OH, KY or IN?

[tinkerbell615]

Okay all of my budget minded Dis friends.

I would like to go for an overnight trip with my daughter to a place that would have maybe a cute little town or something that we could walk, shop, etc... I would like to do something that would be fun, but wouldn't really cost anything except to eat or if we wanted to shop.

Does any of this make sense or am I just rambling?

I would like to drive but not too far, so I am looking for destinations maybe within a few hours of southwest Ohio. I will also be looking for an inexpensive place to stay.

Can you help me with this?

 

[worm761]

What about the Amish Country? I know that Ohio has some. Though I cannot remember where.

 

[enlmomma]

what about Metamora IN it is about an hour away from Cincinnati right by Brookville Lake. There should be some Bed and Breakfasts in the area also

 

[peanut12392]

http://www.metamoraindiana.com/


Agree with Metamora, my daughter and I love it.

 

[tinkerbell615]

Good ideas. Thanks and please keep the ideas coming. I really appreciate it.

 

[tlcoke]

Nashville, Indiana, or Berea Ky have a lot of artistian type shops.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

Midway is just north of Lexington KY and Berea is about 45 min south. Both offer cute little downtowns to wander through and lots of boutique-y shops. The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill is between Lexington and Harrodsburg KY and is a wonderful historic venue.

Berea is the home of the Kentucky Artisan Center and has many wonderful shops full of handmade items, many staffed or owned by the artists themselves. There is also Boone Tavern in downtown Berea, which serves great food in a historic atmosphere.

Midway has a very nice little shopping district with some great cafes for lunch. It is also very close to the Kentucky Horse Park, which is open for touring year-round.

Shakertown has historic homes to tour, demonstrations to watch, and great food at the Inn.

You could easily base yourself in Lexington for 1-2 nights and see at least 2, and maybe all 3 of these places. My recommendations would be Berea and Shakertown. Lexington has great places to eat and stay, and you can get many reasonable hotels. Just make sure to book on the south / southeast side to be close to Shakertown (try Beaumont area off Harrodsburg Rd) or Berea (anything close to I-75 would do, Hamburg Place has the most hotels, restaurants and shopping close to I-75).

I can't post links, but "shakertown KY" will get you to their site, berea.com will get you to theirs, midwayky.net gets you to theirs, or you can visit visitlex.com to get to the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau (my mom used to work there, can you tell?).

 

[Leader of the Club]

I keep hearing Hamilton county Indiana advertised on the local radio. I haven't looked into it, but it may be cool

 

[kydisneyfans]

Many bedroom communities around lexington would fit your wishes. It really depends on what type of shopping you are looking for. Berea and Midway are both great ideas, and many of the other communities around this area have something to offer. Most of the hotels are along the I75 corridor, but there are several in the city that would work too.

You can Hotwire or Priceline hotels in the area for good rates.

Amish country NE of Columbus would also be recommended but the drive would be 3-4 hours from Cincinnati.

 

[tinkerbell615]

Thanks again to everyone. You all are a wealth of knowledge.

 

[vanyel]

How about Madison, IN? It's a delightful little town on the OHio River and is near Clifty Falls State Park. It has cute shops and little restaurants, plus cute places to stay. Unfortunately, the courthouse recently had a fire but it's still a beautiful place.

 

[jacksonfarms46147]

I second Madison, IN. I lived there for a couple years and adore the place. You can tour the Lanier Home and you have to eat at Hinkle's which is a great burger dive. Hanover College is nearby and with all the shops and things it is a great place to go for a couple days. Three people who came to visit me while i lived there ended up moving there they loved it so much.

Jodi

 

[tinkerbell615]

How about Madison, IN? It's a delightful little town on the OHio River and is near Clifty Falls State Park. It has cute shops and little restaurants, plus cute places to stay. Unfortunately, the courthouse recently had a fire but it's still a beautiful place.

I second Madison, IN. I lived there for a couple years and adore the place. You can tour the Lanier Home and you have to eat at Hinkle's which is a great burger dive. Hanover College is nearby and with all the shops and things it is a great place to go for a couple days. Three people who came to visit me while i lived there ended up moving there they loved it so much.

Jodi

If we decide to visit Madison, do you recommend a place to stay? Somewhere that would be reasonable and close to everything.

 

[PinkRhombus]

I second Madison, IN. I lived there for a couple years and adore the place. You can tour the Lanier Home and you have to eat at Hinkle's which is a great burger dive. Hanover College is nearby and with all the shops and things it is a great place to go for a couple days. Three people who came to visit me while i lived there ended up moving there they loved it so much.

Jodi

I grew up there! MUST stop at Hinkle's! http://www.hinkleburger.com/


And about an hour and a half Northwest from there is Brown County, IN. Lots of little shops. Lots of B&B's and cabins. There is an outlet mall to the north of there on I-65.

It would be easy to get back home from there by just going north on I-65 and taking I-74

 

[BroknMom]

We love Amish country in Walnut Creek, Ohio. We always stay at Zinck's Inn. DD18 loves it there. DH and I love the wineries

 

[vsimeone]

What about the Amish Country? I know that Ohio has some. Though I cannot remember where.

I was going to suggest this too. Holmes County (Amish Country) is the second largest tourist attraction in the state. Cedar Point is the largest. It's inexpensive as the hotels/inns are reasonable, food is good and cheap and it's mostly sightseeing. You could do one of the Amish Farms (Yoder's is a good one) and go window shopping in Sugarcreek/Millersburg etc.

Be sure to see Lehman's Hardware in Kidron. They specialize in "non-electric" appliances for the Amish.

It's probably about a 4 hour-ish drive from southwest Ohio but might be fun!

 

[vanyel]

If we decide to visit Madison, do you recommend a place to stay? Somewhere that would be reasonable and close to everything.

We stayed at the Clifty Falls Inn at the State Park. It's not a bad price and the rooms are cute. The only problem is that it is small and gets booked up quickly. But, the plus is that they often have cancellations and you can luck into a room. Here's the link. I really didn't check other places out in the area - sorry. Oh, and I discovered it seems to work better to call the inn direct.

http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/clifty/

 

[madge]

And about an hour and a half Northwest from there is Brown County, IN. Lots of little shops. Lots of B&B's and cabins. There is an outlet mall to the north of there on I-65.

It would be easy to get back home from there by just going north on I-65 and taking I-74

I was checking to see if anyone would mention Brown County, Indiana... that gets my vote!

 

[dyna]

Madison is a nice little town the Clifty Falls State Park is beautiful.

Corydon about 60 or 70 miles southwest of Madison is another nice little town Indiana's
1st State capitol the town square where the capitol building still stands has tours daily theres a few other tour buildings. The whole town limits it in about a 2 miles square area.The glass Factory is not to be missed it's one of the old fashioned ones with the OLD TOOLS an everything is made in an open fire pit totally done by hand you can go in an watch any days of the week except Sunday an Monday. They always happy to answer questions.

Many shops down on the square crafts antiques etc something for everyone. Many new hotels right off the Corydon exit most for 59.00 a night but can prolly get online or use coupon book an get a discount. There is a Bed an Breakfast just caddy corner across the street from the sqaure but it's more expensive than the hotel rooms.

Butts drugs just across the street from the town square still has an old fashioned soda fountain serves up great sodas an milk shakes.

The drive out Hwy 62 from Corydon is beautiful it's a scenic drive one od Indiana's byways an also part of the Lincoln trail. About 15 miles out is a resturant on the left called the Overlook that over looks the Ohio Rivers horseshoe bend that is beautiful well worth the stop even if you don't go in an eat.a left from the resturant an just a couple miles down the road there are road signs to I64 which going east on the interstate the next exit will be the Corydon exit. The drive on the interstate is almost as pretty as the one on the state hwy. Lots of hills.....

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

If you decide to visit Holmes County, don't forget to stop at Heini's. They have lots of delicious cheese and fudge to sample for free!!