Yellow Springs Ohio
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in the Cincinnati area. The kids were getting restless and, to be honest, so was I. So I brushed off the Dorito crumbs from my chest and headed to the family computer. It was time for a road trip. I’m a sucker for quaint small towns with unique little shops and places to eat. With the help of Google’s search engine, I came across the little town of Yellow Springs, Ohio. I’ve never heard of this place before but it sounded nice. We made ourselves presentable and hopped in the SUV and we were off. It was approximately a 1 1/2 hour car ride from Northern KY. The ride was fine except for having to listen to Robin Thicke’s latest song, Blurred Lines, over and over again on every station we turned to.
Yellow Springs is an artist colony located approximately 20 miles outside the city of Dayton, OH. It is home to Antioch College, a small prestigious liberal arts college who has produced some impressive alumni if I should say so myself. Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock on the TV series Star Trek, and Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, both graduated from Antioch College as well as other noted authors, poets, actors and Nobel prize winners. If you are in the mood for a hike, then Yellow Springs won’t disappoint. It boasts the beautiful Glen Helen nature preserve. This gorgeous stretch of acreage was a gift to the college from Hugh Taylor Birch in 1929 in memory of his daughter, Helen.
However, the crown jewel, as far as my family was concerned, was the small quaint shops and eateries. Our first stop, after a long trip, was Ye Olde Trail Tavern and Restaurant. This restaurant is located smack in the middle of downtown YS. We walked in and were seated right away. The service was pleasant and quick. We chose to dine outside on the patio. A street performer across the street, not affiliated with the establishment, serenaded us with his saxophone. We had fun trying to name that tune as he played current music. Wait a minute, that song sounds familiar, it sounds like….no it can’t be…..it is! He’s playing Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke! Perfect! This is absolutely true, I’m not making this up. By the way, the food and drink were excellent.
Next stop, The Corner Cone Dairy Bar for some ice cream. This place is on the corner of Walnut and Dayton. When we got there, we had a choice from 24 different soft serve flavors. I went with half orange and half lemon. It was so good. This little place also sells food. They have plenty of outside seating too, many of it in the shade.
After finishing our ice cream, we continued walking around the corner up Dayton and found the Super-fly Comics & Games store. My oldest daughter loves comics and both daughters are budding artists so they LOVED this place. We spent a lot of time in here and came out with several comic books and souvenirs. Another unique place in this charming little neighborhood is the Little Art Theatre. They’ve completely renovated the theater using donations from throughout the Yellow Springs community. This is a small, old-fashioned independent movie theater that all of us Gen X’rs grew up with. You can also buy alcoholic drinks at the concession stand along with other goodies. We’ve seen several movies there and it is always a great time.
Our last stop is always to the Yellow Springs Brewery. I never leave town without filling up my growler of the seasonal beer on tap. Really good stuff!
By now, it was getting late. Stores are starting to close and we had a long ride back home. We didn’t even get to shop all the different stores downtown or grab a cup of gourmet coffee at one of the cafes. If you get a chance to visit the Dayton area or find yourself in the area, you must stop by Yellow Springs. You won’t be disappointed. This town is a little gem.
