Visiting Ohio in October

On 8/21/2004 9:53 PM, in article , "John James"
wrote:

One more question if I may - what will the weather be like during mid to
late October? I gather I will probably need a coat of some sort but is
it likely to be fine or is there a real chance of some rain?

Cincinnati in October can be wonderful. The weather can be warm, sunny, dry
and simply a pleasant place to be. Fall is excellent in this area.

What to do that hasn't been mentioned so far:
The leaves are changing, so walk! Visit the parks, etc
If you like horse racing, visit Keeneland, 70 miles south in Lexington, KY.
Horse racing heaven as far as I'm concerned.

Reviewing your note. This is a good time to be outside in Ohio. Lots of
color, the weather is warm and pleasant, check out our State Parks, wherever
you are.

It's one of my favorite times of year. Although folks have mentioned rain
in this part of the US, at least here in Cincinnati, you can count on clear
and dry weather.

Neal


Neal Watzman Watzman Associates, Inc.
Cincinnati, OH http://www.watzmanassociates.com
513.528.7474

LOSE the black notebook. USE RoomDex Scheduler!

If you are in Columbus for the weekend of Oct. 21 try the Circleville
Pumpkin Festival for and interesting local event. The town is a few
miles south of Columbus.

John James wrote:

To all those who have responded to my post so far, thank you very much.
You have given me some great ideas and a lot more research to do.

One more question if I may - what will the weather be like during mid to
late October? I gather I will probably need a coat of some sort but is
it likely to be fine or is there a real chance of some rain?

Thanks again

John James
Melbourne, Australai


John James wrote:

After a 5 day conference in Cincinnati I have 2 days free there before
spending 3 days in Cleveland and 4 days in Columbus (these time
periods are fixed due to a couple of business commitments which will
take up a half day each).

Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am
interested in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers
but not really into sport or adventure parks. I will be travelling on
my own but will have a car so have flexibility in getting around. I
would also like to see some amateur theatre if there is a production on.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

John James
Melbourne, Australia

John James writes:
Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested
in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers ...

As to trains, I have here a copy of the "Steam Passenger Service
Directory", which is really a general guidebook to tourist railways
and railway museums in the US and Canada. However, it's the 1997
edition, so some of the information may be out of date -- some places
may even have closed. So if any of these look interesting, I strongly
suggest searching for newer information on the Web or in other
sources; perhaps people in misc.transport.rail.americas can help.

In particular, you will want to make sure that any tourist railway
you plan to visit is operating on the day you are going there -- in
October I would expect most to be open only on weekends or not at all.
Because the book is out of date, I won't quote it for hours or prices,
and because you'll need to look things up anyway, I won't give addresses.

That said, here's what's listed that's within about 80 miles (130 km)
of the places you're going. All distances are my rough estimates.
I omit one steam railway that's at an amusement park. I have tried
to estimate from the guidebook descriptions the amount of material
on static display, and the notations from * to **** reflect this,
but please realize that I could have been misled; I have not been to
any of these places. These are roughly in south-to-north order.

*** Versailles, Kentucky (W of Lexington, Kentucky; 75 miles S of
Cincinnati) - Bluegrass Railroad Museum - 90-minute excursions
with diesel locomotive and old commuter cars, static displays
and museum

** Versailles, Kentucky (see preceding) - Nostalgia Station Toy and
Train Museum - toy museum including model trains, 1/4 scale live
steam locomotive

* Paris, Kentucky (NE of Lexington, Kentucky; 70 miles S of Cincinnati)
- Kentucky Central Railway - various excursions with steam locomotives
and old passenger cars

**** Covington, Kentucky (immediately S of Cincinnati) - Railway
Exposition Company - six old diesel locomotives and many passenger
cars on static display

** Cincinnati - Cincinnati Railroad Club - exhibit in former control
tower of city's Union Station

* Lebanon (20 miles NE of Cincinnati) - I&O Scenic Railway - 12-mile
diesel excursions on operating short-line railway in old commuter cars

*** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park -
trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available
on certain dates

*** Connersville, Indiana (SW of Richmond, Indiana; 35 miles NW of
Cincinnati) - Whitewater Valley Railroad - several steam locomotives
on static display, diesel excursions 5.5 hours including 2-hour stop
at Metamora, restored canal town with working grist mill and many shops

* Knightstown, Indiana (SE of Anderson, Indiana; 55 miles NW of
Cincinnati) - Carthage, Knightstown & Shirley Railroad - 10-mile
excursion with old diesel locomotive, open-window passenger cars

* Nelsonville (NW of Athens, 55 miles SE of Columbus) - Hocking Valley
Scenic Railway - excursions with steam and old diesel locomotives;
some include visit to 1860s village at Robbin's Crossing

** Newark (30 miles E of Columbus) - Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad -
old station with exhibits, excursions operated with old diesel
locomotive, old passenger cars

* Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles
NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a
working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives
and old passenger cars

* Jefferson (near Wooster, 40 miles SW of Cleveland, 60 miles NE of
Columbus) - Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Scenic Line - 12-mile
excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars.
NOTE: book says reservations required in October: presumably you
see trees in fall colors.

*** Dennison (SE of New Philadelphia, 75 miles ENE of Columbus, 75 miles
S of Cleveland) - Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - museum in old
station, including restaurant; excursions of various lengths operated
with steam and old diesel locomotives, old passenger cars

* Orrville (near Wooster, 40 miles SSW of Cleveland) - Orrville Railroad
Historical Society - exhibits in old station, occasional diesel
excursions on main line

** Akron (25 miles S of Cleveland) - Quaker Square - model railway
layout built around and inside of old Pullman cars

** Youngstown (55 miles SE of Cleveland) - Mahoning Valley Railroad
Historical Association - steam locomotive and old cars on static
display

*** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various
old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on
static display

*** Bellevue (SW of Sandusky, 50 miles W of Cleveland) - Mad River
& NKP Railroad Society - old station, several trains on static
display, depiction of small-town railroading

*** Greenville, Pennsylvania (NE of Youngstown, Ohio; 75 miles E of
Cleveland) - Shenango Pymatuning Railway Historical Society -
museum, static display of old steam locomotive, freight cars,
cabooses

*** Conneaut (65 miles ENE of Cleveland, at corner of state) - Conneaut
Railroad Museum - old station, exhibits, model railway, steam
locomotive on static display; adjacent to operating main line

Hope this helps.
--
Mark Brader "You mean he made love to you?"
Toronto "Well, he went through all the emotions."
-- EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY

My text in this article is in the public domain.

what will the weather be like during
mid to late October?

I live in central Ohio. Days can be pleasant with highs
in the mid 50s (F) to low 60s; nights can be pretty chilly
with temperatures in the 30s (we usually get our first
frost in late October).

Rain is pretty common.

Peak fall foliage is often around Oct 10 in central Ohio
(earlier in northern Ohio; later in southern Ohio), so
unfortunately a lot of the leaves will have already fallen.

James

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Remove "NOSPAM" from my address when sending me e-mail.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-

Dear Mark,

Thank you very much for putting so much time and energy into answering
my question re what to see in Ohio. I always knew Americans were kind
and generous people but the replies I have received from you and the
other responders is mind-blowing. I will spend a pleasant few hours
following up your train leads.

Thank you very much.

Regards

John James
Melbourne, Australia (where it is cold, wet and miserable!)

Mark Brader wrote:
John James writes:

Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested
in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers ...


As to trains, I have here a copy of the "Steam Passenger Service
Directory", which is really a general guidebook to tourist railways
and railway museums in the US and Canada. However, it's the 1997
edition, so some of the information may be out of date -- some places
may even have closed. So if any of these look interesting, I strongly
suggest searching for newer information on the Web or in other
sources; perhaps people in misc.transport.rail.americas can help.

In particular, you will want to make sure that any tourist railway
you plan to visit is operating on the day you are going there -- in
October I would expect most to be open only on weekends or not at all.
Because the book is out of date, I won't quote it for hours or prices,
and because you'll need to look things up anyway, I won't give addresses.

That said, here's what's listed that's within about 80 miles (130 km)
of the places you're going. All distances are my rough estimates.
I omit one steam railway that's at an amusement park. I have tried
to estimate from the guidebook descriptions the amount of material
on static display, and the notations from * to **** reflect this,
but please realize that I could have been misled; I have not been to
any of these places. These are roughly in south-to-north order.

*** Versailles, Kentucky (W of Lexington, Kentucky; 75 miles S of
Cincinnati) - Bluegrass Railroad Museum - 90-minute excursions
with diesel locomotive and old commuter cars, static displays
and museum

** Versailles, Kentucky (see preceding) - Nostalgia Station Toy and
Train Museum - toy museum including model trains, 1/4 scale live
steam locomotive

* Paris, Kentucky (NE of Lexington, Kentucky; 70 miles S of Cincinnati)
- Kentucky Central Railway - various excursions with steam locomotives
and old passenger cars

**** Covington, Kentucky (immediately S of Cincinnati) - Railway
Exposition Company - six old diesel locomotives and many passenger
cars on static display

** Cincinnati - Cincinnati Railroad Club - exhibit in former control
tower of city's Union Station

* Lebanon (20 miles NE of Cincinnati) - I&O Scenic Railway - 12-mile
diesel excursions on operating short-line railway in old commuter cars

*** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park -
trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available
on certain dates

*** Connersville, Indiana (SW of Richmond, Indiana; 35 miles NW of
Cincinnati) - Whitewater Valley Railroad - several steam locomotives
on static display, diesel excursions 5.5 hours including 2-hour stop
at Metamora, restored canal town with working grist mill and many shops

* Knightstown, Indiana (SE of Anderson, Indiana; 55 miles NW of
Cincinnati) - Carthage, Knightstown & Shirley Railroad - 10-mile
excursion with old diesel locomotive, open-window passenger cars

* Nelsonville (NW of Athens, 55 miles SE of Columbus) - Hocking Valley
Scenic Railway - excursions with steam and old diesel locomotives;
some include visit to 1860s village at Robbin's Crossing

** Newark (30 miles E of Columbus) - Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad -
old station with exhibits, excursions operated with old diesel
locomotive, old passenger cars

* Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles
NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a
working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives
and old passenger cars

* Jefferson (near Wooster, 40 miles SW of Cleveland, 60 miles NE of
Columbus) - Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Scenic Line - 12-mile
excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars.
NOTE: book says reservations required in October: presumably you
see trees in fall colors.

*** Dennison (SE of New Philadelphia, 75 miles ENE of Columbus, 75 miles
S of Cleveland) - Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - museum in old
station, including restaurant; excursions of various lengths operated
with steam and old diesel locomotives, old passenger cars

* Orrville (near Wooster, 40 miles SSW of Cleveland) - Orrville Railroad
Historical Society - exhibits in old station, occasional diesel
excursions on main line

** Akron (25 miles S of Cleveland) - Quaker Square - model railway
layout built around and inside of old Pullman cars

** Youngstown (55 miles SE of Cleveland) - Mahoning Valley Railroad
Historical Association - steam locomotive and old cars on static
display

*** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various
old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on
static display

*** Bellevue (SW of Sandusky, 50 miles W of Cleveland) - Mad River
& NKP Railroad Society - old station, several trains on static
display, depiction of small-town railroading

*** Greenville, Pennsylvania (NE of Youngstown, Ohio; 75 miles E of
Cleveland) - Shenango Pymatuning Railway Historical Society -
museum, static display of old steam locomotive, freight cars,
cabooses

*** Conneaut (65 miles ENE of Cleveland, at corner of state) - Conneaut
Railroad Museum - old station, exhibits, model railway, steam
locomotive on static display; adjacent to operating main line

Hope this helps.

Dear Mark,

Thank you very much for putting so much time and energy into answering
my question re what to see in Ohio. I always knew Americans were kind
and generous people but the replies I have received from you and the
other responders is mind-blowing. I will spend a pleasant few hours
following up your train leads.

Thank you very much.

Regards

John James
Melbourne, Australia (where it is cold, wet and miserable!)

Mark Brader wrote:
John James writes:

Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested
in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers ...


As to trains, I have here a copy of the "Steam Passenger Service
Directory", which is really a general guidebook to tourist railways
and railway museums in the US and Canada. However, it's the 1997
edition, so some of the information may be out of date -- some places
may even have closed. So if any of these look interesting, I strongly
suggest searching for newer information on the Web or in other
sources; perhaps people in misc.transport.rail.americas can help.

In particular, you will want to make sure that any tourist railway
you plan to visit is operating on the day you are going there -- in
October I would expect most to be open only on weekends or not at all.
Because the book is out of date, I won't quote it for hours or prices,
and because you'll need to look things up anyway, I won't give addresses.

That said, here's what's listed that's within about 80 miles (130 km)
of the places you're going. All distances are my rough estimates.
I omit one steam railway that's at an amusement park. I have tried
to estimate from the guidebook descriptions the amount of material
on static display, and the notations from * to **** reflect this,
but please realize that I could have been misled; I have not been to
any of these places. These are roughly in south-to-north order.

*** Versailles, Kentucky (W of Lexington, Kentucky; 75 miles S of
Cincinnati) - Bluegrass Railroad Museum - 90-minute excursions
with diesel locomotive and old commuter cars, static displays
and museum

** Versailles, Kentucky (see preceding) - Nostalgia Station Toy and
Train Museum - toy museum including model trains, 1/4 scale live
steam locomotive

* Paris, Kentucky (NE of Lexington, Kentucky; 70 miles S of Cincinnati)
- Kentucky Central Railway - various excursions with steam locomotives
and old passenger cars

**** Covington, Kentucky (immediately S of Cincinnati) - Railway
Exposition Company - six old diesel locomotives and many passenger
cars on static display

** Cincinnati - Cincinnati Railroad Club - exhibit in former control
tower of city's Union Station

* Lebanon (20 miles NE of Cincinnati) - I&O Scenic Railway - 12-mile
diesel excursions on operating short-line railway in old commuter cars

*** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park -
trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available
on certain dates

*** Connersville, Indiana (SW of Richmond, Indiana; 35 miles NW of
Cincinnati) - Whitewater Valley Railroad - several steam locomotives
on static display, diesel excursions 5.5 hours including 2-hour stop
at Metamora, restored canal town with working grist mill and many shops

* Knightstown, Indiana (SE of Anderson, Indiana; 55 miles NW of
Cincinnati) - Carthage, Knightstown & Shirley Railroad - 10-mile
excursion with old diesel locomotive, open-window passenger cars

* Nelsonville (NW of Athens, 55 miles SE of Columbus) - Hocking Valley
Scenic Railway - excursions with steam and old diesel locomotives;
some include visit to 1860s village at Robbin's Crossing

** Newark (30 miles E of Columbus) - Buckeye Central Scenic Railroad -
old station with exhibits, excursions operated with old diesel
locomotive, old passenger cars

* Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles
NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a
working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives
and old passenger cars

* Jefferson (near Wooster, 40 miles SW of Cleveland, 60 miles NE of
Columbus) - Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson Scenic Line - 12-mile
excursions operated with old diesel locomotive, old passenger cars.
NOTE: book says reservations required in October: presumably you
see trees in fall colors.

*** Dennison (SE of New Philadelphia, 75 miles ENE of Columbus, 75 miles
S of Cleveland) - Dennison Railroad Depot Museum - museum in old
station, including restaurant; excursions of various lengths operated
with steam and old diesel locomotives, old passenger cars

* Orrville (near Wooster, 40 miles SSW of Cleveland) - Orrville Railroad
Historical Society - exhibits in old station, occasional diesel
excursions on main line

** Akron (25 miles S of Cleveland) - Quaker Square - model railway
layout built around and inside of old Pullman cars

** Youngstown (55 miles SE of Cleveland) - Mahoning Valley Railroad
Historical Association - steam locomotive and old cars on static
display

*** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various
old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on
static display

*** Bellevue (SW of Sandusky, 50 miles W of Cleveland) - Mad River
& NKP Railroad Society - old station, several trains on static
display, depiction of small-town railroading

*** Greenville, Pennsylvania (NE of Youngstown, Ohio; 75 miles E of
Cleveland) - Shenango Pymatuning Railway Historical Society -
museum, static display of old steam locomotive, freight cars,
cabooses

*** Conneaut (65 miles ENE of Cleveland, at corner of state) - Conneaut
Railroad Museum - old station, exhibits, model railway, steam
locomotive on static display; adjacent to operating main line

Hope this helps.

John James writes:
Thank you very much for putting so much time and energy into answering
my question ...

You're welcome. To be honest, if I'd realized quite how many there were
going to be, I probably would have reduced the amount of detail, but once
I got started I figured I might as well finish.
--
Mark Brader There are people on that train!
Toronto Sure, they're Canadians, but they're still people!
-- Paul Gross, "Due South"

In article ,
Mark Brader wrote:

*** Dayton (35 miles NNE of Cincinnati) - Carillon Historical Park -
trains on static display, miniature railway with rides available
on certain dates

If you're visiting Dayton anyway (for the Wright Brothers sites and/or the
Air Force Museum), this is definitely worth a visit. They have a rather
new display building which looks rather like a railroad roundhouse, with a
small but varied collection of restored vehicles: a small steam
locomotive, an ex-Dayton streetcar, an electric interurban car that once
operated out of Toledo, a Pullman car, and an electric trolleybus that ran
in Dayton until the 1970s. (Dayton still runs trolleybuses, with modern
vehicles that are about five years old). Another building has a 1905
Wright Flyer airplane that was restored in the 1940s under the supervision
of Orville Wright.

* Sugarcreek (W of New Philadelphia, 50 miles S of Cleveland, 65 miles
NE of Columbus) - Ohio Central Railroad - 1-hour excursions on a
working short-line railway, with steam and old diesel locomotives
and old passenger cars

This is one of the most important operators of steam-hauled excursions in
the U.S. I've never visited them myself, but I want to do it someday.

*** Olmstead (15 miles W of Cleveland) - Trolleyville U.S.A. - various
old trolley cars (trams), rides available, some freight cars on
static display

Their site has been sold, they must vacate by 2006, and they are looking
for a new home. They haven't had regular operations for a couple of
years.

I'll also mention the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which operates
regular excursions along the Cuyahoga River from a point south of
Cleveland, to Akron and Canton. http://www.cvsr.com/

--
Jon Bell Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA

John James wrote:

After a 5 day conference in Cincinnati I have 2 days free there before
spending 3 days in Cleveland and 4 days in Columbus (these time periods
are fixed due to a couple of business commitments which will take up a
half day each).

Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested
in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers but not
really into sport or adventure parks. I will be travelling on my own but
will have a car so have flexibility in getting around. I would also like
to see some amateur theatre if there is a production on.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

John James
Melbourne, Australia


Chagrin Falls is a lovely town about 30
miles from Cleveland. Surrounding Chagrin Valley
will be scenic with fall foliage.

It has a theatre. Don't know if it will
still be performing in October. Try a web
search.

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 16:30:05 +1000, John James wrote:
After a 5 day conference in Cincinnati I have 2 days free there before
spending 3 days in Cleveland and 4 days in Columbus (these time periods
are fixed due to a couple of business commitments which will take up a
half day each).

Can anyone suggest what I should see while I am in Ohio? I am interested
in the outdoors and history, old trains and early settlers but not
really into sport or adventure parks. I will be travelling on my own but
will have a car so have flexibility in getting around. I would also like
to see some amateur theatre if there is a production on.

Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

I see you've already gotten some excellent suggestions! Hocking
Hills is very pretty, even though it's a bit of a drive from
Cincinnati. Unfortunately, the outdoor theater "Bluejacket"
production will have ended by the time you visit. In Adams County is
the Serpent Mound, an ancient earthwork that's supposed to be the
largest serpent-shaped one in the U.S.

http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/serpent/

Along similar lines is Dayton's Sunwatch Village, built 800
years ago by the Fort Ancient Indians:

http://www.sunwatch.org

The Ohio Rennaissance festival may still be on at this time
(it ends in late October), and it's a little hokey perhaps, but if
you're at all interested in this kind of stuff, it's a fairly large
festival. There's lots of booths that sell crafts, clothing, and
various free shows. Admission's kind of high, however:

http://www.renfestival.com/

North of Dayton, there's the Ohio Caverns, a privately owned
cave that offers nice tours (http://cavern.com/ohiocaverns). The
cave's not as done up as others are, and it's got lots of stalactite
and stalagmite formations. Nearby is the town of West Liberty, which
has a restaurant that (or so I'm told) serves a great pork tenderloin
sandwich, another Midwestern specialty.

If you're a foodie, Jungle Jim's is an interesting place to
poke around. To call it a grocery store doesn't really do it
justice. It's huge, full of ethnic goods from around the world and
also a good place to pick up gourmet picnic supplies and snacks with a
very large wine and beer section. It's in a northern suburb of Cincinnati:

http://www.junglejims.com

Cincinnati's got a good variety of restaurants as well. I
haven't had a chance to try even a small fraction, but they do have
Chinese, Thai, Indian, Mexican, French, Italian, Japanese, Senegalese,
Ethiopian, etc. Also a local food is Cincinnati-style chili, which is
not to everyone's taste. It's a rather comparatively mild chili of
ground beef, maybe with a touch of cinnamon, and it's served over
spaghetti and mixed with your choice of beans, onions and a humongous
mound of frighteningly orange/yellow cheese. This is also served over
a small hotdog, called a "coney".


Mid to late October is usually cooling down in this area a
bit-- highs in the upper 60's/lower 70's, as low as the 40's at night
and it can be rainy at times. We're having an unusually mild summer
though, so it's hard to predict what fall will be like. I'd recommend
a light jacket and clothing that can be layered--and maybe an umbrella
if you have the room for it. It can be so changeable within even a
two-week period. Have fun on your trip!

Ariane