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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Festival and Ferry for the Last Day in Southwest Michigan

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It was the final day in Michigan for my friend, Lynn, and I. It had been a wonderful adventure along the coast of Lake Michigan. We were prepared to spend the day with even more of it.


We started with a breakfast meeting with Nick Nerbonne, Media & Digital Director at Pure Michigan. We met at The Coffee Factory for great lattes and breakfast sandwiches, and to talk about the mitten state and accessibility.


Nick is interested in making the state as accessible as possible, knowing it has to be done place by place. He’s proud of the beach chair initiative and the continued efforts. He eagerly listened to my suggestions about hotels, transportation, and other accommodations.

We went back to the Delta Hotel to pack up and check out. We still had until evening in Muskegon. After leaving our suitcases with the front desk, we walked the three blocks downtown to Hackley Park, where a Polish Festival was going on. Along the way we spotted murals and sculptures throughout the well-kept city.


The Polish Festival, a yearly event in the town, was a lot of fun. It celebrated that countries heritage, food, and culture. We watched the dancing and listened to the music while deciding what to eat from the very tempting booths.


Lynn went for a platter with kielbasa, cabbage, pierogies, and potato pancakes. She said it was authentic and fantastic. I went for something a little less ordinary, but equally good: Paczki stuffed with pulled pork.


We walked back to the Delta Hotel and relaxed for a while before it was time to leave and drive to the port. Instead of driving back to Illinois, we had decided to take the Lake Express Ferry and spend a night in Milwaukee before driving to Champaign from there.

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The ferry was large with plenty of space for me to get around in the wheelchair. I didn’t go outside, though. It was windy and I decided to stay warm inside. Lynn went out for a few pictures.

The trip across Lake Michigan was scenic and much shorter than driving. We got off quickly and were ready to start our 24 hours in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It had been a few years since I’d been there, and it was Lynn’s first trip.

I was hosted on this trip, but opinions are my own. Thanks to Pure Michigan for their hospitality.

Location: Milwaukee, WI, USA

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