Fairytale-like house [Cincinnati OH]…read more We couldn't just drive-by this whimsical house without stopping and doing a double take... and staring. This is the Mushroom House in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati. The amount of detail is really breathtaking: circular steel steps, deck rails of wood shingles, stained glass windows, tiled ceilings... of course, I had to snap some pics. How often do we come to Cin City. The original owner/builder by the name of Terry Brown has passed away in 2008. The house is currently not on the market and occupied as a private residence as of 2021. Here are the deets in Zillow: 1 beds, 1 baths, 1,260 sq-ft. If you are curious about the inside of the home you can click on this link and watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pVUFwH9Q6fk Review #3885

A cute spot for a quick stop and to admire! There's no indoor access, but seeing the outside…read moredetails was an experience in itself (plus the garden).

If you are in the area this is worth a visit. There is a small parking lot and parking is free. The…read moreadmission fee can be paid via cash or card. There is a short video that tells you about the property and then you can tour. Everything is completely dog friendly but some areas do have steep steps. The employees were kind and ensured any questions we had were answered.

The castle, along with the road to get here, can be treacherous. Take extreme caution when visiting…read moreand don't visit on a stormy day! There's a $5 cover charge per person and the gravel parking lot isn't huge. But if you do manage to visit, it's really a treat! I love the stones embedded in the walls from all over the world. The layout is also really interesting, given the spy hole and ladder.

Pretty. Nothing spectacular but neat. I was looking for things to do local in Cincinnati that are…read morefree and this came up as a option.

Commonly known as the Channel 9 castle, you won't find armored knights protecting our local news…read morestation. Elsinore Castle was erected in 1883 by the Cincinnati Waterworks to house a valve for water to be transported to Eden Park. The company was interested in enhancing the view of the park, and this location was the former main entrance. The castle was built be renown architect Samuel Hanneford, modeled after Kronberg Castle, which was featured in a local play of Hamlet. The real Kronberg Castle can be found in Denmark. When the Cincinnati Art Museum opened in 1886, stairs were placed at the base of Elsinore Castle. The steps were too steep to ever become popular and the Elsinore Castle soon lost its appeal as an entrance to Eden Park. A mere 100 years later, it was integrated into the landscaping of Channel 9 and is seen more as a landmark of the news station than of the park. Set alongside Gilbert Avenue, the public can still stop and photograph the castle, however it was sadly never used for anything magical, like kings and armored battle. Viewing Time: 15 minutes

Thank goodness we met a man on the street who recommended we try and visit this sweet, historic…read moremuseum. Marilyn was working and she was an amazing host to this beautiful, old building filled with local treasures from days gone by and the outstanding life of Mr. Whitlock and his chairs, boats and multiple inventions. Very large collection of Civil War books and many items of interest from the once very popular town on the Ohio River. Lovely location and truly worth your time. I would love to go back again and spend more time looking through all as out time was limited on the first visit. Thank you, Marilyn and friends for all your efforts!

I was in the Franklin area for a work obligation and finally made it over to see the famed "Grave…read morein The Middle of The Road." One of the more unique graves around, this grave nearly always shows up on any list of Indiana's most unique roadside attractions. Of course, this isn't "roadside." It's in the middle of the road and serves as a sort of divider in the road. The grave is for Nancy Kerlin Barnett, married to William Barnett. Fun fact: William was the great great great grandson of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Nancy passed away on 12/1/31. She was buried here - a place that used to be a hill overlooking Sugar Creek. Over the years, the area became a small cemetery. Eventually, a small footpath was made. Finally, they wanted to put a small county road here. While it's not certain, it's believed that most graves in the area were moved. However, Nancy's grave stuck around as one of the son's protested moving it. Eventually, they wanted to widen the road - this time around, per report, grandson Daniel showed up with a shotgun essentially saying "Over my dead body." So, she stayed again. They built the road around her and a concrete slab was placed over the grave. On August 8, 1912, a historical marker was also placed. To this day, the grave remains and is definitely considered an "attraction." Anyone who visits roadside attractions in Indiana will eventually make it here. It took me way too long. Surprisingly, it's also fairly accessible and the road is really fairly lightly traveled. It's not hard to stop and see it, though given it's a hill you do have to be a bit cautious even with slow traffic. Is this the best roadside attraction you'll ever see? Of course not. It is, however, a cool sort of cultural icon in Indiana and worth a stop for those in the area. It's definitely not what I'd call a destination attraction. Franklin is a great community to visit, however, I'd certainly not drive down just for this unless you're truly a gravesite person.

This was on a list of unusual things to do/see in Indiana so I had to check it out. The story goes…read morelike this. They were developing the road and it was going right through where the grave is. So they decided to dig the grave up, to which the grandson of the deceased said, ohh heck nawww. It ain't going down like that, and he grabbed his shotgun and threatened the powers. to be so bad that they came up with the compromise of incorporating his gam gam's grave into the new road. So, here we are. Down the center line of the road you will find a tombstone covered with pennies and an occasional flower or two. There is also a historical road marker on the side of the road as well, detailing the significance of the spot. This stop is just or brief stop or drive by. There is really no good place to pull over. I had to be creative and pray. To my favor was that the street was not very busy. An occasional car would pass by. Well now, I can check off "seeing a grave in the middle of the road" off of my bucket list. On to the next adventure.

This is a cool castle that I took my family to over the summer. I enjoy visiting random unique…read moreplaces. It's one of my favorite things to do in exploring and adding things to help. So of course we had a great time at this castle in Lagrange

TikTok really has opened my eyes to hidden treasures everywhere. I'm sure that I'm not the only one…read morethat feels this way. When you doom scroll, you come across many different places that are true hidden gems. Door To Nowhere, or Heigold House, is definitely an oddity and salute to the past. Some housekeeping, you know, things to know about this place. BE CAREFUL. This sits on a roundabout island with steady traffic. Be mindful to the traffic flow and businesses nearby (I parked at a nearby business off the road and walked over here). Be kind to the natural beauty that surrounds this. And most of all, be respectful. As I said, this sits on a roundabout with flowerbeds surrounding it. Whether you are facing front, as in looking at the front of the façade, or looking from the rear, please stay on the sidewalks provided. Take in the informational plaques as well. Built by Christian H Heigold, a successful stonecutter. Majority of the house was completed in 1853. Heigold was a master at stonecutting and completed the home with busts of Presidents George Washington and James Buchanan. Heigold was also a staunch opponent of the 'Know Nothing Party,' and anti-immigration political party and I would like to think that he built his house with all the busts was a big middle finger to those that were anti-immigration. This façade sat in what was known as the The Point neighborhood, which was favored by those that moved to the city from the New Orleans area. Once Louisville diverted the Beargrass Creek away from downtown, this place started to flood annually. Shifting people away from the neighborhood and then the Great Flood of 1937 happened. Slowly the city started buying houses and demolishing them. Ultimately using the land as a dump site. Then this façade was listed on the National Registry of Historical Places. Remained in that area which became Thruston Park. That is until a developer bought the land adjacent to this and build condos. They moved this massive beast, 70,000-pounds, across River Road to where it sits today.

Such amazing history, a must see spot ! Right off a main road but there is parking nearby !read more

Did you know Cincinnati is home to the World's Largest Unfinished Subway System?…read more In 1916, Cincinnatians had a dream: to relieve traffic congestion and improve health concerns by creating a rapid transit system underneath present day Central Parkway. Originally part of the Miami-Erie Canal, the unused waterway was drained, dug out by horse-and-plow, then filled in with concrete. The plan was to create a 16-mile loop of mass transit around the city, stretching from Race Street at Central Parkway, to Clifton, Norwood, Oakley, then back Downtown. The project progressed for ten years then came to a halt after a change in political leaders and financial troubles. The completed portion included six stations along a route spanning from Downtown to Norwood. In 1928, the Cincinnati Subway project was officially abandoned. Over the years, people tried to revive the subway system as well as proposing other uses for it, such as: a wine cellar, a mushroom farm, an aeronautic wind tunnel, and an entertainment venue similar to Underground Atlanta. The Cincinnati Subway is still in tact today. Two miles of tunnels are located underneath Central Parkway between Race Street to just north of the Western Hills Viaduct. Three of the stations remain; the other three were demolished in the 1950s to make way for I-75. While the concrete structure is complete, no rails, electricity, or trains were ever installed. The structure itself is in good condition, especially for being almost 100 years old. While it is off-limits to the public, Cincinnati Museum Center gives an annual tour of the subway in May; an excellent opportunity to go exploring in our city's deepest secret. The tunnels have the potential to be used for modern-day rail transit, with a few improvements, of course.

The Ripley County Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. The current building…read morewas built in 1860 following the destruction by fire of the first courthouse. James Pattison was the architect. The Courthouse stands on a prominent square in the center of Versailles, Indiana. The Greek Revival building is brick with a bell tower. The structure has undergone remodeling throughout the years 1912, 1971, 1992 and 2024 to modernize and expand. Current remodeling, had the building closed to visitors, so I could only visit from the outside. The building will open in April, 2025. The building houses the County Circuit Court and County Superior County (which are temporary housed in the County Building across the street). Historical markers indicated that General John Morgan's Calvary (Confederate) raided the courthouse on July 12, 1863, removing the treasury. A second marker indicates that abolitionist and resident, Stephen Harding, gave antislavery speeches locally. A Civil War canon sits on the southwest corner of the square. A Veterans Memorial is also located on the Square. There is a lot of interesting history at the Courthouse and I will return to visit the updated interior of the building. Free parking surrounds the Square.