Sep 8th, 2009 at 12:00PM: As I sipped a glass of red wine at Harpersfield Winery in Geneva, Ohio on the last Saturday in August while listening to the Hollywood Slim Band, one of my favorite Ohio-based groups, I thought what a perfect finale evening to the last month of summer. The setting sun that cast its warm glow over the scene--plus the plate of cheese, meats and olives served up with warm bread cinched the thought. ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
ohio posts
Wineries with outdoor music offer perfection: 10 wineries and 9 states
Sep 8th, 2009 at 12:00PM: As I sipped a glass of red wine at Harpersfield Winery in Geneva, Ohio on the last Saturday in August while listening to the Hollywood Slim Band, one of my favorite Ohio-based groups, I thought what a perfect finale evening to the last month of summer. The setting sun that cast its warm glow over the scene--plus the plate of cheese, meats and olives served up with warm bread cinched the thought. ...Labor Day picnics: Make yours memorable. Tips and where to go suggestions
Sep 5th, 2009 at 10:00AM: Katie's post on how to turn a Labor Day barbecue into a multi-cultural affair is a mouth-watering read that gave me the feeling that the sweet Italian sausages I bought for a cook-out could use some jazzing up. Put Katie's read together with tips I picked up this summer during a chat with one of Hip Hostess's event planners, Amber Cleary, and Labor Day could easily be turned into an event to ...Great Lakes Brewing: Saving the planet one beer at a time
Aug 27th, 2009 at 10:00AM:
At a recent farm dinner I attended, a multi-course meal of farm-fresh, organic ingredients was paired with beers from Great Lakes Brewing. As we dined and drank, we were treated to an informal lesson on brewing from owner Pat Conway, who also gave us the lowdown on the many greet initiatives that Great Lakes has undertaken in an effort to be environmentally responsible while producing top-notch ...Drag out summer after Labor Day: 12 ideas
Aug 25th, 2009 at 10:30AM: So what if it's almost the end of August, kids are heading back to school in droves, and Labor Day is almost here?
There are ways to drag out that summer feeling with easy-going, inexpensive travel. Pick places that you haven't been to before to heighten a sense of adventure -- something that summers are made for.
Here are 12 ideas to get you started into dragging out summer--at least until the ...Ohio State Fair just got cheaper
Jul 31st, 2009 at 12:35PM: If you're looking for travel deals, try a state fair. If any state fair is like Ohio's, it's looking for ways to entice people to come by offering discounts and deals, particularly on food.
According to this Toledo Blade article, the "staycation" folks are the ones the Ohio State Fair is courting. As a result, this particular fair is a coupon clipper's dream. Many coupons found on the fair's ...Daycation: Daytrips in northeastern US
Jul 28th, 2009 at 12:30PM: There's "YAYcation" where you say to heck with the economy and go on the trip anyway. On the opposite end, there's a "staycation" where you pretend your yard is somewhere interesting. Then there's Scott's devious suggestion, "liecation."
Here's an option that can be inexpensive but gives the sense of travel. Go on a daycation. In other words--a day trip. This is where you find out what's within ...Mango scare at Columbus airport
Jun 25th, 2009 at 10:00AM: The bomb squad at the Columbus, Ohio airport simply was not trained for the task. It's not their fault: after all, few pickled mangoes have actually exploded. Nonetheless, there's bound to be some sort of inquiry about the produce risk in today's airports.
When x-ray equipment detected something suspicious, the bomb squad was summoned. The concern arose from the fact that an item was sealed in a ...10 places to enjoy May flowers for free
May 29th, 2009 at 9:30AM: When my daughter was about five we went on a wildflower hike for Mother's Day. The hike was free and I remember the day's loveliness even though this was over 10 years ago. May's flowers are one of life's great pleasures. It's a visual feast with the world's locations offering their own special palate.
With this weekend being the last chance to see May flowers as in "April showers bring May ...Budget travel with a twist: Try out for TV commercial singing competition for water park passes, cash and more
May 25th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Here's a budget travel twist. Sing your way to free water park passes and some cash. With American Idol over until next year's search for the next star, CoCo Key Water Resort is putting on a singing competition to tide any warblers over and find a star for one of its commericals.
This nationwide search wants talent and creativity mixed in with fun. The way I see it, this is a seriously doable ...Ghost hunt in a prison tours: Part history, part chills, even in daylight
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:30PM: May is the month that kicks off the full season of the Ohio State Reformatory tours. This prison that played centerpiece to the movie Shawshank Redemption is a Gothic style stone building that looks formidable even in daylight. At night it can really creep a person out. Known for its chilling location as a Halloween haunted house, the reformatory is a ghost hunter's dream.
As the story goes, the ...Beer travel for Memorial Day: 10 options and more
May 20th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Head to any state and you'll find a favorite local beer with quite the following. At HalogenLife, Kyle Anderson has come up with a favorite 10 beers in 10 states list to add perfection to a Memorial Day weekend trip. The list doesn't mean you should drink and drive your way across America. Instead, use it as a guide to the best beers whether you're beaching it, going on a picnic, or throwing a ...Five reasons to stay on hiking trails: One can save your life.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:30AM: As spring beckons people to outdoor endeavors, it doesn't hurt to do a run-down of what is the best outdoor behavior to stay safe and not damage nature in the process of enjoying it. Here are five reasons for staying on a trail when hiking. They are not in any order of importance except for the last one. That one is the most important.
After Pat Quackenbush, the naturalist at Hocking Hills State ...Warhol comes to Cleveland
May 1st, 2009 at 1:00PM: So, you know Andy Warhol is in Paris right now. Of course, even the best travel deals can still leave Europe's cultural capital out of reach. Fortunately, you now have a backup plan: Cleveland.
The Cleaveland Institute of Art will be hosting a series of prints created by Warhol from 1974 to 1986 (from the Cochran Collection). Uncle Sam, Superman and Mickey Mouse will be in attendance – a ...Cincinnati crime-fighter becomes local attraction
Apr 30th, 2009 at 9:00AM:
Watch the streets of Cincinnati carefully: you may see a man clad in a mask and cape scouring the city in search of evil deeds and damsels in distress. Shadowhare, who (obviously) prefers to conceal his true identity has volunteered his services to the city's citizens and civil servants ... free of charge.
This is bigger than voting and jury duty combined.
This superhero is 21 years old ...
Travel Read: Step Back from the Baggage Claim and book giveaway
Apr 27th, 2009 at 3:00PM: To win a signed copy of Step Back from the Baggage Claim, follow the directions at the end of the post.
For Jason Barger, an airport is not only a place where people depart and arrive on airplanes in their quests to get from one location to another. Airports are a metaphor about life. In his book, Step Back from the Baggage Claim, a slim volume that is a perfect size for slipping into a carry-on, ...Fun times in Cleveland today!
Apr 22nd, 2009 at 11:00AM: Every town has a tourism bureau or chamber of commerce that is entrusted with the responsibility of selling the city to prospective visitors. Well, one comedy troupe in Cleveland took it upon themselves to make a promotional video for their hometown. It is, admittedly, hastily thrown together. But, it highlights all of Cleveland's go-to destinations: the place where there used to be industry, the ...
Chattanooga, Portsmouth among top art destinations in the U.S.
Apr 18th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Who thought that Tennessee and New Hampshire would be some of the top towns in the country for art lovers. AmericanStyle magazine just issued the results of its twelfth annual arts destinations poll. Some spots are predictable. Others, like Chattanooga, will just blow your mind. This is the first year Chattanooga made the list, shooting all the way up to second in the mid-sized city category. If ...Two dogs on a 2,000 mile walk from Austin to Boston
Apr 2nd, 2009 at 1:30PM: Murphy and Hudson have been walking towards Boston from Austin, Texas for a year so far. Not by themselves. They're bringing Luke Robinson along with them. The walk was Luke's idea after another dog pal, Malcolm died of bone cancer.
Robinson decided to sell his truck, put his worldly goods in storage and hit the road with Murphy and Hudson, two Great Pyrenees at his side. The idea of the walk ...Second-tier airports still getting action
Mar 17th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Smaller airports may have trouble supporting the needs of large airlines, but smaller carriers are filling in the gaps. Direct Air, for example, moved into Toledo to connect those Ohioans with Myrtle Beach, SC and Punta Gorda, FL – at dirt cheap prices. And, everyone knows that Toledo is a hotbed of trendsetters ... While these smaller airlines do provide service from local airports, saving ...Maple syrup festivals: Hit one now through May
Mar 13th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Depending upon where you live, when the temperatures are just right, it's maple syrup time. In Ohio, maple syrup events are scattered across the state from the beginning of March until May. In Canada and elsewhere, there are maple events a plenty. Each offers something different, although syrup and syrup making is the main highlight. I've been to four of them. Each time I go to one of these ...
