Tag Archives: Butler County

Hueston Woods State Park in College Corner, Ohio

Located in Butler County, Ohio, Hueston Woods was a family favorite for summer vacation camping.  An hour and a half drive from Springfield, we would leave shortly after our father finished his work day with plenty of time to put up our tent and settle in for the evening.

The next day we would wake up early, enjoy a breakfast cooked over an open fire and then hike off our morning meal.  The park offers 12 miles of trails with the longest measuring just over 2 miles.  Our favorite hikes included animal sightings and a creek where we could search for crawdads.  We would also search for firewood and kindling for the evening’s fire.

Although we did not own a boat, we would pack a picnic and make a trip down to the marina.  On sunny days, boaters would drop off their boats, park their trailers and enjoy a day on the lake.  We would also find fishing holes in the nearby coves in hopes of catching our dinner of bluegill and catfish.

On a recent visit to Hueston Woods, I noticed the beautiful covered bridge over Four Mile Creek.  I couldn’t remember the bridge from our days of camping and soon learned that it was completed in 2012 to replace the previous metal bridge.  The covered walkways attached to the bridge allows visitors to pass through safely.

Nearby, Historic Hopewell Church is listed as a stop  on the Underground Railroad trail.  Dating back to 1808, the original log church was replaced by the current brick structure in 1825.  The nearby Hopewell Cemetery is the final resting place for local church attendees who died during the Civil War.  Nearly 1000 locals are buried here.

Overall, my favorite memory of Hueston Woods, was the reception of my aunt and uncle’s wedding.  They had met while attending the University of Miami of Ohio, so this was a perfect place to celebrate. I will never forget that it was the first time, at the age of nine, that I accidentally drank the spiked punch at the reception. I promise, it was only one sip.

Have you visited Hueston Woods near Oxford, Ohio?  What memories do you have of visiting this great Ohio state park?  I would love to hear about your experience if you would kindly leave a message in the comments section below.

What to See and What to Do:

Hueston Woods State Park
6301 Park Office Road
College Corner, OH  45003
Telephone:  513 523 6347

Where to Stay:

Hueston Woods State Park
6301 Park Office Road
College Corner, OH  45003
Telephone:  513 523 6347

Where to Eat:

The Bagel Shop and Deli
119 East High Street
Oxford, OH  45056
Telephone:  513 523 2131

  • Hours:  Sunday and Monday from 8AM to 12 AM and Tuesday through Saturday from 8AM to 2:30AM
  • Tips for Your Visit:  The lines can be long when the local bars close, so plan accordingly.

Hiking the Sunken Gardens Trail at Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania

Visiting my brother and his family over the Labor Day Weekend, my parents rented a camper for the drive to Butler County, northern Pennsylvania.  They parked the RV at a campsite near Moraine State Park for afternoon hikes and fishing.

The Saturday before the holiday, we decided to hike the Sunken Garden Trail at the nearby state park.  The hike is located on the southern side of Lake Arthur, one of the largest man-made lakes in Pennsylvania.   Marked with blue blazes, there are three different trail options ranging between 2 to 3 1/2 miles.

The children were more excited about the hike than the adults, but their energy made it just as fun for us.  Pointing out cattails, tiny orange flower and tall trees, no one was in a hurry to complete the easy nature walk.

After a short distance, we crossed over a small bridge.

We were surrounded by thick trees enjoying the shade.

On a few occasions we would catch a glimpse of the lake.

Colorful flowers bloomed along small sections of sand where the waves from the lake lapped the shoreline.  A man and his two children had brought fishing poles in hopes of catching Walleye, Crappie and Largemouth Bass.

From here we noticed Pleasant Valley Beach on the opposite side of the lake.  A family or two had set up blankets and lounge chairs as a couple of children were wading in the shallow end.

We approached the marshy area and heard a couple of frogs croaking under the vegetation.  Just across the marsh, we could see the boat dock and parking areas so we knew it wouldn’t be long until we had finished the hike.

Overall, we had a wonderful hike at the Sunken Garden Trail with the children and had worked up an appetite, so it was time to return to the campground to make some lunch.

Have you visited Moraine State Park and hiked the trails?  I would love to hear about your experience if you would kindly leave a message in the comments section below.  Many thanks for reading about our family day at the park and wishing you many Happy Travels!

What to See and What to Do:

Moraine State Park
225 Pleasant Valley Road
Portersville, PA  16051
Telephone:  724 368 8811

Where to Stay

Smith Grove Camp Grounds
1085 Herman Road
Butler, PA  16002
Telephone:  724 285 3600

Where to Eat:

Reclamation Brewing Company
221 South Main Street
Butler, PA  16001
Telephone:  724 790 4370

Loved their pizza and beer mac-n-cheese!

What to Eat: 

  • Pierogie Pizza

 

RV Camping in Butler, Pennsylvania

Anytime spent with my nieces and nephews is the best time, so when I went up to Butler to meet them for the weekend, we would be staying in an RV and exploring nearby Slippery Rock.  Here are some of my favorite photos from that weekend at the park.

 

What a great weekend of camping…the kids had lots of fun and so did we.  It was hard to leave Butler, but will be back soon….

On the Butler County Donut Trail Visiting Stan the Donut Man

I had been wanting to visit the donut shops on Butler County’s Donut Trail and headed north from Cincinnati to check out a couple of the donut shops on the list.  Stan the Donut Man was a small donut shop tucked away in a small shopping plaza in West Chester Township next to Jazzercize.

Standing in the long line, I was excited when I reached the kiosk with a list of pastries.  I could hear the patrons in line discussing their next order and reminiscing about their last week’s visit as they purchased dozens of glazed yeast donuts and apple fritters.

Inside are large racks filled with a wide variety of donuts while the walls display sports memorabilia from Cincinnati.  Their best sellers are the danishes and sour cream donuts, but I could not overlook the Davey Crockets, their ginormous cinnamon rolls.

With so many choices, I couldn’t resist the chocolate iced, cream-filled donut.

Stan the Donut Man is conveniently located off of I-75 in West Chester and is open 7 days per week from 6AM to noon.  But even at 8AM when I had arrived, there was a long line and several sold out pastries, so plan to arrive early.

Have you visited Stan the Donut Man?  Which pastry did you purchase?  Let me know by leaving a message in the comments section.  Thank you for reading about my visit to Stan the Donut Man and wishing you many Happy Travels!

What to See and What to Do:

Stan the Donut Man
7967 Cincinnati Dayton Rd.
West Chester Township, OH 45069
Telephone:  513 759 0016

  • Hours:  Daily from 6AM to noon
  • Length of Visit:  1 hour
  • Tips for Your Visit:  Arrive early as some of their pastries may run out and to minimize the amount of time you will wait in line.

Travel Plans for 2016

2016 is going to be another great year for travel. With close to 20 trips already planned and more in the works, I am excited that I will be venturing out into the world and experiencing fun, local trips across the state of Ohio.

With a Caribbean Cruise coming up, I will be working with tour operators and agents to maximize our time in each port.  I am most excited about this opportunity as I will be leading some  tours throughout the Caribbean over the summer and fall months of this year.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The Harbor of St. Thomas

Some of the islands I will be visiting include:  Antigua/Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados (Bridgetown, West Side, St. James Parish Church, Malibu Rum Tour and Beach), Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, St. Lucia (Part 1 and Part 2), St. Maarten, and St. Thomas.

000 Stingrays, Grand Cayman

Snorkeling with Stingrays

I will also be making visits to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

IMG_4932Sunset in Key West

Booked Travel in the US & Canada includes:  Key West, Tampa, and St. Augustine; Yosemite and the Pacific Coast Highway, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park (maybe); the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Booked Travel Elsewhere includes:  London and Paris

I was hoping to hit Machu Picchu this year, but that did not work out with my current schedule, only because I want to hike the trail which would require a guide and a permit.

2011 Cincinnati Skyline (2)

Local Travel includes:  Exploring the neighborhoods and restaurants of Cincinnati (Hamilton and Butler Counties) as well as Covington, Kentucky, the Erie Islands and Cleveland.

Have you already booked your vacation for 2016 or made travel plans?  I would love to hear about your adventures for this year, so please leave a message in the comments section below.  Wishing you many  Happy Travels!

Disclosure:   Please refer to our blog disclaimer tab for more information