Author: Iris Denby

Retirement sounds a lot more relaxing when you aren’t spending half your time worrying about housing costs. I’ve looked at enough real estate listings to know that finding an affordable…

Looking at home prices can make retirement planning feel a lot less relaxing than it should. I’ve seen enough expensive listings to wonder whether finding a comfortable place to settle…

I have a weakness for shops where you never quite know what you’ll find behind the next shelf. Cleveland, Ohio, has plenty of places that encourage that curiosity, and I’ve…

Some bakery visits begin with a craving. Mine sometimes begin with a beautiful building that catches my attention before I even notice what’s being sold inside. I’ve always enjoyed finding…

October brings a different kind of excitement to Ohio’s quieter corners. Just beyond the farmland and small-town streets, entire hillsides turn brilliant shades of red and gold, often without the…

Your waffle might be red, your burger might be named after a chainsaw movie, and ordering one pizza sets off the Jaws theme. That’s a normal Tuesday at this spot….

I knew this Cincinnati craft shop was different when I spotted supplies priced in loose change. Fifty-cent colored pencils will do that. Then I started looking around. Fabric, yarn, paper,…

Every October, I make the same promise to myself: climb higher and see more color. Ohio makes that promise easy to keep. Old steel fire towers still stand above its…

A pumpkin pie six feet wide and weighing about 400 pounds gets baked for this festival every year. That is not a typo. It is a dessert roughly the size…

At one tiny Ohio restaurant, the staff might loudly announce to the whole room that you’re a first-timer. Yes, out loud. In front of strangers holding hamburgers. I love that…

October gives Ohio’s smaller towns a pretty unfair advantage. Laurelville sends you straight into the Hocking Hills. Peninsula sits inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park, while Millersburg and Sugarcreek put rolling…

I have learned that a covered bridge can turn an ordinary Ohio back road into a reason to keep driving. October only makes that temptation worse. The roads get quieter,…

I knew this Akron, Ohio BBQ stop was serious before I even reached the counter. The smoker was working outside, and people kept heading out with takeout bags that looked…

I rarely walk into an Ohio bakery in fall and leave with only the thing I planned to buy. A cinnamon roll turns into a croissant for later. Then I…

Few things improve a chilly Ohio evening faster than hearing a plate of fajitas sizzling its way toward the table. That was basically the mood I wanted for this list….

I went in looking for a few cheap craft supplies and immediately lost track of that plan. A bag of buttons caught my eye, then some yarn, and somehow a…

I knew the weekend was off to a good start when the loudest thing around the pool was the breeze coming off Lake Erie. This adults-only Ohio inn is built…

A good apple can derail my entire fall afternoon. One minute I am driving east of Columbus with a simple plan, and the next I am wondering how many apples…

The wagon rolled slowly beneath a canopy of orange and gold, and suddenly I was glad nobody was in a hurry. Every bend seemed to bring another stretch of Ohio…

I thought I was pulling into an orchard. Then I spotted the patio tables, grapevines, and people settling in for lunch and realized this was going to be a very…

I thought ranking Ohio diners would be easy until I started deciding what actually makes one better than another. A great breakfast helps, obviously. But then you walk into a…

I can start fall with one apple pie in mind and somehow end up planning half an Ohio road trip around the ingredients. That is the dangerous part about these…

I know I have found a good deli when I start planning tomorrow’s lunch before I finish today’s. That happened more than once while driving across Ohio. One stop led…

I have learned that “I only need one sewing supply” is usually a dangerous sentence. Around Cincinnati, Ohio, that quick errand can turn into an hour of comparing fabric, testing…

I am exactly the kind of person who sees a “factory tour” sign and immediately wants to know what is happening behind the doors. Ohio gives that curiosity plenty to…

My first mistake at a Cincinnati buffet is usually grabbing a plate too soon. By the time I reach the end of the line, I have already spotted three things…

The wind had picked up by the time I stepped inside, and my hands were still cold from the walk across the parking lot. A few minutes later, I was…

I had not planned on ordering pie. Then I walked into this little Ohio diner and saw the dessert lineup. A warm slice of apple pie ended up on my…

The best thrift-store find is usually the thing I almost walked past. That has happened to me more than once around Dayton. I will stop for a quick look, spot…

You can usually tell pretty quickly when a breakfast place has regulars. Someone walks in, gets a nod from behind the counter, and somehow the coffee is already on its…

Sometimes the best craft projects start with something I was not looking for at all. That is the fun of Ohio’s creative reuse stores. I might walk in needing fabric…

I usually know a tailgate is getting serious when someone says, “We should probably stop at the butcher first.” That one decision can change the whole Saturday. Instead of settling…

I have learned not to rush an order at a good Ohio deli. Half the fun is standing at the counter for a minute, watching familiar faces walk in and…

The first thing I noticed at Auddino’s was not the pastry case. It was the smell of bread drifting through a tiny Columbus storefront that looks far more ordinary than…

You know how you walk into a fabric shop for one little thing and somehow leave with plans for another quilt? That happens to me more often than I care…

The first clue that you are not in a typical Ohio grocery store is usually the checkout. There is no card reader waiting for you. Then you notice the shelves….

I have yet to walk into a good fabric shop and leave with only the thing I came for. Somehow one missing spool of thread turns into three yards of…

Some Ohio restaurants make you wonder whether the drive was really necessary. These are not those restaurants. Across the state, family-run steakhouses have spent decades building reputations the slow way,…

Lake Erie may get the headlines, but Ohio’s seafood story does not stop at the shoreline. Across the state, low-key fish counters, neighborhood restaurants, crab boils, and polished seafood rooms…

I have driven farther for a cinnamon roll than I care to admit, and Ohio Amish country keeps giving me reasons to defend that decision. These country bakeries reward the…

I have a bad habit of walking into vintage stores “just to look” and leaving with something I had no idea existed ten minutes earlier. Ohio is full of family-owned…

I have a soft spot for Ohio towns that make a two-hour detour quietly turn into an overnight stay. This one managed it with history, homemade food, and the dangerous…

I have a complicated relationship with crunchy fall leaves. They look fantastic in photos, sound satisfying under hiking boots, and occasionally hide something I would much rather notice before my…

Brisket here has a habit of disappearing long before the smoker has cooled down. At this Ohio barbecue counter, a busy afternoon can thin out the menu fast. What began…

No card reader, no giant kitchen crew, and no pasta waiting around for someone to order it. At this tiny Ohio Italian restaurant, dinner begins only after you do. Sauces…

If you like the kind of Ohio country store where the door opens to the smell of spices, fresh deli meat, and something sweet nearby, this place can derail a…

There is something especially fun about finding an Ohio farm that makes September feel like fall the moment you arrive. The fields are still bright, the air is starting to…

If you have ever wondered what it feels like to order lunch almost exactly the way Cincinnati diners did more than a century ago, this Ohio deli comes surprisingly close….

I have learned that a good walk gets even better when the dog starts acting like every turn in the trail is the most exciting thing that has ever happened….

I always like September in Ohio because fall arrives in pieces instead of all at once. One weekend still feels like summer, and the next I am standing beside a…