Jeff was my jump master for my tandem jump with over 6000 jumps he told me ....he was truly a…read moreprofessional as well as the rest of the staff. Everyone . went all out to double check all safety protocols. Watching other jumper take off and the graceful landing landings made me as well as other jumpers feel comfortable with the procedures. My skydive experience was truly an adventure of a lifetime and am looking forward to my next jump !

jacob & jeff & all the staff were five star! made you feel like family! great place! will…read moredefinitely be going back!

Beautiful surroundings on this float. They have better quality kayaks than other liveries…read more Fantastic prices, friendly service, cash only, first come first serve. 10/10 recommend.

Gotta get there before it opens if you want to get a kayak because they run out quick. But that's…read moreto be expected since their prices are cheaper than anywhere else. I ended up doing a tandem canoe and it was still a super lovely trip. Very pretty and mild trail.

I've been to a number of similar national monuments including the President Taft home not terribly…read morefar away in Cincinnati. The National Park Service has done a fabulous job of keeping to the structure of the home and still managing to tell the story of a great man. At a time when the nation and the military was still divided along racial lines, Charles Young graduated from the US Military Academy (the third African-American to do so). He was the first black US National Park superintendent and the first black man to achieve the rank of colonel in the US Army. And in fact was the highest-ranking black officer in the Army until his death in 1922. In 1894, he was assigned to Wilberforce College here, one of the Historically Black Colleges, to lead the new military sciences department. When the Spanish-American War broke out, he was promoted to major and commanded the 9th Ohio Infantry Regiment. He went on to serve as the superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant national parks. The museum goes into much depth for Young's 1912 assignment as military attaché to Liberia, the first African-American to hold that post. However when the United States was to enter World War I, he was removed from service due to a "medical issue." In 1919, Young was reassigned as military attaché to Liberia. There is a lot going on here including a short film, a number of exhibits and memorabilia. And it's free. Stop by if you're near Xenia. [Review 1321 of 2024 - 242 in Ohio - 22344 overall]

The Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument recently went through a multi-year renovation…read morebefore reopening the house, Youngsholm, to the public. This building was the home of Brigadier General Charles Young, whose story is fascinating. He was one of the first African American graduates of West Point and had a storied military career, which intersected very closely with the history of the National Park Service itself, as it turns out the army used to be responsible for maintenance of the national parks in their early years. This is how Young became the first African American national park superintendent - out at Sequoia. All of this information and more were introduced to visitors here. There is a good introduction film, "A Triumph of Tragedy: The Life of Charles Young," shown in an upstairs room. The lower floor has a couple of rooms full of displays on both Charles Young's life and the Buffalo Soldiers, of whom Young served as their commander. There is a small gift shop in a back room, as well. The rangers are very friendly and helpful. They were offering a program during our visit, and the hosting ranger was really great with the kids who were participating. Parking is available in a lot to the side of the house. Hopefully, they'll continue to grow this site!

We read that there was a talk with guided tour at this reserve so we made time to go. It started…read morewith a talk about the geologic history of the area and the uniqueness of this particular fen (or bog.) it was very done and quite informative! Next a guide took us into the fen on a nicely built boardwalk. She talked about the various plant and trees and how special this place was. Like the white cedar are not typical in Ohio but here the glaciers brought the seeds and possibly the trees from up north. Then the upwelling groundwater provided a climate favorable to cedars. So cool! It's a great place to spend some time and hike a bit. It gets a recommend from me!

Lifelong history buffs, we joined OHS a few years ago, and this year decided to visit all of the…read moresites in their system. We were going to Urbana for a festival and saw this was nearby, so we stopped in. And fell in love. It's small and out of the way, and beautiful. The visitors' center is pretty new, and small too, but nice. A little gift shop, meeting rooms, some educational exhibits. The staff were super friendly and helpful. The trail (boardwalk) is wheelchair and stroller accessible, which was nice for us with a baby. It's a short loop, and you are right in the middle of the fen, with flowers, water, sun and shade, and little lizards. A beautiful, relaxing, educational walk. Plan for an hour or so. Well worth a detour. We'll be back.

This past weekend I was again thrilled to be up in Dayton with my daughter, son-in-law and 2…read moregrandchildren. They live in Fairborn near Wright Patterson Air Force Base. My almost 4 year old grandson really enjoys riding his scooter and his balance bike (with no pedals) all through the neighborhood. We went out several times to do this and his favorite destination was to go to Wedgewood Park. It's a small community park that we can access at the end of a dead end street. Cars can also drive to it. There is a decent size parking lot and a jungle jim with 3 different size slides, tennis courts, soccer field and a swing set with both baby and kid size swings. Until recently the swing set and jungle jim were closed off due to covid-19. The park is seperated from the nearby homes by a cluster of trees. It's location makes it a perfect local play area for the neighborhood! Until next time be kind to each other and stay healthy. @yelpcincy @wedgewoodpark @Fairbornohio #familyfun #communitypark

I love three blocks away but had no idea this park was here until we happened upon it on a walk…read moreearlier this week. It has a parking lot, soccer field, basketball court, swings, a play ground and a shelter with picnic tables. I'm just grateful to have a place where my toddler can run, jump, climb and swing!

I went up there for a tournament.. a guy running the tournament named "jerry" is extremely rude…read more His whole demeanor is off. I think I will stick to cherry grove or Loveland.

This place used to be a great place to go and play sand volleyball. It recently went through…read moremanagement changes and has begin to go downhill. Yes, it is a business, but it is a business that is built off of being social, not a production line. They have implemented a rule that you only get 1 minute between your games to get the games in on time. I get keeping the games on time, but you are losing money from alcohol sales. Then they quit letting games run over. We played the other night and we were coming up on the next hour. We were ahead 18-16 with 3 minutes left, and when they cut us off at 21-20 when we were 3 minutes over. We usually play to 23. If they can't give any grace for games that are almost done, then it is just another reason why it is starting to suck there. If the refs can't keep the games on time, then hire new refs, or actually hire real refs. Most refs are just there paying off their session fees and are on the phone most of the time anyway. They used to give you 2 requests per session. Like if you couldn't do the 10pm hour, you could request that. Now you get one request or so they say. They used to actually try and fulfill those requests. They don't even try now. The schedule for Tuesdays this session is exactly the same as last session. team for team, hour for hour. All the did was change the name of the schedule from winter 1 to winter 2. So any requests were not met, we play the exact same teams in the exact same order. Which means there are 2 teams that we don't get to play for a second session. To me, that is just pure laziness. I don't know if the other days are like that. I hear a lot of grumblings among the players now, rule changes that no one knows about, lights being shut off right at 11pm. No grace period to get off the court and gather your things. The first session, I get it, new management is learning, but the second session only seems to be getting worse. It definitely is not the place I used to tell people to come and play at. Now it is just the place I play at for now.

I've biked all the sections of this trail from the south part of Dayton north to where it ends in…read morePiqua. Here's some of our favorite sections: The ride along the river in Dayton is beautiful. The twin ArchCulverts to Piqua as it winds around the huge trees. The bike trails in Piqua along the waterways as well as the Piqua bike trails. The trail north of the Taylorsville dam with the mature trees and the ghost town Tadmor. We are so very lucky to have such a wonderful trail close to us. The picture is taken at maybe 1/2 mike north of Tipp City. It's too new to be equipment used to clear the canal as the last boat passed this way in 1912. It's still interesting and it's on the left if your traveling north to Troy. Watch closely, it's easy to miss...

This is one of the access points to the main trail (Adirondack Trail) that goes through this…read moreMetroPark. The trail itself is pretty much an out-and-back route with a couple of side trails that go into the neighborhoods or just an alternate route. While the vast majority of the trail is "in the woods", the park is sandwiched between the golf course and the houses but (at least while I was there) the area was pretty quiet. Admittedly, it was a cool winter morning without much sunshine. In any case, the area seems to be a popular place for walking or hill running, either on the trails or the park road. This park, while not one of the largest or most secluded, is a great place for a quick escape. This access point has one of the smaller parking lots but is closest to Inspiration Point.