Girls’ Weekend Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay

My annual tradition of spending a long weekend somewhere with girlfriends has come around full circle this past weekend, when myself and three friends drove from Cincinnati to Port Clinton, Ohio, and eventually ferried over to Put-in-Bay, where we began the tradition 22 years ago!  I don’t remember much about that weekend so many years ago, other than visiting the Marblehead Lighthouse, driving a golf cart around, and listening to a band on a beer splashed floor in a dark bar in the middle of the day.  This time was different.  We still had fun, in fact, we had more fun this time!  Initially we were going to stay on the South Bass Island where the village of Put-in-Bay is located, but with only a couple of months notice for planning the trip (creating a lack of options) and wanting to get some sleep, since many of the hotels are located near loud bars, I booked a condo through Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO) in Port Clinton, located within walking distance (15 mins.) to the Jet Express for the 25 min. trip over.  After settling in and having a delicious lunch prepared by one of the “girls” at the condo, we made a drink and headed down to the pool and hot tub for some relaxation.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather…80 degrees and sunny afternoons!

We freshened up and headed out to the Mon Ami Winery, located a short 10-15 min. drive from our condo.

jdvfA1ZAwPjlqkTuIL-w1aEfC5nEoDOnNc702ZFz1W4

Continue reading

Autumn has arrived at Indiana’s oldest and largest winery…Oliver Winery

Oliver Winery in Bloomington, Indiana has stunning scenery…stone landscaping, sculptures, beautiful flowers, and tranquil seating areas.  For my annual girls’ weekend this year, five of us visited the winery this past Saturday.  It’s one of eight wineries on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail.  The day before, a few of us went to the Butler Winery, which is also on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail, and really enjoyed our time there.  They are very different from each other.  Butler Winery is much smaller, has a more homey feel and natural beauty, and only a handful of people were there.  As you’ll see from these photos…Oliver Winery was very crowded, but beautiful!

DSC_0272

Dee is taking our photo here…

DSC_0025

Continue reading

Hiking the Rock Shelter Loop Trail

I love hiking and so do my girlfriends, so on our recent girls’ weekend, we went hiking on the Rock Shelter Loop Trail in Morgan Monroe State Forest, Indiana.  I had researched hiking trails in the area, and this trail seemed to be a good choice.  The trail was only supposed to be 20 minutes away from our Vacation Rental by Owner (VRBO), but getting lost on those back country roads made it seem much farther.  We couldn’t find the trail head once we were in the State Forest, but luckily I had the phone number for Morgan Monroe State Forest with me, so we called its location.  We weren’t going crazy…there was no sign for it.  The large sign said Low Gap Trail and then once you park and start that trail, there is a small sign (see below) indicating that the Rock Shelter Loop Trail is part of that trail.

Anyway, it was supposed to be a three-mile hike, but ended up being four miles.  I took a photograph of this leaf that was on a slick rocky portion of the trail.  The sunlight was illuminating it…

DSC_0105

Continue reading

First Stop on the Girls’ Weekend…Butler Winery

When I prepared the itinerary for my annual girls’ weekend this year, I included a stop at two of Indiana’s beautiful wineries.

After driving three hours from Cincinnati and getting lost a few times on the back country roads, we were ready for a glass of wine!  I had Google map directions and my friends had smart phones, but some of the streets didn’t have signs and we lost signal with the phones.  Butler Winery, located just five minutes from the Vacation Rental By Owner, was a convenient and fun stop!  They offer six complimentary tastings.

Notice the reflected vineyards in the window…

DSC_0062

Continue reading

Thurman’s Cafe in Columbus, Ohio

 

My annual Girl’s Weekend was in Columbus, Ohio this year.  It’s only one and one-half  hours drive there from Cincinnati, but I had a great time…as usual!  For the past five years we’ve been going to Cities…Nashville, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Lexington!  Anyway, this Cafe was made famous on the travel channel show–“Man vs. Food“.  They’re known for their huge hamburgers!

Every square inch of the interior was filled with an interesting mix of signs, games, art, and photos!

The four of us split two burgers and they were deeelicious!

We stayed at “The Residence Inn by Marriott” in a two bedroom suite in the heart of downtown and loved it!

The decor was modern, stylish and functional…

Although we only used the kitchen to make coffee and to make sandwiches for lunch one day, it’s nice to have!

Let the games begin!!