Sharon Woods, Sharonville, Cincinnati, Ohio

While in Cincinnati we stayed in Sharonville. In Cincy, there are several towns/cities that make up sections of the city. Those towns are complete with mayors and councils. So it's like a town/city within a larger city.

I'm interested in learning more about how that works. It's a little confusing to me as I grew up in N.C. and am mostly familiar with cities and towns situated within counties and paying both city/town and county taxes. Does that mean Sharonville residents pay Sharonville, Cincinnati and county taxes?

In Va., if a place is called a "city" it doesn't reside within a county but is an entity all to itself and only pays city taxes. Towns still pay town and county taxes. That was something I had to get used to when I moved to the state a few years ago.

Anyway, since we were in Sharonville we visited Sharon Woods, a local park. When we arrived (early in the morning) there was a small group of people practicing what looked like Tai Chi on one of the bridges that crosses the creek. It would be a great place to do yoga or other group activity. It's so peaceful!

Creek near the parking lots and bridges. (All photos by E.A. Seagraves/Christopher Brooke. Do not use without permission.)

 

We walked up to the marina and around a paved trail that circles a small lake. Lots of people were jogging, riding bikes and walking their dogs.

Here's a view of the marina from across the lake.

At the marina is a playground and snack bar. There's also a fitness trail, golf course and something called Heritage Park. Heritage Park was closed when we were there and we didn't wait to go in. It presents a view of 19th century living.

I would love to live near this area. It was such a nice community and very pretty.

Another view of the lake.

Upcoming September events

Lots of events are coming up that are on my radar.

Carroll County (Va.) Fair

First off, this weekend is the Carroll County (Va.) Fair. I think Chris has to work some this weekend to cover it, so we might actually go.

(Please do not use any photos without permission.)

A girl pets a pig at the Carroll County Fair/Photo by Christopher Brooke

I've never been to the fair although it's been held for a few years now. It's really small, so there's not much to it. But maybe it's supposed to be small. I've never been to a county fair, only a state one. And state fairs are huge.

The county fair is held at the Southwest Virginia Farmers Market, right off I-77 at exit 14.

Hillsville's Labor Day Flea Market and Gun Show

Next weekend is Hillsville's Labor Day Flea Market and Gun Show. I know many, many people probably already have this on their calendars.

I wonder if this will be the largest flea market yet. I swear tents started popping up along U.S. 58 a week ago.

I'm looking forward to seeing if the market expands this year and seeing if the sidewalks and streets will be hard to move through because of the thousands of people wandering around booths.

Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th

One of the biggest events I'm looking forward to is the Blue Ridge Parkway's 75th Anniversary Festival, Sept. 10-12.

I know there have been several events throughout the year, but this will be the official celebration.

I want to go to the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Va., and Cumberland Knob for the activities. I'm really looking forward to seeing Dr. Ralph Stanley at the music center that Saturday. I gotta see that man perform before he dies! (I'm not a big old time or bluegrass music fan, but I do enjoy some of it.)

If you go to the music center, check out the trail that winds up and down the peak behind the stage. It's a nice, short hike.

You can check out the schedules and more information of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's 75th Anniversary website here.

Hillsville's Downtown Celebrations

Don't forget about Hillsville's downtown celebrations, featuring arts and crafts, classic car cruise-in and beach music.

I wrote about that here. The next concert is Sept. 11.

Chateau Morrisette's Black Dog Wine and Beach Music Festival

Chateau Morrisette, 287 Winery Road SW, Floyd, Va., will continue its music festivals Oct. 9 with the Black Dog Wine and Beach Music Festival. The winery is located at Milepost 171.5 off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We visited the winery Aug. 14 for the Black Dog Wine and Jazz Festival. The day's music featured salsa, jazz and Caribbean music, courtesy of Beleza Brazil and Los Gatos. It was so much fun!

The price of a ticket gets you admission, free wine tasting and a free wine glass. It's a pretty good deal.

The glasses of wine we got this year at one of the Chateau's wine and jazz festival./Photo by E.A. Seagraves

We also enjoyed lunch in the winery's restaurant. I had a delicious lamb chop, couscous and asparagus. The dessert was a heavenly chocolate cake with espresso ice cream. We enjoyed the meal with a bottle of Chateau's Blackberry Wine, probably one of our favorites.

The next events are Oct. 9 music festival will feature The Embers and Key West Band.

Cincinnati Zoo

One of my favorite stops on our trip to Ohio was the Cincinnati Zoo. Nothing compares to the North Carolina Zoo with it's large, open spaces and natural habitats, but I still enjoy checking out new zoos to see different animals and zoo philosophies.

My favorites at the zoo included the lemurs and red pandas. I once wanted to be a zoologist and study lemurs on Madagascar . . . or the Duke Primate Center, either one. And I remembered reading about red pandas when I was a girl. They're related to the giant panda, though they look a lot like raccoons. Aren't they cute? They're nocturnal so are mostly active at dusk.

Sleepy red panda (All photos by Christopher Brooke. Please do not use without permission.)

Here's some more zoo residents we met during our visit.

A spectacled bear

Chris remembers feeding the elephants when he was a boy. It doesn't look like you're able to feed them now.

But you can feed giraffes.

I think this was the first time I've ever seen orangutans in person. So that was a treat. They're larger than I expected. This one was sleeping.

A zoo keeper had this fella (or gal) out and talked with kids about barn owls.

There were also lots of colorful birds, including these parrots. I need to tell my mom about the lorikeets and the areas where you can feed them. She, as a Quaker parrot and parakeet owner, would have loved that. I'm scared of them, so I didn't get too close.

Gallipolis, Ohio

On our trip to Cincinnati a couple weekends ago, our main stop was Gallipolis, Ohio, a small town just over the Ohio River from West Virginia. It's located off Ohio 7, south of U.S. 35.

The name of the town means "city of the Gauls." It was founded by 500 French colonists in 1790.

We ate a picnic lunch in the town's park, which fronts the river. The park was planned many years ago and is the site of where the original colonists camped when they first landed.

At the Visitors' Center, we talked with a tourism official about the area and learned a little more the town and surrounding area. Nearby is Bob Evans' Farms, the founder of the restaurant chain Bob Evans. The farm is open for tours and we'd like to go back to check it out one day.

The farm will host a Farm Festival Oct. 8-10, if you're interested.

We also checked out the Elizabeth Evans Waterfowl and Bird Sanctuary in the town. We were surprised to see that the sanctuary was just a big, mowed field with benches along the perimeter. There was small creek with trees that ran along the far side of the field, but we were hoping to see a pond or wetlands area.

We were also hoping to find a trail to explore the park, but it appeared to only be a field. It seemed to be a nice park to have in town and I'm sure the park's neighbors enjoy going there for a nice, peaceful afternoon, but it won't do much for tourists.

Next was Our House Museum, an 1819 tavern located on First Avenue. It was an easy walk from the park.

The director gave us a 2 hour-long tour of the 3-floor (including the attic) home. The museum boasts collections that include General Lafayette's jacket and mementos from Napoleon Bonaparte to a sweetheart, who married someone else rather than return to Europe to join the exiled French leader.

I really enjoyed looking at the various home furnishings (including hair art), clothing and kitchen utensils (in a kitchen separated from the rest of the house).

If we go back, I'd also like to check out the French Art Colony, a multi-arts center. I like going through galleries, especially if they showcase local and regional artisans. One of my favorites is Tamarack in Beckley, W. Va.

Here's some other buildings and sights from Gallipolis:

Downtown shopping district. The park is right behind the photographer (Chris).

Another section of the small, downtown shopping district.

While Our House Tavern was for men and women, this tavern (across the street from Our House) was strictly for men.

This building, across the street from the park, is pretty large and beautiful. It's located by the river. Wouldn't you like to live in it?

If you're interested in learning about more things to do in Gallipolis, visit this site. It includes hiking trails, shopping and lodging.
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