Das ist gut, ja?

The history of Ohio includes the accomplishments of scores of diverse individuals from all about the world. Germans were early immigrants to the country and likewise in the state of Ohio. In the early to mid 1800s, German settlements popped up in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, where opportunities for business along an emerging canal system were ripe. Today a walk through German Village (wiki, map), just south of Downtown Columbus, is a walk through the history of the German-American experience in Ohio and America (see right, click to enlarge).

The ups and downs of America -- and Ohio -- are reflected in the 233 acres that have seen development, decline, decay, destruction and rebirth. German settlers built a little community here through the dawn of the 20th Century, but the natural movement of young adults away from home, the backlash of a nation involved in two wars with Germany, prohibition (beer!) and the Great Depression took its toll on the area.

But in the 1960s the die was cast to begin a movement and organization that would become one of the most distinguished examples of neighborhood revitalization in the country. The German Village Society was formed and wove through the intricacies of city government to begin the preservation and revitalization of the settlement. Today over 1600 buildings have been renewed and the society boasts over 1000 preservationists.

German Village is best visited on foot. The streets, in typical European fashion, are tight (see left, click to enlarge) and sometimes jog inexplicably at angle. Plus a walking tour is the only way to truly linger in front of homes and gardens without irritating drivers behind you. The homes today vary from the historic to the historic looking, with an odd out-of-style home here or there that was existed before the preservation efforts began. The society's requirement is that the facade of the house look historic, while the interior can be modified as the owner desires.

The only neighborhood to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is a testament to the will power of volunteerism. German Village was revitalized without state or federal financial assistance. It is coveted real estate, with the median house price estimated at nearly $400,000. The typical German Village home is a two or three bedroom house that sits close to the road, emulating the close-knit feel of villages in Germany.

Examples of the types of homes in German Village vary from modified warehouses, small homes that were creatively adjoined to create a larger and historic homes preserved. But you will be hard-pressed to see similar homes in the village. Drive around the outerbelt that loops Columbus and you can see the same home style, with the boom of growth in the 1990s, replicated throughout your trek, but in German Village each street offers a unique vista.

One of the more interesting homes is a pair of adjoining homes built by a pair of German brothers who were feuding at the time. Determined that each side of the house would not look like the other brother's, two very distinctive style sit awkwardly from the curb (see left, click to enlarge). But not long after completion, the two brothers enlisted in the cause and mustered out with an Ohio regiment to fight in the Civil War.

The neighborhood's investment in itself is evident from the voluntary efforts to maintain the gardens and throughways. During a guided tour, one of the key members of the governing board of the village shared that the City of Columbus once could not afford to maintain the brick-paved roads and sought to asphalt over a street. The entire village turned out to repair the brickwork themselves, from the noticeably aged to the very young. A little media coverage of the repair work guilted city council into funds for upkeep. In 2007 they were named a Preserve America Community by the Presidential Preserve America cooperative.

It is hard to wander through the parks in the village without seeing volunteers hard at work in the gardens. The centerpiece park of the village is Schiller Park (see left, click to enlarge), which was briefly re-named Washington Park as part of the anti-German sentiment during World War I. A vast open space for dogs to romp, residents to exercise, and for Shakespeare to come alive. The amphitheater plays the Bard each summer weekend at no cost to the public.

A sculpture titled the Umbrella Girl (see right, click to enlarge) has been attracting visitors to one of the corners of Schiller Park since the 1870s, but its current visage is the second generation of the sculpture. In the 1950s the original sculpture disappeared without a trace and still today the situation remains a mystery. The second sculpture was dedicated in the 1960s.

There are other greenspaces and gathering places within the district. A small two-tenth of an acre vacant lot, which was sarcastically referred to as "dog****" park, (see left, click to enlarge) was revitalized into a showcase garden known as Frank Fetch Park in honor of the man who initiated the German Village movement. Shopping, dining and overnight accommodations are abundant and equally unique. Among the popular dining stops are the original Max and Erma's restaurant and Schmidt's Sausage Haus (see right, click to enlarge). Juergens Bakery offers delectable goodies and at least 10 years ago accepted payment in Deutsche Mark! The Book Loft offers 32 rooms of shelves for browsing and there is no shortage of quaint Bed and Breakfast homes.

The best starting point for a tour of German Village is the Meeting Haus on South Third Street. An outstanding 10 minute video (also available over the web) provides the historical backdrop of German Village. Food and fun are found in one neighborhood that hides just south of Columbus, beckoning one and all to drink, dine and dawdle in a culture that is intertwined into the fabric of Ohio.

-J.

A Hill of a Place to Hide

The geography of Ohio offers plenty of variety to those seeking a walk in the park of a hike in the hills. From plains to river valleys or canal towpaths to rolling hills, Ohio has a little bit of it all. One of the more unique and well-visited parks is in the Hocking Hills in southeastern Ohio. Old Man's Cave (see right, click to enlarge) is a popular destination located about an hour southeast of Columbus and not far from Athens, Ohio.

Named after an old hermit Richard Rowe who lived here (see left, click to enlarge), the massive outcropping of Old Man's Cave is staggering in its size. Less a typical cave, the outcropping is easily a hundred feet high and nearly has deep. The history of the cave is that Rowe's family moved to the Ohio River to set up a trading post and Richard wandered northward on hunting trips to the gorge of the outcropping named for him. Legend says he is buried under the ledge but its exact location neither recorded nor marked.

Hiking the trails around the cave can be a family affair but not for the less able. There are narrow trails and low head-room tunnels, slippery moss-covered and wet rocks and inclines of various angles. (see left, click to enlarge)


Several bridges span the creek along the basin of the hills (see right, click either to enlarge). A moss ensconced stone bridge crosses at the base of Old Man's Cave and offers great vantage points of this part of the park. Farther up the creek the trail winds to an artistic concrete, pedestal style bridge that seems to channel Franklin Lloyd Wright in its design. Gaps between blocks and no true rails upon which to hold while crossing make this a rather interesting span.


It is hard to put into perspective the sheer magnitude of Old Man's Cave. It would be easy to lose perspective in landscape photographs. Seeing the size of people in the distance walking along the ridge of the cave begins to give a sense of scope (see left, click to enlarge). Walking another ridge which seems to be the floor of the valley leads to steps upward with contradictory signs noting "to lower falls." Sometimes you have to go up to go down, as peering out over the rock ledge you indeed see that what was thought to be the valley floor only descends a hundred feet or more to what may -- or may not be -- the floor of the valley.

A day, or two, can be spent wandering the hills. The suburban middle-class weekend escape movement in the 1990s spawned many chalet, cabins and other getaway retreats that dot the land around the park. Even the Ohio state parks system offer cabins in the region for overnight stays. A Google search will yield countless results for weekend cabin deals.

Beyond the cave, there are a series of other geographic and geologic sites to see. Cedar Falls (see left, click to enlarge) is another popular stop that can be accessed either by a long hike from the cave or a short drive and descent back to the basin floor. Misidentified Hemlock trees became the moniker for the falls, as early inhabits thought the trees to be Cedar. There are no Cedar trees in the area.

A grist mill once sat atop the bluff as the creek rambles over the rocks and drops some hundred feet below. A neat architecturally attractive bridge crosses the creek near the mill. The falls are a popular site for photography buffs, the entire park draws amateur and professional photographers alike. There is an annual contest with many different categories that offer some incredible results. There are literally hundreds of thousands of images that turn up on a Google Image search of "old mans cave"!

It's hard to fathom the power of nature, but Old Man's Cave shows both the natural and man-made interaction between weather and geography. Several markers explain the geologic action between earth, rock, water and wind but the most unique interaction is man made. In 1998 a massive storm system produced 100-year flood waters that bulldozed water and debris through the basin floor. Every man-made bridge that crossed the creek along the basin was destroyed. It took closed much of the park for several years while the area was cleared and rebuilt.

Symbolic to the destruction that nature causes, one of the steel-span foot bridges was salvaged to be used again. The force of the water and debris and bent both girders and hey have been re-used in sort of tribute to nature. What seems like a nice, new curved foot bridge across the creek is in actuality the bent girders from the storm that demolished the bridge (see left, click to enlarge). The signage that explains all of this playfully reminds the reader that nature will again someday wreak havoc through the valley.

Playing to the popularity of the park, a nice sized visitor's center (see right, click to enlarge) with ample parking and modern amenities precedes the descent into the cave. Serving as a nature center and museum, the center has explanations of the geography and the wildlife you are about to meet. There is also a gift shop and snack stand.

It may not be the only time you find yourself between a rock and hard place, but you'd be tough to find a more picturesque one.

- J.

Lebanon's Golden Lamb... update

Ohio's oldest operating Inn and Restaurant is the Golden Lamb in Lebanon (Warren County), Ohio. An opportunity to dine at the Inn leads to an update on a previous blog entry.

Dining on a Friday evening at the Golden Lamb saw a roving historian visiting tables and talking about the Inn's famous overnighters and the history of the region. While the list of presidents displayed at the entry implies that each stayed overnight, truthfully the more recent presidents have only visited and not camped out.

President Reagan's visit was well prior to his time in the Oval Office, coming in the late 1960's as a political favor while serving as Governor of California. He was enroute to the Republican National Convention making speeches and stump stops along the way. He did not spend the night.

President George W. Bush also did not stay the night, but rather stopped as a campaign appearance during his re-election run in 2004. He did take the time to tour the room where his mother, and former First Lady, Barbara Bush had spent the night during the presidential tenure of her husband (and George's father) George H.W. Bush. Perhaps the Golden Lamb should update their list with famous First Ladies!

Having stopped previously as part of a group tour, I had no real choice on dining options for our meal and ate in a separate banquet room. On this occasion, a family meal, we ate in the main dining room with access to the regular menu. Buyer beware, this may be casual dining but not at casual dining prices! Entrees for dinner begin around $13 and escalate upwards of $25. There is a neat option to combine fares in a Family Dinner with an all-you-can-eat entree with the same sides served to all.

While the food was very good, it does not align with the prices charged. But consider your time at the Golden Lamb not to be dining along, but the cost of dinner is like paying for a meal and a separate admission to a museum.

Even on a Friday night we were able to wander the floors above and peek at the various rooms named after the famous visitors and marvel at the stylings of each room from eras long past. History lives on at the Golden Lamb.

- J.

Take ride on the WILD side...

Ohio is home to some pretty incredible zoos (Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland) but there is one place to go in Ohio where the animals roam free and the visitor is locked up! Roaming across 9,000 acres in southeastern Ohio's Meigs County, The WILDS is a twist on a zoo that shouldn't be missed. It's a place where the wildlife roams freely about the landscape while the visitor safari's around in a bus to view them (see right, click to enlarge).

Billed as the nation's largest animal conservatory, The Wilds opened to public viewing in the mid 1990's, offering a multiple-hour tour around several gated habitats where a handful of animals ranged free. The land in use was reclaimed after AEP had stripped-mine the area for coal and donated to the Wilds. There are rolling, grass covered hills, a few small bands of forest and many small lakes that dot the landscape.

Among the first white settlers to these hilltops were the Lett family, which became a mixed-race family whose descendants held many honored positions in Ohio and included several African-American soldiers in the Civil War serving in colored regiments. An Ohio historical marker notes this near the Overlook cafe and gift shop (see right, click to enlarge), but strangely this bit of historical context does not make any of the guided tour narration.

This is one destination where you have to get off the Interstate to reach, but it is easily found south of I-70 and west of I-77 about 35 minutes southeast of Zanesville and about 20 minutes south (and slightly west) of Cambridge. Mileage and/or Google maps will easily fool you, as your route winds you through some hilly countryside and you will not be able sit on your cruise control once off the highway!

The most common entrance to the Wilds leads along Zion Ridge Road, which as the name implies, is a unlined road that runs along the top of a hill and gives you sweeping views of the area. Once you reach the Wilds parking lot, a shuttle bus takes you from the parking lot to the visitor center. Whether you choose to tour the Wilds or not, parking and shuttle is separate cost of $3.

There are several touring options for the facility, the most common being a multi-hour, air-conditioned, closed shuttle bus (seating about 15) for $20 per adult. Small sliding window panels above the large picture windows allow for smudge, streak and glare free photography. Visitors will view all of the habitat zones while having a chance to visit three different off-the-bus experiences too. You can spend as long or as little as you want at each of these three stops.

A second, and nearly as popular, touring option is an open-air "safari" bus (see left, click to enlarge). This vehicle looks like a school bus that was turned into a rag-top convertible. There are no windows, which allows for great photo opportunities, but a canvas top that protects from the sun. This second, more expensive option at $27 per person, has less flexibility for the visitor to choose how long to visit each step-off site, but you will have the same guide the entire time. Each step-off site will have a narrated visit, whereas the smaller enclosed bus will drop you off for perusing on your own.

These stops are thoughtfully places along the tour as to give a nice variety to the experience. Visitng about 10 years ago, these options did not exist and it was a lengthy afternoon of being cooped up in a bus touring animals.

The first step-off experience is a prairie that edges up to the biggest lake on the property, nestled at the bottom of a pair of ridges (see left, click to enlarge). A few different habitats touch this lake and you can view, although at a considerable distance, different animals. While along the lakes edge, where you can feed the swans and catfish (the only feeding location in the park), we could spy at the waters edge on the opposite shore the Sichuan Takin (pronounced Sesh-wan Talk-in). An unusal breed that looks like a cross between a goat, antelope and... guinea pig. High-powered binoculars, which can be rented at the visitor center, or long-lens photography would be the only way to view these animals at that distance.

The smaller bus option has a guide who drives and talks as you drive through each habitat. The driver will stop along the route at optimum viewing angles for the animals. What makes The Wilds so unique, is that the animals are frequently on the move. It also means you just don't know what to expect (including the driver!). The first habitat we came across the guide sensed our excitement as we spotted a few Rhinoceroses between a grove of trees (see right, click to enlarge) and stopped for several minutes for us to gawk and snap photos even though she couldn't spot them from her seat.

The habitats are set up so that competing animals won't be prowling the pen for prey. Some of the more curious, or perhaps attidue-laden, animals like to come up to the busses. Unlike some animal situations involving visitors, feeding them is not one of them. So the animals are not coming to the vehicles looking for some goodies. The guides are sensitive to the animals and if they plop themselves in front of the vehicle you'll have a few minutes (or more!) wait until the animal decides to scoot along.

The second stop to disembark at was the Mid-sized Carnivore Center. This is the one area that more closely resembles a zoo, as you can walk along a path to a building that overlooks three different pens where hyena, a fox species and cheetahs are penned. Each area is significantly bigger than a typical zoo's displaying area, but they are still constricted in their range. The building also serves as a nice snack stop, offering light-fare (sandwhiches, chips, drinks, ice cream) and ample and modern restroom facilities. The other two step-off sites offer only porta-potties in comparison.

This stop on the day of visiting also was offering face-painting for kids. The fencing around the pens, and throughout the Wilds, is elecrified and it allowed the visitor to get very close to a few snoozing cheetahs. As we moved to catch the next shuttle bus at the Carnivore Center, a cheetah broke out in a gallop as it heard a staff vehicle approaching near its gate and assumed (unfortunately and incorrectly) it was dinner time (see right, click to enlarge).

The final step-off experience is a shorter one, located among the habitat for the white rhino and zebras (see left, click to enlarge). As we entered the habitat you could see the rhino near the enclosure where we would get off the bus, but by the time we were about halfway to the enclosure (about 5 minutes later), they had wandered 200 yards beyond it. Upon arriving (15 minutes after entering the habitat zone) the rhinos had moved another few hundred yards to the edge of the road where we had just been. This enclosure (called The Outpost) gives a sweeping view of the southern end of the Wilds and has several horns and skulls of animals and a brief narration by the guide. Upon leaving the zone, the rhino had moved several hundred yards again, far beyond the road.

Weaving around to the final habitat, you pass a narrow but long lake known as "Lake T". This was an artifical creation left behind from strip mining. The lake was dug by a behemoth of a crane, known as the Big Muskie. Created for strip mining operations, cranes like the Big Muskie were used to dig deep to unearth the coal in the hills (see right, click to enlarge). At a "mere" 27 million pounds, the Big Muskie would dig 185 feet down with each scoop of its 220 cubic yard bucket. The remaining lake was courtesy of Big Muskie, which today resides about 15 miles down Ohio route 83 as a historic/tourist destination in Reinersville, Ohio (map, web, YouTube).

The Wilds has continued to expand options for those interested in visiting. Newly built cabins near the visitor center with a grand view of the region can be rented for overnight or weekend stays. There are several of summer camp options for families and kids that involve the park and the staff. There is even a sunset tour where a catered buffet dinner preceds an open-safari bus tour of the complex.

Due the nature of this twist on nature, visits to The Wilds will offer different experiences each time. As the guide pointed out, each time they drive through a habitat the animals can be doing something different or be in a completely different part of the pen from the previous trip earlier in the day. Sometimes you get an up-close and personal view, as we did with camels and giraffes (see left and right, click to enlarge). But sometimes you might not see them at all, which was the case with the Sichuan Takins stayed along the water line and far from the road

The Wilds offers an experience quite unique to those zoo-goers and an experience unlike many you can find anywhere in the country. But you can see it on a quick jaunt within the Wilds of Ohio.

- J.

Now departing on track 5... fun!

When is an old train station more than just a train station? The architectural beauty known as Union Terminal (map, wiki) in Cincinnati opened as a grand transportation hub in 1933. In its prime 200+ trains passed daily through the terminal (see right, click to enlarge). Access to the terminal was defined by your transportation method. An outdoor automobile loop dropped you curbside, while three underground loops (each for taxi, motorcoach and streetcar) brought you sheltered into the terminal at various levels. The cavernous lobby led all to the back of the building and to the trains. The building was so significantly grand that is listed as one of the top 50 architectural gems in the nation.

But by the 1960s train traffic reduced to a trickle and by 1972 with only two daily Amtrack trains passing through the station, it was abandoned for a smaller, more manageable downtown location. So what do you do with such a significant architectural treasure? Originally a rail freight company planned to demolish parts of the structure for its freight rail use. The City of Cincinnati thoughtfully moved to put the structure on the National Register of Historic Places (Nation Register link, scroll to "Cincinnati Union Terminal"). In the late 1970s the building was renovated into a family-oriented complex of stores and activities known as "The Land of Oz" but recession ran its course quickly and by the mid 1980s the building was abandoned.

Shortly thereafter the voters of Hamilton County passed a levy to create a museum complex that opened in 1990 as the Cincinnati Museum Center. So how do you turn a train station into a series of museums? With a lot of creativity! Housed today in the complex you will find a Natural History Museum, a Children's Museum, an OmniMax theater, the Cincinnati Museum of History and an accompanying historical library of Cincinnati. Entrance to all three museums is an affordable $12 for adults ($8 for children) and is good all day long.

The main concourse serves as your admissions office, complex gift store and concession area. Just visiting this level to absorb the Art Deco style (see left, click to enlarge) of the terminal is free (almost free, there is a $3 parking charge for the lot). The signage for all parts of the complex are done in the classic Art Deco font and some of the original works appear to have been maintained. A giant U.S. flag drapes from the height of the windows on the facade that easily stretch five stories above the ground (see picture at very bottom).

Carefully restored, there are two massive mosaics that flank the sides of the lobby, both depicting industrial and cultural growth of both the area and the nation (link, scroll to "mosaics"). It is not easy to tell these are mosaics, but the work provides a bright and historic entry-way to the complex (see right and further above, click to enlarge). Bright yellows are painted onto the ceiling works and a marbled floor also lend to the feel of the 1930s.

Each of the wings of the terminal, where passengers arrived or departed by taxi or motorcoach, have been turned into the Cincinnati Museum of History (southern wing) and the Museum of Natural History and Science (northern wing). Each thoughtfully laid out to wind the visitor through what was the entry, or exit, point for many train passengers (see left, click to enlarge). Much of the original structure remains and it is a unique and unusual juxtaposition of various forms history (American, regional, Natural and architectural).

The Museum of Natural History and Science combines many typical elements of the traditional natural history museums. At first blush one can seem underwhelmed at the actual dedication to this aspect of a museum. But more beckons the farther under the terminal you go. Fittingly located in the depths of the complex, they have built what a docent shared was the largest man-made cave in the world (see right, click to enlarge). 500 feet over two levels, the cave has two paths (an easy and an advanced trail) that plunge you into semi-darkness and tight, narrow passageways that simulate the limestone caves found in the southern Ohio, southern Indiana and northern Kentucky region. Included in the cave is an area with bats (behind glass, thankfully!), a two-story stalagmite and plenty of places where you can hide and jump out at those in your party with anxieties about tight spaces and low lighting.

While only briefly in Ohio, John James Audubon was a significant part of the precursor to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science, having worked as part of the Western Museum Society that was located in Cincinnati around 1819. There is a state marker just outside the wing of the natural history wing and outside the terminal describing his involvement (see right, click to enlarge).

The Duke Energy Children's Museum is rated as one of the top 10 children's museums in the country -- and it is quick to see why it is so well rated. Descending escalators, steps (more advisable for effect than taking the elevator), a two-story tree house complex beckons your children with an adrenaline rush. There are six zones of play & learning (see left, click to enlarge) in the museum: a creative play area that simulates such places as a grocery store or the doctor's office; a construction/building zone with duplos, blocks and such; a screened-off ball-zone with levers, pulleys, chutes and more; a pre-school area romping area (under 4 only!); a massive water-play station and the multi-story tree house complete with tunnels, ladders, slides and even a secret entrance under the turtle tank.

There is also an area for temporary galleries and exhibits. On this particular visit, a dinosaur exhibit was well worth the price of an extra admission cost. Life-size and realistic dinosaurs come (somewhat) alive as children are able to press buttons to hear them roar and move (see right, click to enlarge). Docents also had hands-on artifacts and fossils for all to touch.

In what should serve as a model for other cities, when time and economics make a grand structure obsolete, the community can come together and forge partnerships to create a new public use to reverse the fading glory of history. You will find fewer better examples than excitement that abounds from all ages at Union Terminal!

- J.