Exploring the Local Brewery Scene in Columbus, Ohio

With over 40 breweries & microbreweries, Columbus, Ohio is quickly becoming a must-visit destination for craft beer enthusiasts...

This post was created in partnership with Experience Columbus. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

When I moved back to my home state of West Virginia after living in the Columbus, Ohio area for 8 years, Columbus was just then starting to experience a growing craft beer movement. While local breweries were very few in number (think maybe Barley's, Columbus Brewing Company, & Elevator Brewing downtown), craft beer tap takeovers in local bars had started to become more & more popular. In fact, these tap takeovers is how I first experienced and fell in love with craft beers.

Fast forward 8 years later, and the craft beer scene in Columbus has totally evolved into a full-fledged local brewery movement. In fact, there are now over 40 breweries & counting in the Columbus area alone! I knew I had to get back to C-bus to explore the local brewery scene. I spent two days in the city- even embarking on a guided brewery tour- and I didn't even get to a fourth of the breweries in the city!

Even though I didn't get to experience everything Columbus's local brewery scene has to offer on this most recent visit, I did get a good taste of what the city has been brewing up since I moved away. Today I am sharing a few of my favorite craft beer gems from Ohio's state capital...

Family Friendly Fun in Columbus, Ohio

Plan a trip to the family friendly city of the Midwest with my guide to Family Friendly Fun in Columbus, Ohio...

As some of you who have been following me a while may already know, I was once a very content resident of the city of Columbus, Ohio.  In fact, my son and I lived there for over 8 years until we moved back to our hometown in 2010.  Columbus is a bigger city with a small town feel to it.  I fell in love with the city, all it had to offer, and made lasting friendships that draw me back there to visit at least a couple of times each year. 

Whenever we do visit we usually spend 2-3 days there, but with all that the city of Columbus has to offer we could easily spend an entire week.

If you have always wanted to check out Columbus with the family or are planning a trip there soon, then let me share with you a few of our favorites from our most recent trip to the capitol of Buckeye nation to help you plan...

How to Roar & Explore in Columbus, Ohio

Not only is the fun-packed Columbus Roar & Explore Getaway budget friendly, but it also offers a little something for everyone in the family from the preschooler to the teenager to the adults...

My family & I were were offered the Columbus Roar & Explore Getaway package to review courtesy of Experience Columbus. 

As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

My family & I have deemed the summer of 2016 as the summer of our family weekend road trips. Instead of going on a longer week long vacation to just one destination like we usually do in the summertime, we are opting for 2-3 days visits to 3-4 different family friendly spots instead. First on our family summer road trip list was the Columbus Roar & Explore Getaway. Not only was this fun-packed getaway budget friendly, but it also had a little something for everyone in our family from the preschooler to the teenager to the adults.

We started our visit to Columbus, Ohio with a little Roar first and headed to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Powell...

Franklin Park Conservatory: Blooms, Butterflies, & Chihuly

Beautiful blooms, fluttering butterflies, & colorful glass sculptures await you at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio...

This post was created in partnership with Experience Columbus. 

As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

Located just outside of downtown Columbus, Ohio, Franklin Park Conservatory is a botanical oasis housing one of the most extensive collections of Chihuly glass artwork in the Midwest. The conservatory started in 1895 with just one Victorian-style glass greenhouse (aka, the Palm House that is pictured below), but has expanded since then to also include a conservatory, botanical gardens, as well as multiple art collection displays. 

Having lived in the Columbus area for over 8 years, the Conservatory has long been a favorite of mine in the city. I can easily spend a full day strolling through the various gardens in the conservatory & admiring the vibrant colors of Chihuly's glass sculptures. I was fortunate to be able to bring both my husband & my daughter to their first visit to the conservatory earlier this summer.

If you ever find yourself in the heart of Ohio, be sure to make a visit to Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens a part of your Columbus itinerary. Need a little more convincing that the conservatory is a Columbus must-do? Check out some of my favorite exhibits below...

My Ohio Dairy Adventure

A big thank you to the American Dairy Association Mideast for sponsoring my Ohio Dairy Adventure. All thoughts & opinions expressed below are my own.

I have to say that one of the most rewarding perks of my blogging career so far (other than being able to pay the bills) is having the opportunity to travel, learn, and meet some pretty amazing food bloggers and people in the food industry along the way. I was afforded another one of these amazing travel experiences the week before last when I took a road trip to Cleveland, Ohio as part of the Ohio Dairy Adventure. Okay, I know what you all may be thinking right about now- just what is an Ohio Dairy Adventure? ;) Let me enlighten you all...

It started with a cheese and wine pairing at the House of Blues that was followed by a day spent exploring two local dairy farms (there was also some cheese thrown in between the two farms), then an amazing dinner in a NFL stadium, followed by a morning of learning about the American Dairy Association Mideast's initiatives in Cleveland's public schools, and the whole trip ended with even more cheese- but ooey, gooey melted cheese that time around. Notice a theme here? (Psssstttt... cheese!)

But we all know that we wouldn't have all the cheese without the dairy, right? And where does the dairy (aka, milk) come from? Cows, of course! So, it only seems fitting to start there with the story of my recent Ohio Dairy Adventure experience... 

4 Fun Things to Do in Delaware County, Ohio for Animal & Nature Lovers

From kayaking to hands-on farms & nature preserves, Delaware County is definitely a must-visit in Ohio for animal & nature lovers...

This post was created in partnership with Destination Delaware County Ohio. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

Located less than an hour north of Columbus is the quaint town of Delaware, Ohio. Having been a Columbus resident for almost 8 years, I must admit that Delaware County was not an area I explored much when I lived in the area. And boy, had I been missing out, you all!

From a growing local foods & brewery scene to a historic downtown filled with small town charm & plenty of shopping, the city of Delaware has grown quite a bit in the past decade. But perhaps what I was most impressed by was just how much there is to do in the county for outdoors & nature lovers like myself & my kiddos. From kayaking to hands-on farms & nature preserves, Delaware County is definitely a must-visit in Ohio for animal & nature lovers.

While we didn't get to explore everything that Delaware County had to offer in our 3 day stay, we did get to experience 4 of the best things to do in the area if you happen to be the outdoorsy type. Whether you & your family love animals, or are into gardening, or love to hike, this county in Ohio needs to be on your family travel list this summer...

The Best Places to Eat & Drink in Delaware County, Ohio

From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in Delaware County, Ohio...

This post was created in partnership with Destination Delaware County Ohio. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

If someone would have asked me at the beginning of May what my recommendation would be for a good travel destination in Ohio for foodies, Delaware probably would have not been the first Ohio city that would have come to mind for me. Having lived in the Columbus area for over 8 years, I was familiar with the Delaware area but didn't venture that way much when I was resident of Franklin County. I knew Alum Creek State Park was up that way, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Delaware County.

That all changed when the kiddos & I visited the Delaware, Ohio area at the end of May earlier this summer. Over the past 10 years, the historic downtown area of Delaware has grown by leaps & bounds. And with this growth has also come the birth of a vibrant local restaurant & brewery scene. 

While we definitely didn't get to experience all of the deliciousness that Delaware County has to offer during our stay, we did get a good enough taste of the area. From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in the county... 

CopyCat Crock Pot Cincy 3-Way Chili

This CopyCat Cincy 3-Way Chili is a heaping plate of spaghetti topped with a perfectly spiced, slow cooked beef chili, a heaping mound of shredded cheddar cheese, & a sprinkle of oyster crackers... an Ohio favorite!

Those of you from the Cincinnati or Columbus, Ohio area know exactly what this CopyCat Crock Pot Cincy 3-Way Chili recipe is all about.  ;)  

Those of you who have never heard of this before, let me introduce you...

A Cincy 3-Way Chili is a heaping plate of spaghetti topped with a perfectly spiced tasty beef chili, that is then topped with a mound of shredded cheddar cheese and sprinkled with a packet of oyster crackers that comes on the side. 

Some like the oyster crackers... some do not.

I am fan because I like the crunch that it adds to the dish. 

As some of you may have already picked up from following my blog, I moved from a small town in West Virginia to the big college city of Columbus, Ohio right after graduating from college.  I taught junior high and high school for 8 1/2 years there until a turn of events sent my son & I back to our hometown.

A Family Friendly Travel Guide to Butler County, Ohio

Spanning five different cities across the county, this is a family friendly travel guide of where to go, what to see, and where to eat while visiting Butler County, Ohio with your family...

This post was created in partnership with the Butler County Visitors Bureau. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

If you have been searching for the perfect unexpected family destination in Ohio, your quest is over! Butler County, located just to the north of Cincinnati & about 2 hours southwest of Columbus, may just be the place you have been looking for. With a famed donut trail, a thriving hands-on art scene, and plenty of quirky & family friendly attractions, Butler County has a little something to satisfy and thrill every member of your family. 

If you and your family haven't visited the Butler County, Ohio area before, let this travel guide serve as a little taste of what all you have been missing. Spanning five different cities across the county, this is where to go, what to see, and where to eat while visiting Butler County with your family...

35 Recipes to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day All Day Long

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day all day long with these 35 tasty authentic Irish & Irish inspired recipes...

St. Patrick's Day is a little over a week away, but who is counting? ;) Okay, I am. I am counting. Not that I am Irish or anything. (I went over all of that in my post earlier this week.) But I do love any holiday that gives me an excuse to enjoy good food- especially if it happens to be good ethnic food. 

Growing up in an area with a pretty substantial Italian population, I didn't fall in love with Irish food until I moved to Columbus, Ohio in my early 20's (years ago). 

Have any of you all heard of Dublin, Ohio? It is a quaint suburb right outside of Columbus, and I lived there for more than half of my time as an Ohio resident. Dublin is home to a handful of local Irish pubs & the widely popular annual Dublin Irish Festival. 

It was during my time living in and near Dublin that I acquired my love for corned beef & cabbage, shepherd's pie, Bailey's Irish Cream, and celebrating all things green & Irish on St. Patrick's Day. 

Just like Buckeyes football, it was hard not to get sucked right into all the fun, food, fanfare, & excitement while living in a city that celebrated all things Irish pretty much every day but especially so on March 17th of each year. ;)

Whether you celebrate St. Patrick's Day out of pride for your ancestry or you happen to just be in it for the food, you are going to love today's recipe collection I have for you all. 

I rounded up 35 of the tastiest authentic Irish & Irish inspired recipes so that you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day all day long on March 17th. From sunrise to sundown, there is a little something for every meal of the day and everything else in between... 

Peanut M&M's Buckeye Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate is just one of those baking flavor combos that is perfect any time of the year.  Throw in some Peanut M&M's?  And oh yeah!  You have yourself a crowd pleaser for sure. :)

As some of you may have seen me mention before, I lived about 8 years in the scarlet & gray city of Columbus, Ohio.  I embraced the Buckeyes culture after a couple of years of living there.  It was difficult to not get caught up in it all, especially on a game day Saturday (and even more so if that game happened to be against the Wolverines ;) ).  

Buckeye candies were the signature candy of the city.  You could find them in every store there.  For those of you not familiar with a Buckeye candy, it is basically a peanut butter fudge ball that is dipped into chocolate leaving a small circle of the peanut butter candy open at the top thus resembling a Buckeye nut.

Ohio State fan or not, Buckeye candies are amazing! 

Sparkling Limon-Lime Margarita

I have to confess- I am not usually a margarita on the rocks kind of gal.

If you find me ordering a margarita at a restaurant, it is highly likely that it will be something fun, fruity, and very frozen... with a sugar rim.

But even I have to admit that those are overly sweet and probably not worth the crazy amount of calories I am slurping down. 

There has only been one restaurant that has served me a margarita on the rocks that I have come back for over and over. And that is the Margarita Tapatia from Cuco's Taqueria in Columbus, Ohio.  THE MOST AMAZING margarita on the rocks I have ever had... hands down. (Seriously. If you are ever in the Columbus area, look up Cuco's.  It is in a little strip mall so it doesn't look like much, but sometimes those are just the best places. ;) )

Summer Blog Challenge, Day 10- Money Aside, I Would Own These...

Today's blog challenge is to tell about what famous work of art I would have in my home if money were not an obstacle.  Honestly, this one initially stumped me.  I am not a connoisseur of artworks.  I have always been able to appreciate a painting or a sculpture, but never have I looked at a piece and thought, "wow, I would really like to have that in my home".  Then it dawned on me!  Yes, there is an artist that I have greatly appreciated since being introduced to him during my years living in Columbus, Ohio.  His works were the sole reason I would visit the Franklin Park Conservatory.  The glass artwork of Dale Chihuly. 

How gorgeous is this?

I love how light can shine through one of his pieces and completely change how you feel about it.

But I guess one of these pieces would be a little more feasible for my home (and you know, would actually fit in your home if you don't happen to have 30 foot ceilings ;) ).

Have you ever seen Chihuly glass art yourself?

For links to more of my Summer Blog Challenge posts, click here... My Summer Blog Challenge

5 Easy Tips For Making the Road Trip Part of the Destination

Who says the road trip itself just has to be a means to an end? Not these 5 Easy Tips For Making the Road Trip Part of the Destination...

Photo Source & License

Summer is almost here, and with it's impending arrival I start to get the itch to get out there and travel. Soon my son will be out from school for the summer, and our usually packed schedule will be wide open. :) I am ready to pack up the car, grab the family, and head off on a road trip... to Virginia wine country, or to Harper's Ferry to hike and visit the historical sites, or to head down south for a sunny and sandy beach getaway. But why should the road trip itself just be a means to an end? Who says that you can't make the road trip become part of the destination? 

Resist the urge to just jet it to get where you are going on your next road trip and instead try making the journey there part of the overall getaway. Just like the old adage says- Not all those who wander are lost. ;)

But how can you accomplish this? It's easy! Just follow and put into action my 5 fun tips for making your next road trip part of your destination...

15 "Hop"pening Gift Ideas for Craft Beer Lovers (Updated for 2023)

Whether you have a craft beer lover, a home brewer, or a self-proclaimed beer snob on your gift list, they will be sure to appreciate these 15 "Hop"pening Gifts for Craft Beer Lovers...

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

**Prices listed for each item listed may vary.

I don't know about you all, but I definitely have a few craft beer lovers on my gift list this holiday season. (I just may be a self-proclaimed beer snob myself. ;) ) 

Whether you have a home brewer you are shopping for or a friend that just has to check in every beer that they drink on the Untappd app, you are definitely going to appreciate the gift guide I have put together & am sharing with you all today.








I scoured Amazon to find the best gift ideas (with free 2-day Prime shipping!) for your brewery touring, hop seeking friend or loved one. Yep, I did all the hard work for you all. 

I only ask that you click on & use the links below to purchase that perfect "hop"pening gift (see what I did there?) that happens to catch your eye below. ;) Yes, they are affiliate links. And yes, I get a small kickback at no extra cost to you. It's a win-win.

5 Places to Visit in the Finger Lakes (That Are Not Wineries)

The Finger Lakes region of New York is so much more than just wine country! From quaint downtown areas with wonderful local shops to waterfall chasing to a growing craft brewery scene, here are 5 Places to Visit in the Finger Lakes That Are Not Wineries...

The Corning Glass Museum tour, Watkins Glen State Park hike, & Farm Sanctuary tour were all provided courtesy of TBEX North America 2018. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

I obviously have nothing against wineries. In fact, I think most of you all know by now that I love myself a good winery tour & tasting while traveling. ;) 

But I do think that when most people consider planning a trip to the Finger Lakes that they assume that they have to be wine lovers in order to enjoy the area. Today's travel post is to show you all that the Finger Lakes region of New York has so much more to offer than just great local wineries.

From quaint downtown areas with wonderful local shops to waterfall chasing to a growing craft brewery scene, the Finger Lakes is so much more than just wine country.  Now that isn't to say that you couldn't pop into a winery or two (or four!) for a tasting while in the area, but you most certainly do not have to be a wine aficionado to truly appreciate the Finger Lakes of New York.

Although I only scraped the tip of the iceberg during the few days that I visited the area, I am sharing 5 of my favorite must-visit places in the Finger Lakes (sans the wineries) with you all below...

Crock Pot Corn Pudding

This creamy, savory Crock Pot Corn Pudding saves oven space during your holiday dinner prep & will soon become a family favorite...

Last year I made the oven-baked version of this corn pudding side dish for the family.  It turned out delicious, but occupied precious oven space for FAR too long & it seemed to take forever to bake completely.  

Dinner was literally stalled by almost 20 minutes because this darn corn pudding refused to set in the middle! 

Even though it was a royal pain, it was agreed by all that this needed to become an essential side dish for every Thanksgiving dinner from that day forward.

So a couple of weeks ago, I started researching online some alternative ways to make this family fave.  

My first search was for slow cooker versions- shocking, right? ;) 

Exploring Fort Wayne in 3 Days: A Family Friendly Itinerary

From kayaking with views of the city to a budget friendly baseball game to a hands-on science museum, here is a family friendly itinerary for exploring Fort Wayne, Indiana is just 3 days...

This post was created in partnership with Visit Fort Wayne. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

I will be the first to admit it that Fort Wayne, Indiana is not typically the first destination that comes to mind when planning a vacation packed with family friendly fun. But my family & I's three day visit to Fort Wayne earlier this summer totally changed my preconceived notions of this Midwestern city. 

Fort Wayne is a vibrant & diverse city that deserves more credit & props than I originally afforded it. From kayaking with views of the city to a budget friendly & fun minor league baseball game to a larger than life, hands-on science museum, Fort Wayne just may be the perfect family friendly getaway that you & your family have been looking for. :)

Since there is so much to do & see in Fort Wayne, I thought I would share our 3 day itinerary with you all to help you narrow down some of the must-see & must-do attractions & activities in and around the city. You will find that most every place we visited in this post is no more than a 10 minute drive from one another. That is one of the things we found most attractive about Fort Wayne as far as a family friendly destination goes- the city was extremely accessible, easy to navigate, & most everything there is to do and see there is fairly close together. 

5 Family Friendly Outdoor Adventures in Anderson County, Tennessee

With it's rolling mountains & valleys, as well as serene rivers, & lakes, Anderson County in eastern Tennessee is the perfect family friendly destination for outdoor enthusiasts & adventure seekers...

This post was created in partnership with Adventure Anderson County. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

With it's rolling mountains & valleys, Anderson County in eastern Tennessee naturally sets the stage for a family friendly & adventure packed vacation. Whether you and your family members happen to be hiking enthusiasts, avid fishermen, nature lovers, or perhaps prefer something a little more adrenaline inducing, Anderson County is the perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts & adventure seekers. 

My family and I spent 4 days in Anderson County discovering & exploring exactly what it's mountains, valleys, rivers, and lakes have to offer the adventure seeking family.  Below are my top 5 recommendations of family friendly outdoor adventures to experience in the Anderson County area of Tennessee...