Ikea side-trips (with Fossil Park AND Sharon Woods Park)

Here's some great options for sidetrips when you make your way to Ikea. We investigated today, and were really pleased with everything. It was a fun daytrip.



1. Trammel Fossil Park, Tramway Dr., Sharonville, OH (45-50 minutes from Oxford)

This is a nationally reknown fossil park that is--FREE, and chocked full of great fossil finds. We were there with very small kids and they each had their little buckets full in no time. Not much shade and the terrain is rocky (hence the fossils), so we recommend okay shoes for walking/climbing around. And it's probably best to stop here first in morning, or last in evening, to avoid the hot summer sun.

Directions from Oxford:

Mapquest took us 27 south, 275 North, Sharonville exit (just past the exit for I-75). Turn North (which I think is left) on Lebanon rd. Take first left onto Hauck Dr. Go half mile to Tramway Drive and turn right. It is two blocks up on Tramway Drive.


2. Sharon Woods, Sharonville, OH (45-50 minutes from Oxford--5 minutes from Fossil park)


They have a fantastic indoor play area. It costs $2.50, but if you buy 4 entries you get one free (to be used at any time- including that day--for the next year). The center is clean and we liked that you could use big people stairs to go up to the top level of the play area. I also noticed a handicapped accessible lift that could take people up to the top level. It has climbing and tubes, a ball area. Oh, and air conditioning. We had to drag our kids away. We did have a few heart-stopping moments when we tried to locate one of the kids who were in one of the non-see-through tubes. But there is only one way in and out of the play area, so that is reassuring.



There is also a pioneer village, outdoor sprinkler playground, nature center area, and several outdoor playgrounds.



Directions: From the fossil park, go back out to Lebanon Rd. and turn right. The park will be on your left after about a mile. (also can turn right onto Lebanon Rd. from 275 if skipping fossil park).


Directions From Sharon Woods TO IKEA (10-15 minutes)-- Go right on Lebanon Rd., then left on Kemper. At Reading Rd. turn right. This turns into Cincinnati Dayton Rd. Turn left on Allen Rd. and you'll see Ikea's flags almost immediately.


EXTRA: BANANA's Inflatables
If you are taking 129 to and from IKEA, you'll be also going right past Banana's. I can't blog much on it, since I haven't been there. But I hear it has big inflatable jumping stuff for kids. And it's indoor's. I have seen it on 129 near the 129/I-75 interchange (going west on 129 from I-75 it's on your left).

Squeezing in some nature time

I came across some quick excursions here in Oxford that I thought I'd share. These are bite-sized little trips, great for an afternoon when you have an extra 20 minutes to hold your kid's hand and wonder at nature for a little while.
The first is the Black (Pugh's Mill) covered bridge (LINK), which is on Corso Rd. off 732. It's a very short drive from the Doctor's Park, the pediatrician, and the dentist and vet offices near there (look for a sign on the left), so I've taken my kids there as a treat sometimes after an appointment. The bridge itself is fun to walk across, and at the end, there's a small but rather steep path down to a little creek where my boys love to throw rocks and pebbles. There's also a lovely flower garden and a picnic bench.
I also recently discovered the sculptures on the back lawn of the art museum on campus (LINK). SS and I found some well-groomed trails to walk along and stumbled across one exhibit we like to call the Hobbit Hole. It was hot, though, so bring water, or a hat, or a parasol... Also, note that the indoor galleries are closed for renovations until Sept. 15, according to their web site.
Finally, if you haven't been to the Miami's formal gardens, on Patterson Ave. across from the Miami Inn (LINK), summer is a great time to check it out. Lots of pretty flowers were in bloom the last time we went there for a picnic lunch -- great spot for photos. Enjoy!

Letterboxing around Oxford!

We read about letterboxing a year ago in Family Fun, and after trying it out we are addicted. We loved finding out that there could be boxes hiding anywhere. Some of them in locations we passed all the time, and just never knew the boxes were there.

Basically, people will hide boxes with a stamp and sign-in "log book," then post clues to the box's location online. Anyone can then follow the clues to find the box, and use your own stamp to "sign-in" to their notepad to show that you found it. You can then stamp your own personal notepad with their box stamp. Many people hide boxes with handmade stamps, which makes collecting their imprint fun and interesting. For more info on Letterboxing you can visit http://www.letterboxing.org/. http://www.atlasquest.com/ is another great site for clues, and it gives better info about whether getting to the box is kid-friendly or not.

If we want to do an outing that involves hiking, we'll look up clues, pick a park, and go looking for boxes. Following the clues gives the kids something to do on the hike, kind of like a treasure hunt. And stamping into the box is fun for them. What kid doesn't like playing with stamps? You can find clues online to boxes EVERYWHERE. While we were in Wyoming visiting family, we had a great time exploring new areas looking for boxes. A really fun one at the Denver University campus just had a picture, and we had to drive around campus looking for that building/view point. That one was a magnetic keybox in a well traveled urban area.

There are several great hunts here in Oxford! Oxford Community Park used to have a good one (not sure if the boxes are still active). We have personally hidden 4 boxes with a "Harry Potter Theme," three in Hueston Woods and one at the Lane Library (that one is my favorite one because it is so sneaky). The Hueston Woods series are all kid friendly because I hid them with my 2 year old in tow. http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=55643 and http://www.atlasquest.com/lboxes/showboxinfo.html?gBoxId=55612 are the clues for our boxes.

Remember: Be descreet when looking for or signing into boxes! Non-letterboxing persons may do something to the box (take it, move it, throw it out) if they see you with it.

Checklist of what you need:
a stamp (you can make one, or just grab one that's lying around the house)
ink pad
a notepad
a compass (if the clue calls for it)
a pen

Hueston Woods Family Fun

Hueston Woods is an Ohio State Park located just North of Oxford, OH. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/745/default.aspx

You can get there from Brown Rd., or by following Todd Rd. (beside Walmart). Check out the website for better directions.

The nature center is free and has some cool animals (inside: snakes and turtles. Outside: a bobcat, cougar, bald eagle and owls). During the summer, their calendar of activities is worth checking out. We happened to catch an animal feeding, and the boys loved watching the cougars, bob cat, and bald eagle, getting fed. Check the website for their hours of operation, since it changes depending on the season.

Nearby there is a fenced deer area, where you can stop by and feed the deer. The deer will come right up to the fence and my kids always love stopping by there to see them. I've heard they like corn. We discovered they don't like apples.

And just a bit further down from that is the playground on the beach. Swimming on the beach is free. Just be prepared to get really filthy. The water is kind of sludgy (geese? algae?)

The playground is really fun but, we always have to do baths afterwards because the sand makes them so dirty. If you don't mind that, it's a good time.

There are a lot of trails, but we have found a few that we love for our family.

Cedar Falls Trail: You can find it on the trails map online. It follows a creek, and when it’s been dry and the creek is low it makes good creek bed exploring with some fossils. The trail is a little rocky though, so it can be a tough hike for especially small. Our 5 year old does just fine.

Hueston Woods Nature Preserve/West Shore Trail (we kind of stumbled on this one):

Drive past the Nature Center and Beach/playground as far as you can go in the parking lot. There should be an orange chain thing blocking a large path (so cars can’t drive down) on the farthest end of the parking lot. Walk that path until you come to a sign that says “You are now entering Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve....” We discovered after hiking it, we weren’t on the West Shore Trail for most of it. When you cross an old bridge, look to your left and there are wooden “stairs” going up a hill on a more woodsy path. Continue on this trail, turning right when it “T”’s, until you cross a road. After crossing the road, continue straight, and when the path again divides go straight toward the lake (not right). You’ll hit Action Lake and the actual West Shore Trail. Turn left on West Shore and that takes you back to the parking lot. The entire thing took us about 1.5 hours of walking. That was with a 5 year old walking and our 2 year old on a carrier on his dad's back. But it was a cool nature trail. Some things to look for (if going with your kids you can see if they can spot them)

A swinging vine in the middle of the path
A huge, fallen, completely hollowed out tree.
A broken tree that looks like it has “hair”
A whole lot of carved initials. Either there are a lot of Deans, or Dean loves a lot of people Sullivan started counting when he saw hearts.