Author: kdrenten
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Spread Eagle Tavern, other historic inns offer special ambience at holidays
The Spread Eagle Tavern & Inn, built in the 1830s, is decorated for the holidays. (Photo courtesy of Spread Eagle Tavern & Inn) By Ken Drenten Are you looking for an out-of-the-ordinary venue for a holiday gathering, special dinner or getaway? Try one of Ohio’s historic taverns and inns, such as the Spread Eagle Tavern…
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Clifton Mill lights up in spectacular fashion for holidays
Clifton Mill has a spectacular lighting display each holiday season. (Credit: Ken Drenten) By Ken Drenten Clifton Mill’s legendary annual holiday lighting display with more than 4 million lights won a nationally-televised holiday lighting award in 2018, and was nominated as one of USA TODAY’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice Travel Awards in 2022. The mill’s…
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It’s Christmas all year long at these small businesses
White Pillars Christmas House on US 40 near Norwich has Christmas decor and many other items available all year long. (Credit: Ken Drenten) By Ken Drenten Are you in the Christmas spirit? If not, you will be after you visit these small businesses in Ohio that specialize in Christmas. Some of them have items on…
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Ohio town squares are a throwback to earlier times
By Ken Drenten McConnelsville’s town square features a Civil War soldier monument. (Credit: Ken Drenten) A handful of Ohio’s smaller cities and larger towns have something in common – a central town square or town circle. Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Coshocton, Medina, McConnelsville, Millersburg, Mt. Vernon, Nelsonville, Newark, Somerset, Sunbury, Painesville and Urbana all have this…
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Antique malls and shops added to Dusty Tires
Gristmill Antiques in Beach City is in a former feed mill. (Credit: Ken Drenten) By Ken Drenten Antique malls and shops are like treasure troves. You never know what you’ll find in one, and you will almost always find something that reminds you of your childhood, or something that you or someone you knew had…
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Bear’s Mill is a Darke County landmark
By Ken Drenten Bear’s Mill in Greenville is one of the few Ohio mills that still operate with water power to grind grain and meal. (Credit: Ken Drenten) Art, history and culture intertwine at Bear’s Mill in Greenville, built in 1849 by Moses and Manning Hart and Gabriel Baer. The mill site and water rights…
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Fowler’s Mill is a thriving survivor in Geauga County
By Ken Drenten Fowler’s Mill is the home of Fowler’s Milling Co., near Chardon, Ohio. (Credit: Ken Drenten) Fowler’s Mill, built in 1834, has been a working grist mill for generations near Chardon in Geauga County. The mill is the sole survivor of a group of mills built in the 1830s on the Chagrin River.…
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Here are some haunted places to visit in Ohio — if you dare
The Kennedy Stone House (above) at Salt Fork State Park near Cambridge, was built in 1837. The last Kennedy family resident lived there until 1966, while the park was being developed. It’s been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975. (Photo illustration by Ken Drenten) By Ken Drenten There are lots of out-of-the-way…
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Ohio is rich in historic Native American sites
Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve in Licking County was one of the most important sites to ancient people in eastern North America for the flint reserves found here. By Ken Drenten Ohio has a rich collection of historic sites that pertain to Native Americans, and now a number of Ohio’s Native American heritage…
Dusty Tires 