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!

Stand Up Guys Paddleboarding

Photos by OHventures

Ever since my first experience paddleboarding two years ago on a quarry in Columbus (with Project 908), I had been itching to do it again. 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. The more people you have, the cheaper it is to rent. I ordered 5 paddleboards for 2 hours, which cost just $125!

My unsuspecting parents came along for the paddleboard excursion!

Next it was time to find out who to invite along for this epic adventure. 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. Two friends, Greg and Matt, also were up for the challenge. None of them had ever done it before. Of course my parents felt initially that it would be totally out of their league, for a number of reasons. But, as any good son would do, I basically pressured them into taking the leap of faith and trusting that they would be fully capable. 

The whole group with our colorful sunglasses!

As the Stand Up Guys demonstrated when they dropped off the boards and gave us a tutorial, it is very difficult to fall off! They purposely rocked and wobbled the boards to show this. This was particularly relieving to our buddy Matt, who actually doesn't even know how to swim! Thankfully for him (and for all of us), the Stand Up Guys provide life jackets with every board. You do not have to wear it the whole time, but you are required to have it fastened to your board.

Father & son out for dad's birthday!

After they adjusted our oars, they showed us the tricks to getting on (start on your knees then work your way up to standing), and paddling (keep your arms straight, one on top of the oar, one halfway down, creating a triangle with your arms and the oar). We were soon off on our own in the wide open waters!

The whole group off up and at 'em (well...or at least half way up, mom)

One of the most challenging parts of the start of our paddleboarding experience was fighting the wind! While it was a beautifully sunny day, there were portions of the lake where the wind was particularly strong and we had to paddle harder to get a good rhythm going. Another obstacle was navigating through the busy waters of Portage Lakes. Even the slowest moving pontoon boats would create little waves that would disturb your travels.

The first person POV!

But aside from those two minor items, paddleboarding on the crystal clear waters was a piece of cake, and we managed to make some good distance in the 2 hour time slot we were allotted. We launched from Old State Park Beach on Turkeyfoot Lake, where then we paddled around the ski & speed zone, through Mud Lake, then turned around, stopping on New State Park Beach before heading back. 

Get it Greg!

Look ma, no life jacket (I was not happy bout that haha)

It was a gorgeous day and so there were TONS of people out swimming, boating, canoeing, finishing, and the like. We were the only paddleboarders that I saw that day. Portage Lakes is a HUGE set of lakes, for those not familiar. So, if given more time, we would have lots more to explore. But, we were all getting pretty fried from the sun, and were working up quite an appetite!

We got back to the launching area and turned in our boards and oars to the Stand Up Guys. We then grabbed a bite to eat on the patio of On Tap at the Harbor Inn and talked about our adventure. Surprisingly, no one fell in! And everyone kept pace pretty well. I was able to prove to my parents and our friends that it is definitely something that most people can do if they just take that first step!

Top 10 OHventures of 2013

Another year has come and gone! It is hard to believe! Big life changes took place for me, as I moved from Columbus (after living there for a decade), to Akron/Canton to start the next phase of my career. Sandwiched in between friends' weddings, out-of-state vacations, and acclimating myself to my new surroundings, I made sure to cram in lots of adventures. I give to you the Top 10 OHventures of 2013. There were many to choose from, but if you needed to see the best of the best, here they are (in no particular order)!

1. Ziplining at Valley Zipline Tours: For my 28th birthday, I decided to take a day off of work and stare my fear of heights in the face by going ziplining at one of the newest facilities in Ohio, Valley Zipline Tours in Lancaster.

2. Fight For Air Stair Climb: Probably one of the most challenging physical activities I have ever participated in (and that's saying a lot) was climbing 880 stairs of the Rhodes Tower in Columbus to raise money for the American Lung Association. I was literally fighting for air during this intense event!

3. 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.

4. Paddleboarding with Project 908: My cousin Jake and my friends Matt and Jess joined me in my very own backyard (which happened to be a quarry) to try out paddleboarding with a Columbus-based company, Project 908. The pictures say 1,000 words.

5. 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!

6. Akron Marathon Relay: I ran many races this year (20 to be exact), but if I had to pick the most memorable of all, it would be the Akron Marathon. I was part of a relay team (Running For Donuts) for the first time, and was running through the city that I now call home - it was a great initiation to becoming an Akronite.

7. 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.

8. 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!

9. Arnold Fitness Classic: I have been attending the Arnold Fitness Classic for many years now. It is my favorite festival of all, and we are lucky to have it right here in Ohio. You can watch athletes from all over the world compete in dozens of sports, visit the expo for loads of protein, supplements, and other goodies, or participate in the Arnold Pump & Run!

10. 1 Year Sliderversary at Zoom Room: May 23, 2013 marked the 1-year anniversary since I rescuue the honorary OHventures mascot, Slider (my chihuahua). We celebrated in a BIG way!

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Follow OHventures on Instagram for kickass pics of our kickass adventures in the Buckeye state!

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!

Paddleboarding Photo Blog

Who: You and any friend wanting a great workout and some thrills doing something extremely unique.

What: Paddleboarding 

When: Whenever the water isn't frozen over, March-November!

Where: On any body of water within Ohio, from Lake Erie to the Ohio River to Griggs Reservoir.

Why: To experience a new and different surface water sport that gives you great exercise!

How: $30-$80 by renting (or buying) through Project 908

Photos by OHventures and Project 908.

Paddleboarding With Project 908

Photos by Project 908 and OHventures

Up until recently, I had no idea what paddleboarding was. I could probably make a few educated guesses based on the make-up of the compound word itself, but I still was not totally sure. But even without knowing exactly what it was, when someone asked me to go paddleboarding, I of course agreed. I mean, "YOLO," as the kids say these days.

Paddleboarding is also known as stand up paddle surfing or stand up paddleboarding. However, you don't actually have to stand up the whole time either, as you can opt to kneel or even lay down while doing it. This surface water sport consists of a surfboard-type device approximately 10-12 feet in length, typically made out of fiberglass or a similar material. As the name suggests, it also requires one to have an oar, or "paddle," to propel oneself on the water.

As it turns out, paddleboarding is gaining a ton of popularity, even in Ohio. That's because unlike surfing, paddleboarding does not necessarily require waves, or even a current, for one to partake. You can paddleboard on any body of water, whether it be an ocean, a lake, a river, or just a tiny little quarry (like I did). It is much less extreme than surfing, but still provides a lot of thrills and a killer workout.

In Central Ohio, a company called Project 908 was started for all of your paddleboarding needs! OHventures had the opportunity to meet with the owner, Nate, to get private lessons and learn more about the company itself.

Project 908 offers rental packages and private lessons to those interested! There are many options that you can discuss to maximize your paddleboarding experience. Make sure you call or email the office a few days in advance to plan everything. Project 908 can deliver boards right to you in and around Columbus, or you can transport the boards yourself with the proper vehicles! The prices are extremely reasonable: $30 per board for 2 hours, $60 per board for 4 hours (half day), and $80 per board for a full day.

Some great ideas of where to take your paddleboards are: Alum Creek, the Griggs Reservoir, or the Scioto Mile downtown. Me and my friends Matt and Jessica, as well as my cousin Jake, opted for ultimate convenience and had the paddleboards delivered right to my home at the Runaway Bay Apartment Complex. The complex sits on a large quarry, so we could spend our 2 hours on a calm, peaceful, and nearby body of water.

Nate brought the boards to us at the quarry and we spared no time getting them in the water!! There were a few different boards that he brought to us, each one a bit more advanced than the other. My friends nominated me to go first, so I of course took the least risky of the boards so that I didn't embarrass myself! It was a large, flat blue paddleboard that we nicknamed the blue whale!

Getting going on the paddleboard was a bit tricky! You have to start in a kneeling position, bringing yourself to a standing position slowly yet deliberately so that you maintain your balance on the board. Your feet should be shoulder width apart and should straddle the middle of the board exactly so that you do not wobble.

Once you are all aligned, the tough part is steering with the oar. You place on hand on the top (which I didn't always do by mistake), and one lower on the handle. Like a canoe or rowboat, you must switch sides when paddling in order to go straight. If you want to turn right, you paddle on the left and if you want to turn left, you paddle on the right. Reversing is a bit more advanced, but essentially requires you to "back paddle" by turning the oar backwards.

I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and watched as the others hopped on their boards. We each took turns on the different boards so we could experience the different levels of difficulty. Some are more aerodynamic and require you to focus more on balancing in order to master it. Matt and I even switched boards in mid water, without getting wet, which was fun, yet pretty tricky!

I never fell into the water, but I admittedly played it pretty safe as well. Jake took a spill on one of the more difficult boards when taking a turn (he would probably advise you to think twice about paddleboarding when hungover). And Matt took a number of falls, but that was because he was attempting daredevil tricks such as handstands and headstands!

Nate told us that sometimes he takes folks out on the boards and they all have a yoga class in the middle of a lake. Because of this, he had both Jess and I try different yoga moves, such as the sun salutations and side planks. Let me tell you, if you think that yoga is hard enough in a studio, try doing it on top of a paddleboard! That extra element of balance really takes it up a few levels!! No matter what you do on the boards, be prepared for some sore feet, calves, and shoulders, as your muscles are working in overtime to get yourself moving on the water.

The water was perfect - like glass - on the day we paddleboarded with Project 908! It really could not have been a better experience. Nate was a fantastic teacher and was extremely easy to get along with. He was kind enough to take a number of photos for us (which you can see throughout this post). We also scored some awesome t-shirts to show off our accomplishment (available for purchase online). The best thing was that he allowed for my dog, Slider, to hop on the paddleboard for a few minutes at the very end (below)!!

Project 908 actually manufactures all of their paddleboards right here in the state's capital of Columbus, which allows for some customization. You can pick between different color options, as well as custom graphics. In addition you can purchase different packages along with your paddleboard to get exactly what you want out of your paddleboard experience. So if you rent a board and come to find that it's something you love, perhaps the next step is to consider buying one through Project 908!

No matter what you have in mind for you and a group of friends to scratch paddleboarding off of your Buckeye Bucket List, do not hesitate to go with Project 908. They will work with you to accommodate you in any way they can, and you will find that paddleboarding is the most fun you can have standing up!