TRAVEL LOG:

BT Falls off the Grid in Ohio's Largest Playground

The Boneheaded Tourist fell off the grid for over a month. We wondered what sort of mischief he had gotten into and worried about his safety. After all, last we heard, he was headed from Butler County to Warren County and they’re right next to each other.  

It turns out he fell into “Ohio’s Largest Playground!” And he couldn’t – or wouldn’t – get out!  

So why is Warren County Ohio’s Largest Playground?  Follow along with the BT and find out!   

On his first day in Warren County, BT went to Kings Island one of Warren County’s signature attraction and the Midwest’s Largest amusement and waterpark.  At the top of the iconic Eiffel tower, BT saw world-class coasters, the new Soak City Waterpark (free with park admission), the world’s largest dinosaur park and more. BT knew he was in the right place for plenty of family fun!   

BT’s next stop was Great Wolf Lodge, with its mammoth indoor waterpark, guaranteed to “weatherproof” your vacation fun with its six pools, 12 waterslides, lazy river and four-story wet-and-wild tree house.  To dry off, BT bowled the perfect game at the new Ten Paws Alley then headed off to bed in a woodland-themed guest room. 

On day two, BT took to the skies on Ozone Zipline Adventures, the Midwest’s largest canopy zip line tour.  The new River Tour zip lines gave BT an amazing 360 degree view as he soared more than 200 feet above the Little Miami River valley.  With three tour options, eight sky bridges and breathtaking views, it was an experience BT won’t soon forget.  

BT then headed to the picturesque town of Lebanon, to cool off with a sweet treat at the Double Dip.    Then he went for a ride on the LM&M Railroad, a vintage 1950’s passenger train where he listened to conductors describe railroad history.  BT planned to return again so he could take a themed ride such as the Great Train Robbery, Curious George or The Cat in the Hat Train Ride.   

To end his trip, BT visited the historic Golden Lamb Inn & Restaurant, oldest inn, and marveled at the vast array of Shaker furniture and visited rooms where U.S. President’s once slept.  Then he settled in for a roast leg of lamb and a slice of Sister Lizzie’s Shaker Sugar Pie and planned his next trip to Warren County.   

With more to do in a 30-mile radius, BT couldn’t possibly see everything in Warren County.  He plans to return and hunt for new treasures in Waynesville “Antiques Capital of the Midwest”, rub elbows with Venus Williams and Roger Federer at the Western & Southern Open, cheer on his favorite knight at the Ohio Renaissance Festival and more.   

For a complete list of adventures in Warren County, Ohio’s Largest Playground visit www.ohioslargestplayground.com. 

BT Does The BC!

What’s the best part about being a bonehead? Getting to play like the kids! 

The Boneheaded Tourist (BT) recently visited the Butler County Visitors Bureau and got to experience two super awesome kid friendly Butler County (The BC) spots, EnterTRAINment Junction and Jump & Jacks.  

When he arrived in The BC, BT was so excited to get started on his travel adventures.  So he grabbed his coat and headed out to explore the county and all of its family friendly destinations.  

His first stop was the popular EnterTRAINment Junction. EnterTRAINment Junction is a super cool 25,000 square foot model train display that features the world’s largest G-scale indoor display with two miles of track and 90 model trains. Luckily for BT, EnterTRAINment Junction was hosting Everything Thomas, a month long celebration for Thomas the Tank Engine and all of his friends.  

When we walked in, BT was immediately enthralled by the huge train displays representing different periods of American history. BT even stood on the benches and peered into the displays with his face pressed up against the glass. 

Halfway through the exhibits, BT got to ride on a train and learn all about trains and the important role that they played in industrial America. After touring the amazing displays, BT took a break in the kids play area and got to play with toy Thomas the Tank Engine trains. 

A trip to EnterTRAINment Junction wouldn’t be complete without a trip through the A-Maze-N Funhouse. The funhouse is a circus midway experience featuring the region’s only mirror maze, a discombobulating spinning vortex tunnel, a hilarious tilt room, and so much more. 

BT was super excited to run through the funhouse. He started out with the mirror maze, which left him confused and constantly running into mirrors that he thought were passageways. Next, BT wanted to see the spinning vortex and claustrophobia hallway, which made him very dizzy.  The dizzying funhouse made BT’s head feel funny and he fell down many times.  

After regaining his composure, BT realized that he was missing a glove! How could this happen? He lost one of his favorite orange gloves! BT was so excited about playing in the funhouse that he didn’t even notice that he had lost one of his gloves! He figured he must have lost it in someplace inside the funhouse. BT went back into the funhouse after his glove, determined to find it. After searching all over, in every corner of the spinning vortex and even crawling around in the black hole room, BT couldn’t fit his glove.  

Even though he was sad about losing his favorite orange glove, BT wanted to keep exploring The BC. He had heard that a brand new indoor play place with a four level play center with 40 foot slides, a bounce yard with giant inflatables, and even a place to grab a snack called Jump & Jacks had just opened three days ago. He just had to check it out! 

BT unleashed his inner kid at Jump & Jacks. Running all around the arena climbing through tunnels, sliding down giant slides, and even making a few new friends. But BT lost a shoe! Suddenly he was running around with only one shoe on! Without his shoe, he could step on something and hurt his foot! The other kids in the play area tried to tell BT that he lost his shoe, but BT was too excited about playing and didn’t pay any attention to his helpful friends.  

After finally realizing that he had lost a shoe, BT had to take a break from playing and search all over Jump & Jacks to find his missing shoe. He finally found it in a bright orange tunnel. He was glad he found it because he sure looked funny with just one shoe on! 

At the end of the day, BT was worn out! He had seen tiny trains, met Thomas the Tank Engine, got lost in a funhouse, and ran around an exciting kids play arena. But BT had also learned a very important lesson, that he should always pay attention to his surroundings and his belongings at all times, no matter how excited he is. He learned that being aware helps you stay safe and helps you keep from looking funny with just one glove and one shoe on!

Get to the BC! - www.gettothebc.com

BT Goes Home

Our friend, The Boneheaded Tourist, returned to his maker – a lady in Greenville, Ohio – where he spent the past two months.  

He celebrated Christmas, Latvian style, with the Jekabsons extended family consisting of the families of five sisters who immigrated to Greenville, Ohio from Europe after WWII. BT received some winter clothing. It’s a good thing too because he has been traveling in shorts and sandals, bonehead that he is! After he tried on his new digs, he wasted no time running outside to make a snow angel – his first ever.  

He accompanied Mara (Jekabsons) Cox to the Episcopal Church in Greenville. Mara pointed out some unique history to BT. A former church member, John Knox Reily, founded the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio back in 1839. BT got to sit in the pew that was once occupied by Lt. Commander Zachariah Lansdowne and his family. Lansdowne was the commander of the ill-fated Shenandoah, an airship modeled after the zeppelin bomber L-49.  

Afterward, BT went to see the old Lohman Brothers building where they made telescopes, telescope lenses and wagons. Steeped in Greenville history, it only made sense that BT go to the public library to get his own library card. Librarian Susie Hailey wanted to teach him to use the computer but BT was hungry for lunch. 

Mara treated him to spinach quiche and decaf coffee at Brenda’s Beanery Coffee Shop. He left with a souvenir mug for his first prize item to go in his suitcase of booty which will be awarded near the end of 2012 to whoever submits the best safety or travel tip to OhioTraveler.com.  

The Boneheaded Tourist has reached celebrity status through his mishaps and interesting travels throughout Ohio over the past year so he sat for an interview at The Daily Advocate where he met Linda Moody, Features Editor. His story appeared on the cover of the Sunday edition soon thereafter. When he stopped to shop at the Third Street Market Store, they were quick to snap his photo and post it on Facebook.  

Greenville’s history was intriguing to BT. A history plaque informed him that the town was originally the fortification named Greene Ville, built under the command of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. Wayne named it after an old friend from the Revolutionary War days – Nathanael Greene. This led BT to the place where The Treaty of Greene Ville was signed. This was a historic treaty that was to end the Indian Wars in what was known as the Ohio territory at the time. 

Later in the afternoon, BT did some bird watching at Shawnee Prairie Preserve Nature Center. While there, he documented that he had seen a Song Sparrow along with the date he saw it to post on the Feeder Watch. This area and the lands south of it were once known as Prophets Town. “The Prophet” was a Shawnee Indian and his brother was Tecumseh! Together they lived here in defiance of the Treaty. The nature center has a two-sided historical marker that tells their story. 

But BT needed more information about this so he ventured over to Garst Museum. BT struggled with the door. It would not open! He grew frustrated and slipped and fell. Mara calmly corrected his behavior lecturing him on patience and problem-solving. So, together, they made what they could of their visit to the museum and walked over to the birthplace of Lowell Thomas. This house was moved from nearby Woodington to the Garst grounds. Thomas was a writer, broadcaster and traveler best known as the man who made Lawrence of Arabia famous. 

Still needing a history fix, Mara drove BT out to Brock Cemetery to see Annie Oakley’s gravesite. But this only made BT yearn to get inside Garst Museum even more since it is also the home of the Annie Oakley Center! 

The Double M Diner hosted Mara and BT for dinner at the old Palace Store Building. There were many little shops inside the beautifully renovated building with rich architecture.  

Now that The Boneheaded Tourist has been refreshed with a return “home,” he is gearing up for an exciting new year of Ohio tourism in 2012. He noticed he had largely missed southwest Ohio so he decided to hit a few spots there and then work his way across the state again in search of cool attractions. Of course, once BT hits the road nobody knows what to expect. None-the-less, his adventures and mishaps will be reported every step of the way at OhioTraveler.com and on OhioTraveler’s Facebook and Twitter pages.  

Enjoy the fun.

2011 Archived Adventures

If you like BT for the stories and tourism ideas, there's more! Click here to see the 2011 adventure archives

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About Ohio’s Boneheaded Tourist 

The adventures of the Boneheaded Tourist put Ohioans in the driver’s seat. They decide the destination or unexpected detour. In fact, anyone can be a part of the comedic and fun-filled adventure and take the Boneheaded Tourist for a ride.

But be aware, he makes the biggest boneheaded blunders. We encourage kids or adults across Ohio to offer words of safety or travel advice for The Boneheaded Tourist. At the end of the adventure, we'll host an online vote for best piece of advice. The winner gets a suitcase full of prizes, passes, coupons or whatever is in it. 

The Boneheaded Tourist is sponsored by OhioTraveler.com to accomplish three things:  

1. Seize the creativity of Ohioans looking to have a little bit of fun with the Boneheaded Tourist and share a brief story about their time with him along with pictures or even a video clip. Feel free to mention your cause or organization in the story.
    

2. Share ideas for free and affordable attractions on roads less traveled throughout Ohio.
    

3. Teach children safety lessons using humor involving the Boneheaded Tourist.

HOW TO WIN:

Near the end of 2012, OhioTraveler will announce the start of the contest to submit a safety or travel tip by posting it on the OhioTraveler Facebook page (be sure to click "like" at the top of the page).

At that time, just look for the picture to the right with the words - "WIN IT ALL"

Whichever safety or travel tip that receives the most "likes" by 9am EST Christmas morning (12/21/2012) WINS IT ALL! So be sure to share this link with friends so they may vote. When the clock at OhioTraveler strikes 9am EST, the page will be refreshed and the votes tallied. If you wait until the last minute to vote/like, your vote/like may not show up in time to be seen when the page is refreshed and votes tallied, therefore, it will not count even if it appears a second after we tally the votes. Our count is done once and will be official. In the case of a tie, we'll announce extended voting for whomever is tied.

What is "ALL"? Everything that has been put into The Boneheaded Tourist's suitcase during his travels around Ohio throughout 2011. All of his stops are posted on OhioTraveler.com. The prize package contains some free passes, discounts, small souvenir and trinket items.

If you are a family relation to anyone at OhioTraveler.com, you are not eligible to participate. We are not responsible for any technical difficulties. For example, if a vote/like is not registered, there is nothing we can do about it as that is a Facebook issue and out of our control. As unfortunate as that may be, we will count only the votes/likes we see. Any posts that we deem inappropriate will be removed and disqualified. If it persists, the person posting may be banned from this page. Please stay within the spirit of the program. Thank you.

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