My partner and I as well as our friend and her husband like to take the occasional weekend getaway.  This is one of our favorites...we've done this one twice, the latest time being last weekend.  Darke County is also very convenient for us locationwise, as they live in Lima and we live in Dayton.  I look forward to some other Ohio weekend getaways that some of you will hopefully share....

 

We started the weekend with a trip to Union City, Indiana (Union City is split by the state line so there is a Union City, Ohio and Union City, Indiana) to visit a Ghyslain, a French chocolatier.  We ate a light lunch there and spending mas dinero on the most gorgeous hand-painted chocolates and also desserts.  Literally so beautiful, you feel bad for eating it.  After pigging out and getting a tour (they don't produce on the weekend, but it was still neat to see their operation), we headed to downtown Union City for a little antique shopping, then headed to the hotel (The Inn at Versailles) to unload the car and get changed.  The hotel was nice...our room wasn't anything fancy, but they do have nicer rooms.  We got a room with 2 bedrooms, a living room, and little dining area for $150 a night, plus a $40 voucher for dinner and some other goodies, by signing up for the "Sweetheart Deal." 

 

It was off to our next stop.....The Winery at Versailles!  We had fantastic wine, fantastic times, and this time got a personal tour from the owner herself!  After a few hours guzzling vino, off we go to dinner at the hotel's  European bistro style restaurant--Michael Anthony's at The Inn.  As always, the food was delicious, fancy but casual. 

 

The next day started out with a trip to Bear's Mill!  A restored and working grist mill from 1848, we spent a short (it was freezing) but interesting time checking out the four story mill and admiring the scenery--would love to go back in the fall.  After buying a few neat items in the mill's gift shop we headed into Greenville for the "Kitchenaid Experience"!!! 

 

Yes that's right, the Kitchenaid Experience.  Apparently the KitchenAid factory that makes those excellent-though expensive-wedding gift mainstay stand mixers is based in Greenville, Ohio (KitchenAid is now part of Whirlpool Corp. but was originally part of Troy, Ohio based Hobart).  The downtown KitchenAid Experience store was very nicely redone and all products are at the guaranteed lowest prices, plus they have factory refurbs even cheaper.  Also,  we were lucky participants in one of the daily cooking demonstrations--this month's theme is chocolate!  We watched a demonstration and ate chocolate covered everything.  Wow, I just realized exactly how much chocolate we ate that weekend!  Also, if you go during the week the actual KitchenAid factory offers tours. 

 

So, about this time the hunger pangs started to set in and we asked....where can we go for a hometown cheap meal?  MAIDRITE!  Famous not only for their loose meat sandwiches, but world famous for having an entire outside wall completely covered in chewed gum.  Wrigley's, Bubblicious, Trident--you name it--GUM.  Gum from yesterday, gum from 1989, gum from 1952!  Its cool and repugnant all at the same time.  We ate like pigs, and really had a good "greasy spoon" lunch!  Also, Annie Oakley is from Darke County and buried there so we stopped by the cemetery in which she is buried.  So there you have it...a great Ohio weekend getaway.

 

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Ghyslain Chocolate de Beaux Arts - http://www.ghyslain.com

 

Union City Antiques Mall - 765-964-3203

 

The Inn at Versailles - http://www.innatversailles.com

Sweetheart packages @ http://www.innatversailles.com/A55969/inn.nsf/daily/Hotel%20Information

 

The Winery at Versailles - http://www.wineryatversailles.com/

 

Michael Anthony's at The Inn - http://www.innatversailles.com/A55969/inn.nsf/menu.html

 

Bear's Mill - http://www.bearsmill.com/

 

KitchenAid Experience - http://www.kitchenaid.com/custserv/experience.jsp

 

KitchenAid Factory Tour - http://www.kitchenaid.com/custserv/experience_map.jsp

 

MaidRite - http://www.datasync.com/~w8je/maidrite.html

 

Annie Oakley Grave - http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/ohiopix/image.cfm?ID=306

Neat idea for a thread - yeah, sometimes it's nice to get out of dodge.

 

My most recent weekender was in Columbus, just for one night. We'll call this adventure "Columbus - Downtown to Death Star";-)

 

For some odd reason everywhere in downtown was booked with the exception of the Doubletree - an all suites hotel, and even that was pretty full. But for about $120ish for a nice sized suite, who's going to complain?

 

My S.O. and I were meeting friends for cocktails and we had planned to go to the Burgundy Room but parking in the Short North was a problem so we paid for valet at the "Cap". $5 per car wasn't too bad considering we split it. Someone suggested grabbing drinks at Hyde Park Grill - being from Cleveland, I associate Hyde Park Grill with dark-green walls, and ol' chap in the corner smoking cigars - not exactly the happenin' place for hipsters. Little did I know - this Hyde Park had a fantastic bar/lounge - very chic, with lots of cushy booths along with couches, etc., so it was easy to accomodate people as they joined our group:

 

They had quite a few wines by the glass, with most being $7 to $9 - not inexpensive but not absurdly priced either. I'd recommend against the cheese plate - you really don't get much at all and that was really the only complaint we had.

 

Next we went to dinner at Due Amici on (where else) East Gay Street. A fantastic space with exposed brick walls, high ceilings and just a really neat vibe. The main dining area was a bit tight, as they squeeze quite a few tables in. Entrees go from $10 to low $20s, but mostly on the lower end - you can order pasta and match it with any sauce. The wine list was comparable to Hyde Park, with plenty of reasonably priced wines by the glass. The highlight was the jerk chicken in cilantro ravioli - my S.O. wants to make a return trip because of it - it was that good. The crowds stayed pretty late and we ended up closing the restaurant.

 

The next day was of course, a trip to the Death Star (Easton). One of the highlights of Easton - a Turkish restaurant - is a hidden treasure tucked into a space near Nordstrom. Just about everything on the menu is good - I recommend the Cankaya, a crisp Turkish white wine. Of course, no Turkish meal is complete without the Turkish coffee.

 

http://www.hydeparkrestaurants.com/maps/hp-cap/index.htm

 

http://www.due-amici.com/

 

http://www.eastontowncenter.com/tenants/cafeistanbul.cfm

I and my parnter usually do an extended weekend getaway in late fall.  Last time it was to Marietta via Zanesville and Muskingum Valley.  Nothing special to stay at (we stayed in a chain motel out in the "suburbs"), but lots of great old historical things to look at, including the Ohio River Museum.  Side trip to Parkersburg, too.  Actually there was a pretty good restaurant in an old building in downtown Marietta, right on the river.

 

On the way back via Athens, we stopped at this place that served Mexican but was sort of a music venue (we stopped for lunch).

 

@@@@@@

 

Since Dayton is pretty close to Columbus and Cincinnati day trips are fine to these places, but we used to spend the weekend in Cols for Commfest, usually staying at one of the Hiltons. 

 

We've also been to the Huntington/Ashland area for a weekend.  Stayed in downtown Hutington in a modern high-rise hotel.  Getting there is half the fun (we go by way of Chillicothe and Portsmouth and Ironton), and Huntignton is close enough for Charleston to be a side-trip.  Thats not really an Ohio weekend getaway, though.

 

Now that I think of it Toledo would be a good weekend getaway destination as it probably is only about 3 hour drive.