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 hand...
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History and Music in Indianapolis

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I’ve had the pleasure of making a lot of trips to Indianapolis as it is less than two hours from here. Every time I go there are different things to see and do. That was especially true for this trip.

My friend Angela and I checked into the Courtyard Marriott Downtown. 

It’s in a perfect location, directly across the street from Whitewater State Park and the Indiana State Museum.

The Courtyard has a nice coffee shop and lounge area, and it’s connected to the Fairfield Inn and the massive JW Marriott Indianapolis for more options.

First on our schedule was our first trip to the Indiana State Museum. We really enjoyed learning about the Hoosier State and it’s place in America’s history.

Among the exhibits and hands-on experiences are a 50th Anniversary exhibit on the Indiana Pacers and a looks into the gems and minerals in the state, as well as its start through the Ice Age. 

We also were able to see plenty on famous Indiana natives, including James Dean, Michael Jackson, Florence Henderson, Kurt Vonnegut (who has his own museum in Indy), and Axel Rose.

The Indiana State Museum also has a Peewinkle Puppet Studio, which has puppet classes and a puppet camp, as well as show you can watch.

We grabbed some coffee at the JW Marriott Indianapolis Starbucks and headed back to the room for some rest. We were spending the evening about a half hour from downtown at FoxGardin Kitchen & Ale.

Our motivation for heading to this venue was actually to see a local Champaign duo who Angela and I knew well on and off the stage. 

Mank N Sass, Jared Manker and Sara Siders, formerly in the band UpShot, have extended their following into the Indianapolis area, where they play frequently. 

FoxGardin is one of their favorite places so we were anxious to check it out.

While we waited for our table, we visited the upstairs whiskey bar with Jared and Sara, and did a little sampling. The place was quite busy and I’m told it’s always that way.

They took the stage and we took to the menu for some cocktails to start the evening. For main courses, Angela loved her filet oscar and I really enjoyed my eggplant parmesan. Manager/Chef Jacob Burgess has quite an unusual and popular menu.

Mank N Sass were wonderful, as usual. They played some original songs and filled in with just about everything from the Beatles to Michael Jackson to Tom Jones.

Before we left, we talked to some of the Fortville locals. 

We loved hearing about all the small women owned shops in the area. It was quite a fun evening in the little town with the big restaurant.

We arrived back at the Courtyard Indianapolis pretty late and ready for a good night’s sleep before another day exploring Indianapolis.
Location: Indianapolis, IN, USA

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