A Day in the Valley
Rebecca Jones has led tourists through the winding passageways of Mammoth Cave and helped hikers keep a watchful eye out for alligators in the Everglades. But the interpretive park ranger is most at home in Ohio, introducing visitors to the wonders of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The 33,000-acre, 20-mile recreational area stretches between Independence and Akron and serves as an evolving timeline, grounded in the past through its commitment to conservation and preservation of natural resources, ye...
Brush Up Your Shakespeare
Be it hereby decreed: 'Tis the season to stop giving the Bard the bird. Lest you've forgotten, that's Shakespeare -- the English gent with whom so many former students can recall having a love-hate relationship during literature class. The Play's the Thing Does Shakespeare's prose leave you dazed and confused? Take a tup or two from the pros: To read or not to read: There are many guides and essays about the best way to understand Shakespeare's plays, and usually a playbill filled with factoids is avail...
Dayton Delivers
What do golf superstar Greg Norman, zydeco accordion player Rosie Ledet and the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team have in common? They'll all be in Dayton this summer -- July, specifically -- for a variety of special events that will make southwest Ohio a pretty cool place to be, regardless of how steamy the weather might get. Look to the skies As anybody in and around Dayton knows, July is Air Show month. The local joke is that somehow, the show always ends up being held on the hottest weekend of...
Everlasting Blooms
The German Separatists who settled Zoar back in 1817 recognized the importance of a tranquil garden in the midst of their tiny religious community, so much so that they devoted an entire block to such a development. The garden was established primarily for the pleasure of the residents, and today the purpose remains the same, as the current inhabitants of this historic village as well as visitors enjoy the lovely flowers, shrubs and trees that occupy an entire city block on the main street of Zoar. When...
Ohio on a Bun
The customers are lining up at The Spot to Eat in downtown Sidney, a bustling diner known for its nostalgic feel and sought-after cheeseburgers. It's 3 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon -- not exactly prime time for any burger joint -- yet the place is packed. Overflowing to the outside sidewalk, in fact. It's not all locals, either. Patrons have driven in from Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield and points north for a prized burger and a chocolate malt, another house specialty. There's not much about The Spot to ...
Shaker Made
Shaker agriculture and lifestyle vanished here long ago. The only obvious evidence that the celibate religious sect once lived here is a historical marker and bell at the Otterbein-Lebanon Retirement Community on St. Rte. 741. These days, elderly residents live in two large buildings built by the Shakers and on land that once supported their enterprises. Since the demise of Union Village in 1912, this quiet place has been a retirement home affiliated with the Methodist Church. Travelers who look closely...
Sounds of Summer
First things first: Lan-caster is in Pennsylvania. While Ohio has a city that's spelled the same way, the natives call it "Lank-a-stir," and it's home to one of the premier music and arts festivals in this part of the country. On July 21, the Lancaster Festival will kick off its 21st season with a full slate of artistic activities and live music covering a variety of genres at venues throughout the Fairfield County seat. As it has since it was formed in 1988, the 65-member Lancaster Festival Orchestra w...
Warm Welcome
The twang of dulcimer strings. The twirl of Amish peanut butter. The balancing act that is the rim hike around Conkle's Hollow gorge. Ohio's Appalachian crescent takes travelers on a full-sensory journey through a special culture. Twenty-nine counties form the state's Appalachian region, a scythe blade through Ohio's southern and eastern reaches, from Columbiana County in the north to Lawrence County in the south, from historic Washington County in the west to greater Cincinnati's Clermont County in the...