't find anywhere around here and the meat department with whole hogs heads and duck feet. Then comes the fresh produce department. Once again, the fruit and vegetables are from all over the globe.

Produce spills into seafood and the international market section, with aisles marked by countries. The seafood section features, live trout, bass, talapia and shell fish. Can you think of anywhere else around here where you can buy frogs legs?

There is a pharmacy, a bank and a post office. Everywhere you go, there are life-size curios, fire engines, buggies, boats, mechanical rock bands - way too much kitsch to remember. It seems like every time we go there, there is something new. The place, which is already the size of several football fields, keeps getting bigger.

For more information and driving directions visit Jungle Jim's Website.

We usually, stop for dim sum a few miles away at Uncle Yip's Chinese restaurant, 10736 Reading Rd, in Evandale, off exit 14 on I-75, just two exits south of I-275 where you get off for Jungle Jim's. We have been eating at Uncle Yip's for nine years, following him around through three locations. If you like New York Chinatown type food, you will like Uncle Yip's. Read about Uncle Yip's on Yelp.

In a strip mall at the corner of Reading Road and Evandale is CAM, a large Asian super market that is another regular stop for us on this trip. The few things that Jungle Jim's does not carry can be picked up here.

Day tripping: Urbana & West Liberty

Ohio Caverns in West Liberty

There are some interesting things to see less than an hour north of Yellow Springs on US 68 in the Urbana - West Liberty area. Just to the east of West Liberty are the Piatt Castles and the Ohio Caverns. The two Piatt Castles, Mac-A-Cheek and Mac-O-Chee, comprise a family-owned museum of 200 years of history of the surrounding area. Mac-A-Cheek is one mile east of West Liberty just off of St Rt 245. Mac-O-Chee is one mile farther east on St Rt 245 at the intersection of St Rt 287. You can visit one castle for $12.50 for an adult or both for $20.00. Although I have not been there for several years, I would recommend visiting just Mac-O-Chee, the larger of the two. For more information visit the Piatt Castles Website.

Just around the bend from Mac-O-Chee on SR 245 is the Ohio Caverns. With exquisite crystal-white stalactite and stalagmite formations, it is the largest of all Ohio Caves. A tour of the cave takes about 40 mins. Tickets are $12.50 for adults. For more information visit the Ohio Caverns Website.

On the drive back down US 68 about one mile north of Urbana, be sure and stop at Fresh Water Farms of Ohio. Feel free to walk around the property looking at the pools of coy, sturgeon, rainbow trout, Malaysian freshwater shrimp and other varieties. They even encourage you to pet the sturgeon, which seem to enjoy the experience. Sept. 19 - 20 this year they will hold a Fish & Shrimp Festival to celebrate the annual harvest of Malaysian Freshwater Shrimp. These are the only two days of the year when you can purchase this variety of shrimp fresh in our area. For more information visit the Freshwater Farms of Ohio Website.

On Sunday of Labor Day weekend, we took a drive up to the caverns, had lunch at The Gathering Place in West Liberty (two thumbs up for their vegetable soup), then stopped at Freshwater Farms on our way home. While driving through Urbana, we decided to veer off 68 to the west to take a look at the Urbana University Campus. The towns of Urbana, West Liberty and Bellefontaine to the north are some of the prettiest towns I have ever seen. The big old homes in the area of Urbana University are stunningly beautiful and well maintained. It was an excellent day out.

Virgil

Day tripping: Mothman Festival, Point Pleasant, WV

For a festival that is just a little quirky you may want to drive down to Point Pleasant , West Virginia , just a bridge span across from Route 35 as you leave Ohio. It has a small festival, one that started not with noble pioneers settling down nor the praises of fall harvests, but with the rumored sightings of a winged creature. Named Mothman and spotted a number of times around the Point Pleasant area in the 1960s the six foot being with red glowing eyes started a cult following. It was rumored that it appeared before disasters as a warning. The 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge resulting in 46 deaths insured the Mothman legendary status.

The Eighth Annual Mothman Festival runs Sept. 19 and 20 and celebrates the mysterious beast as well as all things paranormal. Authors, ghost experts, film makers and researchers give lectures and set up booths to sell related t-shirts, books and ghostly trinkets. Men in Black as well as the Mothman himself (or herself?) wander the streets looking sinister and posing for photographs. Check the website mothmanfestival.com for scheduled events such as guest speakers, music, pancake eating contests, meeting Mothman witnesses, a Miss Mothman beauty pageant, and TNT hayrides. The Mothman Museum houses artifacts from the film and book “The Mothman Prophecies”. There is also a Point Pleasant River Museum and monuments to the Silver Bridge disaster and the Battle of Point Pleasant with Chief Cornstalk.

Jean Payne

Day tripping: Dayton Metroparks

The Dayton Metroparks are a gem, user-friendly, well maintained, quite varied. We're especially partial to the one in Germantown which has miles of scenic hiking trails. The town of Germantown itself is a remarkably unique & well-preserved assemblage of early to mid-nineteenth century homes and buildings built on a uniquely designed plan that fostered a sense of community.

Ralph Keyes

Click here for more information about the Metroparks.

Day tripping: OSU Farm Science Review

If you’re looking for a fun (well maybe “different” is a better word), inexpensive ($8 at the gate) and educational day for the whole family, you might try the OSU Farm Science Review. The 47th FSR takes place on Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Ag Center just off I-70 on Route 40 a few miles north of London, Ohio – 30 minutes or less from YS.

In addition to the acres of machinery, both big and small, they have a complete array of hardware items, wood working tools, garden supplies and demonstrations galore. This year they have talks on rain gardens, Emerald Ash Bore, backyard fruit, bees and wasps, perennials and lots more – enough to keep most anyone busy for a day.

You can get the complete details at http://fsr.osu.edu/ Allow plenty of time and be prepared to walk a few miles if you plan to see a little of everything.

(Reader submitted)

Editor's note: There are some really cool things to do just short drives from our town. The Blog is interested in publishing pieces like this about day trips from YS, whether about upcoming events or your experiences on your visits. Please feel free to submit them by email. They will appear under the category "Day tripping" and will be tagged, so they can easily be recovered.