Columbus Brew Adventures

Photos by OHventures

It's safe to say that for most of us, our ears will perk up at the mention of the word "beer." I mean, what goes better with watching the Browns or Bengals play on a crisp autumn afternoon than a bottle of bubbly booze? Or what allows you unwind after an exhausting hike through Ohio's fall foliage than a pint of pilsner? I think you know where I am getting at - beer and adventures go perfectly together. And not just in the fall, but all year long. So rather than go on an adventure and then have a brew, why not combine two and go on a Brew Adventure?!

With Columbus Brew Adventures introduced to us this September, now you can. Bethia Woolf, the same person who brought you Columbus Food Adventures (where we embarked on a Taco Truck Tour last year), has teamed up with Jim Ellison to bring us all another exciting way to treat yourself! With Columbus Brew Adventures, you can leave your worries behind when it comes to getting a designated driver! That's because as part of your tour you are driven around in a conversion van from brewery to brewery, and you can even have a cab called for you at the end of the evening if you are a little too loose to get behind the wheel.

At a cost of just $55-$65 per person, not only do you have the luxury of a completely mapped out bar hop, you also get generous samples of some of the best beers in all of Columbus (and Ohio) while learning fun facts and the stories behind the breweries and the brews themselves, from both Jim & Bethia, as well as the staff and owners of the places you visit on the tour! Because the tours are limited in size (you can only fit so many rowdy adults in the back of a conversion van), you must pre-order your tickets on the Columbus Brew Adventures official website. The tours fill up fast, so it's best to plan ahead, especially if you have a large group!

There are currently seven different tours offered, which all vary in theme, usually according to geography. The current tours available are: The Grandview Brewery Tour, The Downtown Brewery Tour, Pitchers & Pizza Tour, Meet The Brewers Tour, Southeast Ohio (Athens) Brewery Tour, Granville & Buckeye Lake Brewery Tour, and the Columbus Distilleries Tour (this one deviates from the beer theme and turns it up a notch with locally brewed liquors from Watershed Distillery and Middle West Spirits!).

I had the privilege of being invited to join Jim Ellison on a Downtown Brewery Tour on Saturday, November 9. Without hesitation, I carved time out of my schedule (twist my arm, why don't you?) and happily made my way to the meeting location for the start of the tour: Columbus Brewing Company (CBC). This would be the first of four stops we would make that day. The tour would start at 2;30 PM and last about 3.5 hours or so.

The CBC was a great spot to start, since it is located in what is known as the "Brewery District" of Columbus (in the south central portion of the city. It's located near German Village not by coincidence, but because most of the beers were/are German). Ironically, CBC is currently the one and only brewery still located in the Brewery District (at its height, the Brewery District was home to 5 breweries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, before prohibition). All of these little tidbits of info were factoids that I learned while on the Brew Tour, from our server at CBC, Jamie.

Seated around a large rectangular table in a private section of the restaurant/bar, Jamie served us up a bounty of food to start us off - it would be dangerous to start the tour on an empty stomach! We had calamari, flatbread pizza, chicken wings, and a gargantuan pile of loaded nachos she referred to as "Nacho Jenga." We were told that CBC attempts to incorporate beer in its food as much as possible, as evidenced by their beer cheese soup and pub nachos.

After we were adequately fed, Jamie served us three very different and very flavorful beer samples made at CBC. While I was impressed by all of the beers at CBC, the one that stood out from the crowd was the Bodhi, a double IPA that has been voted best in all of Ohio by Aleheads.com! With 8.5 percent alcohol, it has a sweet finish that had me begging for more! Alas, we had to make room for the beers at the rest of the breweries on the tour (you can read more about Columbus Brewing Company on my Yelp Review)!

Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

Photos by OHventures

All throughout the year, and even on the coldest and most wintry of days, The Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve is buzzing with visitors. Perhaps it is the geographical wonders that draws them in, or maybe it's the historical aspects of the park that brings them by. Whichever it is, the 956-acre area is sure to satisfy.

Located in Licking County, just east of the City of Newark and in the small town of Toboso, the Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve was established in 1976 in order to protect the area for generations to come. Ten miles of hiking paths run alongside the magnificent sandstone formations, which are a tremendous sight to see. On the other side of the path is the Licking River, which runs east to west and is responsible for forming the gorge many years ago.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the preserve got its moniker from a dark, hand-shaped Indian petroglyph which was engraved on the face of a massive sandstone cliff along the north side of the river. However, the petroglyph was destroyed during the construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal, which runs through the gorge. Sections of the canal towpaths and canal locks may be seen from the trails along the river.

READ MORE AT DISCOVERING OHIO

Longaberger Basket Building

Photo by OHventures

Longaberger Basket Headquarters
One Market Square
1500 East Main Street
Newark, Ohio 43055

By a landslide, the Longaberger Basket Headquarters in Newark, Licking County is the absolute coolest building in Ohio. And by coolest, I also mean weirdest!

If the Longaberger Basket Company hadn't made a name for itself as one of the most successful basket producing companies in the world, it sealed the deal in 1997 with the construction of its new home office building!

The building is regarded as the "World's Largest Basket," but is more than just aesthetics. Every day, 500 employees work in the ornate structure, which soars seven stories high and weighs a total of 9,000 tons (150 tons of which are the "handles," which are heated to prevent ice from forming). The novelty architecture sits on 25 acres of land and consists of 180,000 square feet of office space (30,000 square feet of which is dedicated to the massive skylight atrium).

The basket a near exact replica of the company's Longaberger Medium Market Basket, but 160 times larger in scale (the dimensions are approximately 192 feet long and 126 feet wide at the bottom, and 208 feet long and 142 feet wide at the roof).

The founder of the company, the late Dave Longaberger, dreamt up this peculiar concept, investing $30 million into its construction. Legend has it that most everyone was skeptical of the idea, but being the visionary he was, he forged ahead anyway. Since then, the building has received a number of construction awards and of course a great deal of fame and notoriety (it was one of Time Magazine's 50 Best Roadside Attractions among many other publications).

I happened upon the Longaberger Basket Building by chance, as I was driving along State Route 16 on my way to a winter hike. The building can be seen for literally miles away, and draws you in like moths to a light! You simply HAVE to stop and snap a picture (at the very least). There are also tours available by calling 740-322-5588!

5 Fun Fall OHventures

Looking for some fall fun for the whole family? OHventures has you covered! Here are 5 fantastic fall adventures across the Buckeye State for you to enjoy before the snow starts up!

1. Circleville Pumpkin Show: The Circleville Pumpkin Show is where families go to make memories and is one of the most highly anticipated festivals in the state. I first became aware of this gourd-tastic event when my college roommate and his family would perform in a band each year, ranting and raving for the weeks leading up to the event. In addition to live entertainment, there is much fun to be had at the annual show, which has taken place for the past 40 years for an entire weekend in October (this year, the fair runs from October 17-20). The Great Pumpkin Weigh-In draws a great deal of excitement, as it finds out who has grown the largest pumpkin in the state that year (these puppies are HUGE, weighing close to 1,500 pounds!). If that isn't enough squash for you, everything imaginable is made out of pumpkin: pies (over 20,000 to be exact), cookies, dips, salsas, burgers, sloppy joes - you name it! Crafts, games, parades, pageants, and more are crammed into the weekend as well!

2. Mansfield Reformatory Haunted Prison Experience: Nothing is spookier in Ohio than the Mansfield Reformatory. I don't mean the "fake spider web and bedsheet ghosts" kind of spooky. I am talking about the "decaying walls, rusted jail cells, and eerily quiet hallways echoing with stories of tortured prisoners" kind of spooky. This now defunct prison is one of the most majestic buildings in all of Ohio, resembling a Transylvanian castle soaring high into the sky. In the fall (RIGHT NOW) the prison is transformed into a haunted house! It is hands down THE SCARIEST haunted house experience I have ever had. I am not afraid to admit, that at age 25, I was jumping and shrieking left and right! The cost is $17 and the lines are incredibly long....but you can guess, it is worth the wait!

3. Camping: I have done a lot of camping at various locations throughout the state, all of which were unique and memorable in their own way. Some places I would suggest for any aspiring camper in Ohio are: The Atwood Lake Campground in Tuscawaras County (where they hold the annual "Fall Festival" each October), Pymatuning State Park in Ashtabula County (and partially in Pennsylvania), and of course Hocking Hills State Park in Hocking County (the most famous for hiking, ziplining, and pretty much every other OHventure in the state). However, the fun certainly does not stop at those 3 suggestions. There are HUNDREDS of campsites all over the state, which you can find at Ohio Camper. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone!

4. Apple Picking: A sea of apples and a maze of corn lie just minutes away, in every nook and cranny of Ohio, providing a perfect escape for anyone wishing to relive their childhood. For those in Central Ohio, Lynd Fruit Farm, located on the corner of state Route 310 and Morse Road in Pataskala, provides a bounty of fall activities for the young at heart throughout September, October and November. When you're there, it's like walking through a postcard. It's so serene and peaceful here. Coming here makes me almost forget about school and work and bills and all the responsibilities of life. It's also a cheap, or sometimes free, activity. To find the nearest apple orchard for public picking, visit Ohio Apples!

5. Tailgating: Whether you are a Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, or Ohio State Buckeyes fan (or even another college, high school, or peewee team), you are bound to be found hooting and hollering on a weekly basis (sometimes more), rooting for your favorite team to win. This is probably the most common and easiest of OHventures to be had, as it's probably not too difficult to round up some friends to drink some beer, eat a potluck of chili and hot dogs, and throw on some jerseys while gathered around a big screen TV! No matter what way you do it, the pigskin sport brings people together, in sports bars, parking lots, and man caves across the state! Ohio is truly a football-loving sport, so on the off days, you can try visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton to get your fix and learn some interesting history!

Apple Picking!

It's almost autumn, and with it comes a whole new set of OHventures.

Every now and then, a person needs to take a break and flee from the hustle and bustle of everyday big city life. A sea of apples and a maze of corn lie just minutes away, in every nook & cranny of Ohio, providing a perfect escape for anyone wishing to relive their childhood.

For those in Central Ohio, Lynd Fruit Farm, located on the corner of state Route 310 and Morse Road in Pataskala, provides a bounty of fall activities for the young at heart throughout September, October and November.

During the average year, 12 million apples will be hand picked, one at a time, and harvested at Lynd Fruit Farm. Although most of these apples are picked by migrant laborers, many are picked by ordinary people who come to walk up and down the countless rows of trees in search of the perfect piece of fruit.