Ohio Road Trip - Part 2 - Cuyahoga Valley & Put-in-Bay - Travel Photography

We got up early in our teepee and prepared breakfast. Oatmeal and fresh fruit, for Scot and I (I wish I could get my kids to eat Oatmeal) and Fruit and Pop tarts for the boys. We packed up and headed towards Canton Ohio to visit the First Ladies National Site. Canton really surprised us with its charm and how clean everything looked. Definitely a place we would like to explore in the future some more.

The First Ladies National Site was a lot more interesting than we thought and we really enjoyed the tour of the President McKinley's home. Finn completed another Junior Ranger Program and the tour lady gave us a great recommendation to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

Bender's dates back to 1902 and the boys thought it was really interesting that there used to be separate sections and entrances for men and women.

After lunch we hit the road for Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio's only National Park. This is another place that we will have to come for a separate trip! We visited the Brandywine Falls, Finn did ANOTHER Junior Ranger Program, we heard about the history of the park from a Ranger and we visited the old Erie canal and just walked around the little towns and shops.

Not sure what Jake is doing in the above picture, but I am sure he is telling me a joke and is very animated doing so!

We settled into our hotel and were surprised when the hotel management offered us a free waffle and ice cream bar! We called that dinner (ha!) and had a great nights sleep.

We got up the next day and headed towards Put-In-Bay. Our last stop on this whirlwind Ohio Tour. I love that Scot is more than happy to make u -turns for me to photograph interesting signs. These were my favorite from the trip.

We decided to take our car over to the island, which we probably wouldn't do again. The ferry ride is always very exciting for the boys! We arrived on the island and headed straight away to Perry's Monument. A very kind ranger gave us an amazing talk about the history and why Perry is such an amazing guy. He really was into it and the boys were fascinated by the talk! Since then the phrase "Don't give up the ship" has been used on an almost daily basis! Finn of course finished another Ranger program - his 4th in 3 days! We ate lunch somewhere on Put-In-Bay and afterwards rented a golf cart to really explore the island.

The Mayflies were everywhere on the island and as annoying as it can be we were told its a sign how good the water quality is around in the area and if they weren't there it would be a sign that there was a problem with the water.

Unfortunately, the Monument itself was closed due to construction. Bummer!

The golf cart was a great idea and we just drove all around the island and stopped wherever we felt like it. We came across an amazing estate sale and we all got to buy something. Scot bought a beautiful set of Rookwood Bookends, Jake bought a vintage fishing net, Finn a backscratcher and I bought a box full of vintage boys bowties.

After a full day of exploring the island, we got back on the ferry and headed back home to Cincinnati (a quick stop at Kewpee's Burger in Lima was a must!) and this completed a really, really quick trip all around Ohio. Even though short, this trip showed us how beautiful our home state is and we now have a bunch more places we want to revisit and spend more time.

aWhat is your favorite spot in Ohio? I can't wait to explore the Hocking Hills are some more!

Ohio Road Trip - Part 1 - Travel Photography

WARNING lots and lots of pictures!!!

I used to say things like "Ohio is flat like a board" or "I wouldn't want to live anywhere in Ohio except for Cincinnati". Looking at a map though, I realized that I really haven't seen much of Ohio except for I-75. We decided that we needed to change that and so we left on our Ohio road trip.

I really didn't plan this trip like I plan other trips. I only had two nights/ three days for this trip and not much time to plan anything. Checking Pinterest brought a ton of ideas but what we really wanted to see where these three main things: Hocking Hills, Cuyahoga Valley and Put-In-Bay. We have been to Put-in-Bay but that was 13 years ago and without kids. Or other main goal was for the kids to collect more National Park Passports. See more about that HERE

Checking our National Park map we decided we would also add Hopewell Culture and First Ladies in Canton to our trip.

We left in the morning and our first stop was Hopewell Culture Historical Site in Chillicothe.  

As soon as we arrived we were invited to join a Atlatl demonstration. We never even heard of an atlatl (Have you?) and to hear about it's history and get to use one was an amazing start to this trip!

Afterwards we checked out the Indian mounds, learned about the history and Finn finished up his first Junior Ranger Program of the trip!

These pictures below crack me up... very typical if I try to take a picture and Finn is not the center of the universe (or the picture!)

From the Hopewell Culture we headed out towards Hocking Hills. Like on many trips (SEE HERE) we had to make a U-turn and save a turtle from it's looming death. We decided on Old Mans Cave for our first stop in Hocking Hills. But not before a quick lunch break with Spam sadwiches in the parking lot. Haha

It rained that morning and all the colors were so vibrant plus the waterfall was really strong!

We loved the stone bridges and all the little tunnels and caves so much we spent quiet a bit of time there.

We left Hocking Hills to head towards our tee pee we booked for the night near Logan, Ohio. It's only a short drive (maybe 25 minutes) and we checked out Logan Lake on the way. Another tip for road trips is that whenever you see a fruit stand.... STOP! We always buy something for a snack and talk to the locals about events or other things happening in the area!

We arrived at our tee pee mid afternoon. Set up camp and relaxed for a little bit. Our tee pee was next to this pond and as cute and entertaining it was for the kids during the day... at night it was LOUD! At some points during the night, I seriously thought there was a donkey in our tee pee. It was that LOUD! haha

After we settled in and relaxed we decided to head over to Rockhouse and take a (very) small hike there.

Rockhouse was really amazing and except for the million steps going up and down it was a relatively easy hike.

Back at the tee pee we fixed dinner... a family favorite and such an easy meal to make on a camping trip. Only three ingredients: Jambalaya Rice Mix, Crushed Tomatoes and Kielbasa.

We ended the night with a serious talk about behavior and expectations we have from the kids and settled in our tee pee.

My highlight of the day: driving down the winding roads towards Hocking Hills and realizing how stunning Ohio really is!

The kids highlight of the day: Throwing the Atlatl.

Scot's highlight of the day: learning about the Indian mounds.

 

Have you been to Hocking Hills? We can't wait to go back as there is so much more to do and see!