After the 4th of July passes, I always get this sinking feeling that summer is slipping away. Why is that?? At this point, we still have a good 3 to 4 weeks left before the kids go back to school, and another month after that of reasonable warm weather, so I’ve come up with a list of 7 activities that will allow you to get the absolute MOST out of the rest of your summer.
#1. Baseball Games
What says “summertime” more than going to a baseball game?? We’re really lucky to have 2 major league baseball teams in our state and both are within a 2-hour drive of us. And…we have a minor league team right in our backyard.
The Columbus Clippers have a new stadium that has a great hometown feel to it. They always have specials like “Kids Eat Free” on Wednesday nights, which makes taking the kids to the ballgame a no-brainer!
#2. Factory Tours
Many of your local factories will provide tours free of charge or for a small fee. You want to make sure to pick something that the kids will like or you could be in for a snooze fest!
The chocolate factory, Anthony Thomas, is here in town, and they offer tours during the summer on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 9:00 – 3:00. This is such a great tour and everyone gets a sample!
Other factories that offer tours in Columbus are Al’s Delicious Popcorn and American Whistle Corporation.
#3. Bowling
This activity would be great for a rainy summer afternoon. Always check your local lanes for specials! The website Kidsbowlfree.com lists all of the lanes in your state/area where kids receive 2 games of bowling FREE, everyday, all summer long. In Columbus, those lanes are Plain City Lanes, Maysville, Gahanna Lanes and Holiday Lanes.
Another bowling alley in our area, Ten Pin Alley, has a summer bowling pass that offers 1 hour of bowling on 1 lane with 6 shoe rentals for $100. Valid May 1st – October 29th. Wow.
#4. Farm Markets
We have several great farm markets in our area and my kids always love to go. Our favorite is Yutzy’s Farm Market in Plain City. From strawberry picking in June to fresh corn in July and pumpkin picking in October, there’s always something fresh to get your hands on. They also sell Amish-made swing sest and kids are welcome to play on them.
We also love Kuhlwein’s Farm Market, which is just down the road from us. It’s smaller than Yutzy’s, but has a similar feel. I just got a notice in my facebook thread that fresh corn was coming in straight from the field and would be available within the hour. Can’t get much fresher than that!
The kids love to go because we grab a scoop of ice cream while we’re shopping!
#5. Hiking
I have to admit, we haven’t done this much this summer because it’s been so hot, and I’m a wimp in the heat unless I’m in the water. We’ve had a couple of cool days lately, which would be perfect for a summer day hike!
One of Ohio’s gems for hiking is Old Man’s Cave at Hocking Hills State Park. If you haven’t been there, you really need to go. Fall is the best because the leaves are changing and the colors are breathtaking. It’s a close drive, so you could go during all seasons. 
We also need to visit the Olentangy Indian Caverns. We were there a few years back, but as we were getting ready to buy our tickets, our youngest daughter, Quinne, who was 2 1/2 at the time, fell off of a play set and broke her collar bone. That ended our trip quickly!
Look at these pictures though! How fun!
#6. National Museum of the US Air Force
The National Museum of the USAF is as cool as it gets for aircraft enthusiasts. Located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, this place is amazing. We’ve been there a handful of times and need to go again soon.
Here’s the kicker – the museum is open 9:00 – 5:00, seven days a week and…it’s FREE! They have so many galleries and exhibits that I nearly lost count. Check this one out, it’s definitely worth your time!
#7. Young’s Jersey Dairy
Just a short drive from Columbus in Yellow Springs, Young’s Jersey Dairy offers a wide variety of fun activities that everyone will love.
Above the mini golf, the batting cages, the giant slide, the pumpkin picking, the petting zoo and the corn maze is the homemade ICE CREAM!!!! It’s so good and worth the trip in and of itself. But please, take advantage of the other stuff too, ha! You could spend the whole day here and the kids would not get bored!
I’ve noticed as I’m reading over this post that I’ve mentioned corn several times and I have 2 pictures of cows….let me reassure those who do not live in Ohio that we are very metropolitan, lol! I’ll have to do another post on what to do in the city. But, I do love the cows, and corn, and country, so there you go!
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