OHventures' Greatest Hits!

With over 500 posts over 6 years, OHventures has definitely showcased a plethora of ideas to spark adventure in your life. We've whittled it down to the BEST of the BEST in this special edition post of "Greatest Hits" from OHventures! 

1. BrewBoat Cleveland: Part bike, part boat, and part bar, the BrewBoat on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland is a one-of-a-kind experience that will guarantee to be a hit for you and your adventure-and-beer-loving friends.

2. Escape Room Downtown: While I am usually posting about adventures that exercise the body, escape rooms exercise the mind. They bring people together to use their brains to accomplish the goal under the given time limit, which is a huge adrenaline rush! Join us as we head to the Escape Room Downtown in Canton to tackle "The Missing Detective's Office"!

3. Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad: ALL ABOARD! The CVSR can be found in Northeast Ohio, running through the heart of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (the one and only national park in the state of Ohio). The main portion of the railway runs northbound from Akron in Summit County, all the way to Independence in Cuyahoga County.

4. SegAway Tours of Columbus: SegAway Tours of Columbus offers a series of tours for anyone interested in uncovering hidden secrets about the city while leisurely gliding through the parkways, riversides, and sidewalks of downtown, Arena District, Short North, and Victorian Village. It was a challenging experience, but one I will never forget. I am hooked on Segways!

5. Findlay Market Cincinnati: Even on a Sunday afternoon, the Findlay Market located in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is booming with activity. As Ohio's oldest public market, the Market shows no signs of slowing down. 

6. Spartan Race Ohio: The Spartan Race was one of the greatest challenges I have ever embarked on, and one that was unforgettable and incredibly fulfilling for the adventurous spirit within me. On May 8, OHventures traveled to Cumberland to tackle all of the mud, obstacles, and burpees that make up the grueling course.

7. 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!

8. 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.

9. 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. 

10. 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. Join us as we check out this Akron area full-service cryotherapy spa!

11. Cooking Class at Gervasi Vineyard: Being a frequent flyer at all three of Gervasi Vineyard's amazing restaurants,  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. 

12. Go Ape Treetop Adventure:  The Go Ape Treetop Adventure Course in the Cleveland Metroparks' Mill Stream Run Reservation.challenges participants with an outdoor obstacle course over 3,000 feet in length and is suspended up to 40 feet above ground, traversing bridges, zooming on zip lines, and hanging on ropes.

13. 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 - complete with a Thai massage and a 60-minute float in a state-of-the-art float tank!

14. Stand-Up Guys Paddle Boarding: In the Akron area, at the Portage Lakes, there is a great company aptly named The Stand Up Guys, who offer paddle boarding rentals along the PLX for very reasonable prices! 

15. Rhinegeist Brewery: Nothing beats the atmosphere at Rhinegeist in Cincinnati. 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. 

16. The Lodge At Geneva-On-The-Lake: The romanticism of Ohio's Lake Erie shoreline is encapsulated to perfection at the upscale yet affordable Lodge at GOTL. I stayed here for a weekend in June and saw for myself all the fantastic pleasures that can be unearthed while staying at this hot vacation spot.

17. Mohican Tree House Cabins: Halfway between Cleveland and Columbus is an adventurer's paradise, an outdoorsman's dream, and one of the most unique attractions found in all of Ohio: I stayed overnight like Swiss Family Robinson in these AWESOME accommodations!

18. Tree Frog Canopy Tours: The tallest, fastest, and longest zip line in all of Ohio! Pictures say 1,000 words.

19. Columbus Pedal Wagon: My family & friends hopped aboard this contraption that required us to use our man-power to wheel the wagon from bar to bar to bar in the streets of the Short North one football Saturday in October. 

20. Kayak The Bay at PIB: Between drinking wine and barhopping on 4th of July weekend in Put-In-Bay, a group of college friends decided to get a workout in and kayak the beautiful waters of Lake Erie surrounding South Bass Island. 

21. Open Air Safari at The Wilds: Seeing camels, giraffes, ostriches, and antelope within hands-reach was an experience I will never forget, thanks to my visit to The Wilds in Cumberland. Think of it as a zoo but 1,000 times cooler.

22. Columbus Brew Adventures: Being driven around in a van and taken to various breweries throughout Columbus for grub, fun facts, and of course booze? Can't get much better than that!

23. Horseback Riding at Faith Ranch: If I could go horseback riding every weekend, I would. The city boy in me became a little bit country when I ventured to the town of Jewett to embark on an hour-long horseback trail ride at Faith Ranch.

24. Monumental Workouts in Canton: The McKinley Monument in Canton is not only a massively historic landmark, serving as the resting place for President William McKinley, but it is also becoming a hotspot for fitness enthusiasts who run the stairs and attend boot camp classes here!

Hiking At Quail Hollow State Park

Photos by OHventures

Quail Hollow State Park
13480 Congress Lake Avenue
Hartville, OH 44632

Quail Hollow State Park is a multi-functional park that has a variety of trails (14 miles total) accessible to handicapped individuals and experienced hikers alike. There is also a designated horse trail (5 miles) and mountain bike trail (4 miles). 

I have taken readers to Quail Hollow to go sled riding and for a photo shoot. Now, I encourage you to go to this Stark County state park to go hiking! My good pals Greg and Matt joined me one crisp November morning to head out on an expedition to Quail Hollow. We knew the trails offered here are relatively short and are moderate in length, so it would be a light and non-demanding trip. We had a goal of making a 4-5 mile hike, which we predicted would take us 2-3 hours, with stops.

Driving into the park entrance, we parked at the trail head for the Sedge Marsh. This short 1/4 mile section of trail is made out of boardwalks. We completed that quick loop and then hiked the Meadowlands (1 mile), followed by the Beaver Lodge Trail (1.5 miles). We accidentally happened upon a portion of the bridle trails, which I do not recommend (there were a lot of "land mines" along the way that didn't make for a great hike). When all was said and done, we met our goal by hiking 4.4 miles in 2.5 hours.

During our hike, we actually stumbled upon a geocache! This was really neat, since I had never seen one before, and especially neat since we weren't even trying to locate it using GPS, like those who participate in geocaching.

One of my favorite aspects of the park is the herb gardens and the Carriage House Nature Preserve, which has educational exhibits and interactive elements. It's a beautiful old house that the Tall-Grass Prairie Trail wraps around. In addition to hiking, biking, geocaching, sledding, and horseback riding, other activities at Quail Hollow include: fishing, camping, picnicking, cross country skiing, volleyball, basketball, and special events.

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Just like our blog, you'll find all kinds of exciting ideas of things to do in Ohio, including:

• Paddleboarding
• Winemaking
• Skiing & Snowboardng
• Skydiving
• Ziplining
• Biking
• Mud Runs
• Horseback Riding

AND MORE!

Horseback Riding at Faith Ranch

Photos by OHventures

Time to saddle up!

Horseback riding has been on my Buckeye Bucket List for quite a while now, and it was one that I was beginning to worry I would never accomplish! When I was 17, I got to ride a horse at my sister-in-law’s mother’s house, but it was such a short ride that I barely recall! In essence, I do not count that experience when I was 17 because I am pretty sure it lasted for about 100 yards or so. Plus, it was in Pennsylvania, and we all know that nothing gets checked off of the Buckeye Bucket List that happens outside of Ohio.

Therefore, it was a very pleasant surprise when Faith Ranch contacted me and asked if I wanted to take part in an hour-long trail ride. Located in the city of Jewett, in Carroll County, Faith Ranch is a Christian-based camp with a riding stable and retreat center.

For over 40 years, Faith Ranch has been offering horseback riding adventures by the hour, the day, and even the weekend in a multitude of packages. Many young children come to Faith Ranch on school field trips, scouting events, or on the high adventure horsemanship summer camp to learn about faith, horses, ranch life and friendship while partaking in nature hikes, crafts, archery, pony cart rides, rapelling, cattle round ups, and overnight wilderness excursions. 

In addition to the camp life, there are also group retreats for folks of all ages, which include meals, lodging, horseback riding, hayrides, and other activities for 24-hour or 40-hour periods.You can customize a retreat or even attend a weekend family camp as well.

The great thing about Faith Ranch is that it is open YEAR ROUND and offers horseback trail rides that are charged by the hour. You don't need any experience prior to coming, and you can come alone or in a group! Most folks come to Faith Ranch for the same reason I did: to hop on a horse and explore the 4,000 acre property in the peaceful and secluded countryside. The base rate is only $25 an hour, which is a steal (it's even cheaper if you have a larger group)! If you prefer to come and take private or group riding lessons prior to tackling a trail, Faith Ranch has you covered on that end, too!

I arrived at Faith Ranch for a quick hour-long trail ride. I was a bit nervous - more nervous than when I went ziplining, but not as nervous as when I went skydiving, to put it into perspective.  A short prayer precedes each trail ride, which is good for a number of reasons. For starters, I am Christian and so there’s never a bad time to pray. And secondly, I was scared out of my wits to get on top of this large animal and trot around unknown terrain with zero experience. I was going to need all the prayer I could get!

Jokes aside, the trail guides (Candy and Dave) assured me that everything would be safe, and they even provided me with a helmet. Candy and Dave had many years of experience working not only at Faith Ranch but with their own horses up near Cleveland. We were in good hands, spiritually and physically (and legally, too, given that I signed a waiver and all)!

After a few awkward minutes on the horse (whose name was Presence), I started to get the hang of things, and even got to the point where I was able to relax and enjoy the ride! As expected, the scenery was fantastic, and the horses were so gentle and magnificent.

I had so much fun chatting with Candy and Dave as they guided me along the trail, pointing out local landmarks and telling stories of all of their years at the ranch. They taught me a great deal about riding a horse: how to hold the reigns and the proper words to say to the horse to get him to go (WALK) or stop (WOAH) or trot (TROT, naturally). The trotting was pretty thrilling, as was going downhill!

The hour long ride went by so quickly, and I had only wished that I had booked a longer trip. But, it probably was for the best, as my entire rear end was already sore from the saddle. Either I need more experience on horses, or I need more padding on my butt. Either way, I sadly had to end the trail ride and say goodbye to Candy, Dave, and of course Presence. 

Next time I come, I will be bringing my whole family along, and we will most definitely schedule more than just a one hour ride. There is so much to see and do at Faith Ranch that you need much more time than that! Thanks again to the fine folks at Faith Ranch for this wonderful OHventure.

Maybe I should stick to fake horses?