Last minute, we decided to take a little overnight road trip from Columbus. We wanted to go somewhere fun, but also make the journey fun as well. What we learned is that trips go by so much faster, even with little 10 minute stops along the way to see something new. When you know it’s only an hour until your next stop, it breaks up the monotony of driving and keeps your eyes on the look-out for the next spot.
We started in Columbus and went to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where we visited Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Young’s Jersey Dairy Farm and Clifton Mills. These were at the recommendation of a friend, and we were not disappointed. We walked around a beautiful outdoor area, tried some homemade ice cream and saw one of the largest water-powered grist mills still in existence.
After that we made a few stops long the way that we found through Roadtrippers App. One stop was a legal graffiti wall near Dayton, Ohio, and a castle on the side of the road called Frankenstein’s Castle. These were short, ten minute stops, but peaked our interest as we were driving. We also stopped by a place called Jerry’s Junk, which is basically some guy’s house where he collects a lot of large antiques such as cars, phone booths, statues, etc.
We ended our road trip in Louisville, where we stayed downtown and were able to walk to Whiskey Row. We visited the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, not an actual distillery, but still was able to learn a little about how they make bourbon. (And of course, a tasting.)
Sometimes a little exploration near your home is all you need for a little fun and relaxation. We didn’t want to spend the entire time in the car, and if we picked somewhere further away for two days, we would have spent all our time in the car. This was a shorter journey that we stretched out by doing interesting things.
My suggestion is to pick somewhere you want to visit within 3-5 hours of your home. Enter your destination in the Roadtrippers App and see if you can make the journey just as fun as the destination!