Ohio Biking Adventure

DAY 1

We meet at the Dayton, Ohio airport and shuttle to a beautiful nature preserve south of the city for our initial ride on the Great Miami River Trail. After introductions to all your wonderful tripmates, we'll get your set up with your bicycle for the week (that is if you didn't bring your own). This 12-foot wide rail trail hugs the river, making its way through several quaint towns and many beautiful parks full of mature trees that provide shade until we reach downtown Dayton. Along the way, be sure to stop at the charming and historic little downtown of Miamisburg.

Dayton has a rich brewing heritage. We’ll have dinner at the Carillon Brewing Company, where you can taste beers from different points in history and see how they have changed from “sour” ales of the 1850s through the drinks of Post-Prohibition to today’s craft brews. Even if you aren’t a beer drinker, you’ll enjoy watching the beer being made via old-fashioned methods with copper kettles, wooden barrels, and charcoal fires that make each batch of brew. Plus, it is also a beautiful and brand-new museum!
Biking distances: 10 miles / 18 miles / 25 miles

DAY 2

We start the day with a shuttle to the town of Tipp City where we’ll bike another section of the wide, flat Great Miami River Trail, through vibrant river towns and acres of parkland. We’ll be heading downstream with the river, so you’ll be able to make the miles fly by with ease! Our ride takes us back through Dayton, the birthplace of flight (remember the Wright Brothers?). If you're interested, we encourage you to visit the Air Force Museum for a little exploration time before we reconvene for a tasty dinner.
Biking distances: 9 miles / 17 miles / 33 miles

DAY 3

This morning we'll pack up our bags and check out of our hotel before hitting the trail for the quaint little town of Yellow Springs. Our route today takes us to the trail hub town of Xenia, with paved trail “spokes” radiating out in five directions! We'll start our ride with a brilliant green canopy of trees overhead, as well as a bike under a beautifully restored covered bridge. You’ll ride along three connecting paved paths – the Little Miami, Creekside, and Mad River Trails. Yellow Springs (population 3,700) has what is likely to be one of the cutest main streets you’ve ever seen! Before or after an intimate dinner at our hotel, the property’s southern-style front porch will tempt you with comfortable rocking chairs where you can just hang out and watch the world go by.
Biking distances: 10 miles / 18 miles / 28 miles

DAY 4

Rise and shine! We'll start with a filling breakfast in our charming hotel. Next, we bike out the back of our hotel to the trail, this time turning north toward the historic town of Springfield (and beyond, to the reservoir in Buck Creek State Park, if you choose). If you’re a history or architecture fan, you might want to visit the Heritage Center Museum or Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House before or after lunch. No visit to Yellow Springs would be complete without a visit to the famous Young’s Dairy for ice cream, so be sure to save time for a post-ride treat! If ice cream isn’t your thing, visit the local brewery in Yellow Springs – the patio overlooks the trail we were just on. Our final celebratory dinner will be at a lovely downtown restaurant, where we can toast our biking accomplishments.
Biking distances: 10 miles / 20 miles / 32 miles

DAY 5

After an early breakfast at Ellie’s Restaurant and Bakery, we will shuttle to Xenia and bike a beautiful out-and-back route, (with flexible mileage) south toward the town of Corwin before returning to Xenia. The surrounding bucolic countryside is comprised of cornfields, beautiful rows of trees, farmhouses, and creeks full of kids fishing and swimming. We get you back to the hotel in time to shower and check out before setting everyone loose for lunch in Yellow Springs. We will provide an airport shuttle (arriving at 3:00 PM) for those who are flying home today.
Biking distances: flexible