For the past month my friend Erin and I have been taking roadtrips around Ohio. We’ve been to some great outdoor spots (we’re sticking to outside adventures because of COVID-19): Cesar Creek State Park near Wilmington, Schnormeier Gardens near Mount Vernon, and Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve east of Newark. After all of these trips we stopped by a brewery or winery, and some of them I was able to bring my dog, Oliver. So it’s become our mission, outside adventures followed by an adult beverage, all at places we’ve never been before. And for two girls who usually travel abroad in the summer, we’ve been very impressed with the bounty of beautiful places available in Ohio.
This past week, we traveled to Tipp City, which is just north of Dayton, to go to Charleston Falls Preserve. Afterwards, we stopped for ice cream at Airline Dairy Cream and visited Eudora Brewing Company in southern Dayton. While I would be the first to admit that it wasn’t my favorite hiking trip, it was still lovely, and I was very excited to be able to take my sweet pup along; every place we visited that day was extremely dog-friendly.
Charleston Falls Preserve
The drive from Columbus was only an hour an a half. The day we went it was about 95 degrees (man, it has been a hot summer!). We immediately set out on the trail, after grabbing a map, in the direction of the namesake waterfall.
Charleston Falls Preserve is the most popular park in Miami County, and features over 216 acres of forests and prairies. The hiking paths are basically a loop, though during our time there (when we explored every path available) we did have to double back a few times.
Waterfall and Cave
Very quickly we came to the waterfall. Because the rock strata is the same as Niagara Falls, it is promoted as a “Miniature Niagara”. We walked down some steps to get to the falls area, and followed the rock walls until we reached the falls.
We actually questioned whether we were at THE falls, because they are definitely misnamed. I would prefer it be called the Charleston Tinkle, because there was not a lot of water falling from here. Can you see it behind us in the picture below? It is a 37 foot drop, and perhaps after a heavy rain it is better. But even in things we read before we traveled there, we heard it wasn’t much of a waterfall, so you’ve been warned. Hopefully you’ll have better luck if you visit.
The area of the falls was very beautiful, very shaded and green, with the rocks forming a bit of a canopy.
Just a little bit further down the path we came to the cave. Oliver and I spent a minute in the cave for a photo opp. It it felt so cool in there, we could’ve stayed inside for awhile.
Continuing on the path, we followed along the picturesque rock ledges.
Red Bud Valley Trail
The next portion of the trail was the Red Bud Valley Trail. This portion of the trail featured a wood pathway, through a valley with no shade, and leads back into the woods. In the wooded area there is a stream and several places to sit and rest.
Thorny Badlands Trail
The thorny badlands trails is partially shaded, and is supposed to feature an observation deck. However, we circled around this path twice, and we never did find it.
Here is where we had to backtrack and go again on the Red Bud Trail. This time we veered to the left and continued onto a part of the trail that is unnamed on the map. In this section, in the back part of the woods, is where we found a wooden bridge. There was also a little stream with the perfect stones for crossing.
Locust Grove Trail & Cedar Pond
The Locust Grove Trail was all out in the open- no respite from the sun at all. We only saw a few flowers, but I’m sure it is beautiful when it is covered with wildflowers.
And shortly after the Locust Grove Trail is Cedar Pond. You can walk all the way around the pond, or sit on one of the benches and take in the serenity. Because of the heat we didn’t stick around for long.
In all, we hiked about 4 miles in the two hours we were there. It was a pretty park, but I wouldn’t drive out of my way to visit there again. If you are in the Dayton area, it would be a great spot to explore. If you do take a trip there, may I suggest also visiting one of the other places we visited that day.
Airline Dairy Creme
I think I mentioned how hot it was that day, so after our hike we wanted to make a stop for some ice cream, and found Airline Dairy Creme just down the road. Founded in 1964, it felt like old times, with the servers coming to the car to get our order. Erin and I enjoyed our cyclones (mine peanut butter cup, her’s Ande’s mint- with huge chunks of candy in both of our cups) and Oliver loved his vanilla pup cup. Our whole order came to less than $6 and was delicious!
Dayton’s Fountain of Light
As we headed to our next destination, we passed through downtown Dayton. We saw jets of water in the air, and had to take a U-turn to investigate. Turns out, we had good timing to see the Fountains of Light. These fountains run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, for 8 minutes every hour during the daytime.
The five jets represent the 5 regional rivers, and the water shoots 200 feet in the air, and 400 feet across. There are 2,500 gallons of water pouring out every minutes, and from the Five Rivers Metropark you can get a great vantage point.
Eudora Brewing Company
We chose the Eudora Brewing Company as our “adult beverage” destination because they had a dog friendly patio. They open at 4, and when we arrived we had the place to ourselves. They are following strict COVID-19 protocols (which I very much appreciate), and we took a seat outside. We did have to go inside to place our orders.
Eudora Brewing Company offers 18 taps of house-brewed ales and lagers. They also offer Ken’s root beer, and cold brew coffee. We both took advantage of the flights, so we could try several things- my favorite was the cherry Berlinerweiss
This brewery also has a full-kitchen, so we shared buffalo cauliflower wings, which were delicious. Oliver loved being there with us, and was given his own water bowl.
Visitors also have the option of sitting indoors, which is very spacious.
Hope you enjoyed my blog post about Charleston Falls Preserve. Again, it wasn’t my favorite place, but we found lots of other lovely things to do that day. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think, or to give me a suggestion for my next day trip.
-Catching Katie
