The Candle Lab

Photo by OHventures

The Candle Lab is a great indoor and fun way to get your creative juices flowing in Central Ohio. Various locations including Grandview, Worthington, Powell, and Short North can be found at their website.

I don't know why no one has thought of this before? A place to mix and match different scented oils to create your very own personalized candle?! It's a genius idea! And with 120 scents for you to experiment with, The Candle Lab will have your head spinning!

 

The Candle Lab is perfect for gifts. Guys can really impress their moms or wives or girlfriends by walking in and throwing together a couple of scents. It adds the perfect personal touch. And girls can do the same for guys...everyone likes things to smell good! You can go the flowery route (lavender, sunflower, magnolia, etc.), sugary-desserty route (graham cracker, marshmallow, whipped cream, etc.), fruity route (yuzu, fig, grapefruit, etc.), spicy route (rosemary, basil, clove, etc.) or the bizarre route (cannibis, campfire, tomato leaf).

 

Mansfield Reformatory

Photos by OHventures

Mansfield Reformatory
100 Reformatory Road
Mansfield, OH 44905-1208


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. Built in 1886, the Mansfield Reformatory served as a prison for some of Ohio's first-time offenders. It was looked at as being a progressive step forward for rehabilitation. However, conditions worsened over the years, so much so that it finally shut its doors in 1990. Many say paranormal activity runs rampant at the prison, as improperly treated and abused inmates who died in the jail (which amount to over 200 people) continue to haunt visitors (that is, if you believe in that kind of thing).

Ziplining Photo Blog

Who: You and any number of friends, no matter age or athletic ability
What: Ziplining!
When: Spring through Fall
Where: O-Zone Zipline Adventures, The Wilds Zipline Safari, Hocking Hills Canopy Tours
Why: Zoom through the foliage up close and personal!
How: Save up about $80 and ignore that fear of heights - you'll be safe!

Middle West Spirits

Photos by OHventures

Middle West Spirits

1230 Courtland Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215

First there were wineries, then there were breweries, and now the next big thing in the imbibing world is the recent crop up of distilleries. In Columbus, we are lucky to have a couple of great new distilleries, but I must say, respectfully, that Middle West Spirits outshines the competition.

Middle West Spirits first and foremost won me over with its customer service. I knew that I wanted to have an event at a distillery as part of a mini bachelor party-like tour of the city for one of my out-of-town friends. Middle West Spirits answered the call - literally - when other places would not. It was fantastic to talk to someone right away and to hear how enthusiastic they were about having their distillery as part of our "Guy's Day."

The distillery currently holds tours open to the public on Wednesday evenings. However, if like me, you have a special occasion on a different day (mine being Saturday), you are welcome to call ahead and reserve that day/time. What I wanted was a private tour & tasting and that is exactly what they set up for us. The cost was $10 with a minimum of 10 participants. We had 11 people, so that was no biggie. $50 needs to be paid in advance. Very reasonable!