Meeting Butler County, Ohio

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I was invited to spend a long weekend in Butler County, Ohio, just after they became Wheel The World certified for accessibility. The tourism board wanted me to write about how wheelchair accessible the region is. I hadn’t been there before, and it sounded like an interesting area, so I made plans to go. My trip to Butler County turned out to be one of my most unusual adventures, with new experiences, and a lot of donuts!   I brought Teddy and my friend, Heather, along for the ride, about three and a half hours from home. We had a nice welcome basket waiting for us at the hotel. Our home base was the Marriott Cincinnati North in Westerville. I was happy at the start with a flat entrance and automatic doors. They didn’t have any accessible rooms, so we had two connecting rooms. Teddy loved going back and forth between the two rooms. Mine had plenty of space for me to wheel around, a well-equipped desk area I could reach, and a large bathroom with a shower chair. The handheld was...

Wine Travels to Explore

I’ve come across some interesting opportunities for wine tasting and exploration that I thought I would pass along:

The Bellagio is always full of great activity and gourmet restaurants. On May 7th the Las Vegas hotel’s Tuscany Kitchen will be hosting UnCork'd wine seminars.. The schedule includes “Wine Immersion: A Master Sommelier’s View on Organic Wine, Culinary Revelations: A Piece of Chocolate and a Glass of Wine,” and “Wine Immersion Experience: Wine Scores and Ratings, What Do They Actually Mean.” There's also an opportunity for a five-course wine pairing dinner.

Speaking of Tuscany, there’s nothing like the real thing for an Italian wine experience. I’m hoping to experience my own adventure this fall with DiVine Tours, a company I recently discovered that specializes in wine trips. DiVine offers a selection of wine exploration for everything from day tours in great Italian cities like Florence, Rome, Amalfi Coast, San Gimignano and Pisa to in-depth week long adventures. They even do private tours. I’m currently looking at two tours that sound incredible – The Vineyards of Tuscany and The Grand Harvest Tour of Tuscany. Both tours give an in-depth look at behind the scenes wine-making in this beautiful region. Visit their website or write to info@divinetours.com.

Between the mountains of Montana is a hideaway called Triple Creek Ranch. I haven’t been there yet, but I feel relaxed just going to their website. Their fireplace-filled cabins, hot tubs and hammocks look inviting, but there’s another reason to head there in May and June. Vitner’s Weekends feature a different winery each week. Guests can stay for a package that includes accommodations, food, tastings, ranch activities and receptions. The wineries participating this year are: Fidelitas Wines, Koenig Vineyards and Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards. For more information, contact the Triple Creek Ranch- 800-654-2943, info@triplecreekranch.com.

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