Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington
Dear George,
Katja and I have lived in
Cincinnati for almost two-thirds of our lives, so we’ve had ample opportunity
to explore our surroundings in the Tri-State region. I thought I would put together a list of day trips within
two or three hours of the city.
Some of these are from our own experiences, others I obtained by
schmoozing around on the Internet.
The resulting selections are just a small percent of those available and
reflect my own interests and priorities.
We’ve gone to about 70% of these places over the years (those marked
with an asterisk), and the rest are on our to-do list. My all-time favorite is Mammoth Cave, an
other-worldly underground experience, well worth the three-hour drive from
Cincinnati. Yellow Springs, the home of our alma mater Antioch College, is the
hippest destination and a relaxing place to spend a summer day, especially if
you add in a hike in Glen Helen or Clifton Gorge. Berea, KY, is another very attractive college town. We’ve always enjoyed antiquing in
Lebanon, Waynesville, and Madison, Ind.
The outdoor antique shows at Burlington KY and Lawrenceburg IN are among
the Midwest’s biggest. In my
opinion, the best regional camping places are Red River Gorge in Kentucky and
Hocking Hills State Park in south central Ohio. Kings Island, closer to home, is pretty exciting with kids
or grandkids. The Lexington Horse
Park is one of our favorite trips to take with visitors. Dayton, Louisville, Lexington,
Indianapolis, and Columbus are big-city destinations with multiple
attractions. Our secret guilty
desire is to go to the nearby Creation Museum in Petersburg and peek at their
biblical interpretation of evolution.
Probably we’ll go to the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton or the
Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson first though.
Love,
Dave
Dayton Art Museum
OHIO
Mason, OH (26 mi.): Kings
Island Amusement Park*
Hamilton, OH (31 mi.):
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park
Lebanon, OH (32 mi.): antique
stores and malls, shops, Golden Lamb Restaurant*
Georgetown, OH (35 mi.): U.S.
Grant’s birthplace, downtown historic district*
Waynesville, OH (41 mi.):
town of antiques*
Oxford, OH (41 mi.): Miami
University campus, shopping district, swimming beach at Hueston Woods
statepark*
Dayton, OH (56 mi.): Art
Museum, Montgomery Fairgrounds antique/flea market, good thrift shops*
Yellow Springs, OH (64 mi.):
shops, dining, Antioch campus, Clifton Gorge & Glen Helen*
Fairborn, OH; Wright
Patterson Air Force Base (67 mi.): United States Air Force Museum
Adams County, OH, “Edge of
Appalachia” (80 mi.): nature preserve, hiking trails
Greenville, OH (95 mi.):
Garst Museum (national Annie Oakley Center), shops, dining
Columbus, OH (106 mi.): Ohio
State University, Museum of Art, Franklin Park Conservatory, zoo, German
Village, Ohio Historical Center*
Portsmouth, OH (104 mi.):
antiques, historic murals, Southern Ohio Museum
Wapakoneta, OH (110 mi.):
Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum
Louden, OH; Serpent Mound and
Museum (124 mi.): prehistoric earthwork
Hocking Hills State Park,
Logan, OH (138 mi.): hiking, camping, rock climbing*
Red River Gorge, Kentucky
KENTUCKY
Burlington, KY (17 mi.): one
of the Midwest’s largest outdoor antique shows (3rd Sundays in season)*
Petersburg, KY (26 mi.):
Creation Museum (offering a biblical account of the universe’s origins)
Pleasant Hill, KY (30 mi.):
Shaker village, antiques
Maysville, KY (61 mi.):
antiques*
Harrison County, KY (62 mi.):
Quiet Trails Nature Preserve, hiking
Lexington, KY (84 mi.):
Kentucky Horse Park*
Louisville, KY (100 mi.):
Louisville Slugger Museum, KY Derby Museum, antiques*
Berea, KY (120 mi.): Berea
college campus, Berea Inn, antiques and shops*
Stanton, KY; Red River Gorge,
KY (133 mi.): hiking, camping*
Hodgenville, KY (153
mi.): Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace
Bardstown, KY (160 mi.): My
Old Kentucky Home State Park, antiques
Mammoth Cave, KY (192 mi.);
Mammoth Cave National Park, cave tour*
Downtown Madison, Indiana
INDIANA
Lawrenceburg, IN (28 mi.):
monthly Tri-State outdoor antique show (first Sundays in season)*
Aurora, IN (31 mi.): antique
shops, down-home eateries, historic neighborhoods*
Metamora, IN (49 mi.):
antiques, kitschy gift shops*
Madison, IN (71 mi.): Clifty
Falls State Park, hiking, camping, antiques*
Columbus, IN (90 mi.): architecture and garden tours*
Indianapolis, IN (109 mi.):
Art Museum, Children’s Museum, Speedway Hall of Fame Museum*
Nashville, IN (111 mi.):
artist colony, art galleries, shops, antiques, camping*
* * *
* * *
G-Mail Comments
-Linda C
(11-18): I plan to visit Wright
Patterson in near future, my uncle died in storm at Patterson shortly
after Japanese bombed pearl harbor , he was an ari l nautical engineer. Died on
small plane in snowstorm in Dayton after taking big plane to CA and
coming back in snow storm in Dayton… love grandparent in law
-Gayle C-L
(11-4): David, Awesome
Photos ::))
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