Top 10 OHventures of 2015

2015 brought the most out-of-state adventures and vacations than any other year in the past. I went to Washington,DC; Detroit; Siesta Key, Florida; Chesapeake Bay, Maryland; Las Vegas, and Chicago, to name a few. However, despite the jet-setting across the country, I still stayed true to my Ohio roots! This year brought some of the most high quality and exciting Ohio adventures to date! 

As with every year (see 2012, 2013, and 2014), I give to you the Top 10 OHventures of 2015. There were many to choose from, but if you needed to see the best of the best, here they are (in no particular order)!

Use this list to start planning some awesome bucket list items to do in 2016.

1. VeloSano 100-Mile Bike Ride: This epic fundraising event was held in Cleveland, with over 2,000 cyclists signed up to raise money in the months leading up to their bike rides. I raised over $1,500 for cancer research, rode 100 miles, over 4,000 feet of elevation, in the 90 degree heat, which took about 9 hours!

2. Kalahari Indoor Waterpark & Resort: With the nation's largest indoor waterpark, a candy shop with seemingly endless amounts of treats and desserts, one of the best arcade and gaming areas around, world-class spa treatments, a fitness facility, and a fine selection of adult beverages (including a swim-up bar),Kalahari Resort in Sandusky is anyone's dream come true.

3. Escape To Kelley's Island: Located in Erie County in the western basin of Lake Erie about 4 miles north of the Marblehead peninsula and 10 miles from Sandusky Measuring more than 4 square miles, Kelley's Island is the largest American island located in Lake Erie. Join us as we drink, eat, sightsee, and adventure on the island, and for an added bonus, read about our flight to the island!

4. CryoTherapy Plus: I survived -293 degrees Fahrenheit with Cryotherapy! Cryotherapy is an anti-inflammatory treatment involving skin exposure to ultra-low temperatures for a brief, controlled time, in order to help enhance athletic performance and recovery. It's one of basketball prodigy LeBron James' favorite things to do after games, which was reason enough for us to check out this Akron area full-service cryotherapy spa!

5. Cooking Class at Gervasi Vineyard: Being a frequent flyer at all three of Gervasi Vineyard's amazing restaurants (The Crush House, The Piazza, and The Bistro), and being a budding chef in my own home kitchen, I had been wanting to attend a culinary class at The Cucina for quite some time. I had the chance to be a student this October in the "Great Fall Grilling" class with Chef Meg Feller as my instructor.

6. Go Ape Treetop Adventure: This past April, the Go Ape Treetop Adventure course opened to the public in the Cleveland Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation. The Go Ape Treetop Adventure Course challenges participants with an outdoor obstacle course over 3,000 feet in length and is suspended up to 40 feet above ground. The course gives you the opportunity to see the world from a bird's eye view as you navigate the treetops like a monkey by traversing bridges, zooming on zip lines, and hanging on ropes.

7. Bodhi Tree Guest House & Studio: This Buddhist-inspired getaway can be found off the beaten path, hidden among the trees and on four acres of the Appalachian hillsides of Southeast Ohio. Booking a room earlier this summer allowed for me to retreat from the busyness of life, clear my mind, and treat both my body and soul. I opted for a Thai massage coupled with a 60-minute float in a state-of-the-art float tank!

8. Stand-Up Guys Paddleboarding: In the Akron area, at the Portage Lakes, there is a great company aptly named The Stand Up Guys, who offer paddleboarding rentals along the PLX for very reasonable prices! The Stand Up Guys are totally laid back and willing to work with you on rental times and the location on the lakes in which you will launch from. I was able to convince my dad to try it out for the first time ever as a birthday gift to him, and I dragged my mom along too. 

9. Ultimate Beer Run: Team OHventures (Me, Matt, Megan, Matt #2, Jess, Megan #2, & Jim) united in our green & gray OHventures t-shirts, party beads, and oversized neon sunglasses to tackle the challenge of the Ultimate Beer Run head on! The Ultimate Beer Run isn't about who is the fastest or the fittest. It's about good people, good beer, and tons of good costumes!

10. Rhinegeist Brewery: Rhinegeist is a brewery situated in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Over The Rhinein Cincinnati (which is located in Hamilton County). Nothing beats the atmosphere at Rhinegeist. The wide open interior is available to reserve for private events, or you can come anytime to play cornhole, ping pong, foosball, or watch a ball game - all while relaxing with some locally brewed booze. Take a tour to learn about the history, or enjoy the awesome rooftop bar for a 360-degree view of Cincinnati.

Cook Like A Pro At The Gervasi Cucina

 

If you've ever wanted to become chef for a day, creating culinary cuisines and learning tricks of the trade that will impress your family and friends, look no further than Gervasi Vineyard in Canton. You can make that cooking dream a reality by booking a class at The Cucina, a fully-equpped professional kitchen located on site at the Villa Grande.Classes are completely hands on, letting you be in control of the preparation and cooking process, while being guided step-by-step by one of the restaurant's experienced chef instructors. Not only that, you get to sit down with your classmates and enjoy the meal you created, paired perfectly with one of the many fine wines from Gervasi's vineyard. In addition, you get to take home the coveted black and red apron!

Most all classes have slots available for up to 16 students, and are typically about 3 hours in length. Most take place primarily in the spring, fall and winter months. This is because the kitchen you use as the classroom is also a fully functioning kitchen used to cater weddings and special events that take place at Gervasi. It's exciting to be in the middle of the action, as real chefs and cooks are creating magic just a few feet away from you!



There's an incredible amount of classes offered, all with an equally enticing theme. You can sign up to learn how to make "kneadlessly" simple breads, artisan pastas, or wood-fired pizzas. You can get a bit more adventurous with a sushi-making class, or a course dedicated to chilis and stews. You might want to consider sampling specific worldly cuisines, like Mexican, Italian or French! Cool new classes are always popping up, and there is something for everybody! Classes fill up very quickly, so if you see something you like, don't hesitate to book your spot immediatey!

Being a frequent flyer at all three of Gervasi's amazing restaurants (The Crush House, The Piazza, and The Bistro), and being a budding chef in my own home kitchen, I had been wanting to attend a culinary class at The Cucina for quite some time. I had the chance to be a student this October in the "Great Fall Grilling" class with Chef Meg Feller as my instructor. The high quality and elegance you'd expect from any of Gervasi's establishments is found throughout your cooking experience at The Cucina.

On the menu for our grilling extravaganza was: brown suger and bourbon flank steak, citrus and basil cedar plank salmon, grilled sweet potato salad with honey mustard vinaigrette, lemon parmesan grilled brussels sprouts, and grilled pear and almond packets with vanilla ice cream! This lengthy list allowed for us to cook side dishes, main courses, and a dessert - all using our newly acquired skills on the grill. 

Chef Feller taught us many things, including how to skin a salmon fillet, how to check the temperature of your meat (and what the appropriate temperatures should be), how to properly slice and dice our various ingredients, and more. We were also taught how to use cedar planks while grilling our salmon in order to get a bold flavor, and she introduced us to some cool utensils, like ceramic knives!

After our cooking was complete, we plated our meals and chowed down. It was a great feeling to know that we were responsible for cooking these gourmet restaurant-quality dishes ourselves! I'm looking forward to attending even more classes to build upon my chef skills!