Posted July 24, 201410 yr Hi forumers - Mrs Shackleford and I would like to plan a nice getaway weekend within 100-150 miles of Cincinnati (2 to 4 hours drive time at very most). To leave on a Friday and to return on Sunday. Hotel/lodge room, not camping. We like parks, light hiking, and unique shops. Due to the time frame (48-72 hrs) we prefer as little local driving as possible once we arrive. We'd like fine dining (or at least non-suck non chain local) as an option one night of the trip. We're not big on casinos. Low key bars w/food are good. For some personal reasons we are probably not interested in Hocking Hills, but that is the kind of area we prefer. We have done everything within 75 miles to death (like Yellow Springs, Hueston Woods, etc.) We've been to Clifty Falls Sp and Madison IN and we really liked that. If we can't find any other suggestions we might do that trip again. Or Natural Bridge Sp. We really like all of the KY state park resorts that we've visited, but the food inside most of those lodges is pretty lousy. We went to Brown County (IN) once and it was mind numbing with the kid/family thing and was a boring area to us. We'd prefer to get out of Ohio for this trip but it's not a mandate. Thanks... suggestions very much appreciated.
July 24, 201410 yr Mammoth Cave National Park. Be mindful of construction traffic south of Louisville. Speaking of Louisville, try Falls of the Ohio State Park across the river in Indiana. Other Indiana state parks: Spring Mill, McCormick's Creek, etc.
July 24, 201410 yr I know you said you prefer non-Ohio stuff but it sounds like that whole Lake Erie/Put-in-Bay/Lakeside thing is the trip for you (especially for kids). Kelley's Island, maybe? Or if you prefer to head south/adjacent, have you been to Hoosier National Forest? "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 24, 201410 yr It sounds like you have pretty much exhausted your options within a 100 mile radius, or don't care for what you've found. There just aren't that many touristy little towns in this part of the country that are also within walking distance of natural attractions. Granville's a great little town in the foothills east of Columbus. It has a few historic inns and a wonderful brewpub called Brews. The campus of Dennison is very attractive but it won't fill your day.
July 24, 201410 yr I would suggest Mohican Lodge in the Loudonville area. The food is not great, but Malabar Farm restaurant nearby has very good food, and Malabar Farm is a great place to visit/tour. Mohican has a ton of hiking trails, and there are some sights to see there like a restored 1800s-era grist mill, an 80-foot fire tower, a cool covered bridge, and nice creekside (the creek is clean and clear - Clear Fork Reservoir) picnicking. Edited to add: Loudonville downtown is very tiny, but has some cute shops, like amish furniture and native american jewelry type stuff. Mohican is a great lodge other than the food - you can check out board games from the front desk, there is a pool, etc. It's also "family friendly" so there are a fair number of kids, but hey, alcohol. Drive in to Mansfield (maybe 15 minutes) and go to Porky's for lunch one day. It's a good, cheap, greasy spoon diner that has been there forever (my Mom worked there in HS). They make their own root beer and have fresh-cut fries. Get the double burger, as the patties are very thin, but tasty.
July 24, 201410 yr Hi forumers - Mrs Shackleford and I would like to plan a nice getaway weekend within 100-150 miles of Cincinnati (2 to 4 hours drive time at very most). To leave on a Friday and to return on Sunday. Hotel/lodge room, not camping. We like parks, light hiking, and unique shops. Due to the time frame (48-72 hrs) we prefer as little local driving as possible once we arrive. We'd like fine dining (or at least non-suck non chain local) as an option one night of the trip. We're not big on casinos. Low key bars w/food are good. For some personal reasons we are probably not interested in Hocking Hills, but that is the kind of area we prefer. We have done everything within 75 miles to death (like Yellow Springs, Hueston Woods, etc.) We've been to Clifty Falls Sp and Madison IN and we really liked that. If we can't find any other suggestions we might do that trip again. Or Natural Bridge Sp. We really like all of the KY state park resorts that we've visited, but the food inside most of those lodges is pretty lousy. We went to Brown County (IN) once and it was mind numbing with the kid/family thing and was a boring area to us. We'd prefer to get out of Ohio for this trip but it's not a mandate. Thanks... suggestions very much appreciated. Never mind. Misread your original post. :(
July 24, 201410 yr I just did a big write up on Brown County--surprised you didn't like it. Lots of unique, authentic shops and good little restaurants, and the state park has good (but very doable) hiking. What exactly did you dislike about Nashville/Brown County?
July 24, 201410 yr Everyone, thanks for the ideas and brainstorming. >> Mammoth Cave National Park. Be mindful of construction traffic south of Louisville. Trying to avoid busy destinations. And we went a couple of years ago. > Speaking of Louisville, try Falls of the Ohio State Park across the river in Indiana. > Other Indiana state parks: Spring Mill, McCormick's Creek, etc. We've stayed at Spring Mill - nice, out of the way. I forgot about it. > Lake Erie/Put-in-Bay/Lakeside Trying to stay away from major destinations. Want more out of the way. I just want to avoid lines and crowds. > Mohican Lodge in the Loudonville area. The food is not great, but Malabar Farm restaurant nearby has very good food, and Malabar Farm Ah, great idea. I didn't think of that. > Hocking Hills - plenty of hiking, wide variety of cabin rentals. Main reason "not" on Hocking Hills is that we had a bad auto accident when we visited there once and it still has a negative connotation for Mrs. Shackleford. I may raise it again and she what she says. > Brown County We didn't like the lodge at all - too busy with screaming kids and families. The town was dippy and parking seemed like a pain for so few attractions. Many of the shops were repetitive - even for a tourist town. The dude trying to monetize snapshots of his totem poles and wood work (an artist there had a cash box out that you're supposed to drop money into if you take a picture of one of his pieces) was just plain annoying. We ate at one of the most mediocre Mexican places in memory there. It's just a matter of personal taste, I guess. We're leaning toward a lodge/park experience. What does anyone think about.... Carter Caves SP or Jenny Wiley SP in KY? What is the area around French Lick IN like these days? We have good memories of staying at the dude ranch there. But the last time we visited, the West Baden Hotel was not developed.
July 25, 201410 yr I'd recommend a trip to Yellow Springs which is a quaint very liberal small College town (though I've heard the college isn't quite what it used to be), then go to Glen Helen / John Bryant State Park / Clifton Gorge which has unusually good natural beauty for that part of Ohio. You can end the trip in Clifton which is a small village with a still active mill (or start there, I think the Clifton Mill has a restaurant that sells amazing pancakes, though I haven't been there since I was a kid). The Yellow Spring in Glen Helen and the Clifton Gorge are particularly pretty. You can even rent a bicycle in Yellow Springs and take the bike path that runs through there for as far as you'd like.
July 25, 201410 yr There used to be some good dining in Yellow Springs. There's Young's, of course. Dunno if Robert's is still open in Urbana. There's a good Greek place on E Main in Springfield. There's a 7/8 scale hotel in downtown Springfield that might be kinda cool if you can get a room facing the city. Bellefontaine (Bell-fown-tun) has one of the oldest concrete roads in the state/country. Springfield also has a summer arts festival in Cliff/Veterans Park. I have no idea what the schedule is. You missed the Clark County Fair but you might be able to hit Champagne. heck, when's the state fair?
July 25, 201410 yr I'm going with ColDayMan on this one. I think a trip to the islands would be great for you guys!
July 25, 201410 yr hey, Heart & Joan Jett, The Beach Boys, and Aretha Franklin are playing at the Ohio State Fair.
July 25, 201410 yr Trying to stay away from major destinations. Want more out of the way. I just want to avoid lines and crowds There's generally never a crowd on Kelleys Island. Put-in-Bay, sure, but Kelleys is more natural and "out-of-the-way." Also, if not the Islands, I'd second West Badin in Indiana. It's a nice place. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 25, 201410 yr We're leaning toward a lodge/park experience. What does anyone think about.... Carter Caves SP or Jenny Wiley SP in KY? What is the area around French Lick IN like these days? We have good memories of staying at the dude ranch there. But the last time we visited, the West Baden Hotel was not developed. I have been to Carter Caves, never been to Jenny Wiley. Carter Caves is nice, but most of the caves require some decent spelunking skills. Definitely going to get dirty, need to be able to squeeze into tight spots, etc. to truly appreciate the park. The landscape there is kinda reminiscent of the Hillsboro area (go figure since they have 7 Caves). West Baden Springs >>> French Lick if you are just talking hotel vs. hotel. West Baden is beautiful, even the pictures above (which are stellar) just barely do it justice. French Lick is more of a hodgepodge type place. West Baden Springs is a world wonder, and alone is worth the trip, I'd highly recommend it. There is a man-made lake nearby at a state park, but I don't remember the spot having too much to do. Otherwise, Geneva on the Lake SP (and the quirky '50's style town of Geneva on the Lake) is a fun, more secluded and off the beaten path type place to go. The hotel at the park is a minimum 2-night stay, and it's slightly outside your driving range (about 5 hrs from Cincy). http://www.thelodgeatgeneva.com/default.aspx http://www.visitgenevaonthelake.com/ Another spot you might like would be Michigan's "thumb" (lower Lake Huron coast). It's isolated, and it's not very "touristy". In fact, I don't even have a ton of info to offer on it besides Port Austin might be a good town to check out. Here's some links: http://www.michigan-thumb.com/ http://www.thumbtravels.com/ My other Michigan recommendation is Saugatuck / St. Joseph / Holland (southern Lake Michigan shore), which is also pushing your range. Saugatuck is home to an artist colony, and from what I understand (disclosure - never been there, always wanted to go) is similar to Kennebunkport Maine if you are familiar with that area. More to do, and more toursit-oriented than the Thumb. Here's some info: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g42683-Saugatuck_Allegan_County_Michigan-Vacations.html http://www.michigan.org/city/saugatuck/ http://www.michigan.org/hot-spots/holland/ http://www.michigan.org/hot-spots/south-haven/ Last suggestion is the Laurel Highlands area of PA. It's due south to southeast of Pittsburgh, and includes Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, and Ohiopyle Park. I believe there are opportunities to do whitewater rafting, biking, kayaking / canoeing, horseback riding, wine tasting, etc. there too. Here's a decent site: http://www.laurelhighlands.org/ Or if you don't want to go that far and would like a full resort experience, Oglebay's near Wheeling WV is cool too. Here's their info: http://www.oglebay-resort.com/ Good luck!
July 26, 201410 yr Ok, guys. Fantastic ideas above. Kelly's Island, got it, ColDayMan. Thanks for the info and pictures of West Baden. We stayed at Geneva On the Lake a few years ago. That's interesting. OK! I have some selection to do now. Much appreciated.
July 26, 201410 yr There's also Cedar Bog in the Springfield, Urbana area http://www.cedarbognp.org/ Part of the fun there is screaming up 68 and going all Vanishing Point where the highway ends because ODOT thought they could be slick & pave the thing if they paved right up to it.... losers
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