Full Moon Paddle

On Sunday my roommate and I went on a Full Moon Paddle at Stroud’s Run State Park with Mimi Morrison from Touch the Earth Adventures.  Touch the Earth Adventures is an outdoor adventure experience created to inspire people to be in touch with the Earth through all sorts of outdoor pursuits.  A Full Moon Paddle is a kayak adventure out on Dow Lake from sunset until about 10pm.

During the paddle you get to see the sunset, stars, and an awesome view of the full moon.  We loved it so much we are already talking about going back to Stroud’s to rent kayaks during the day sometime.  The paddle was so relaxing and I got to see so many new areas of the lake.  It also happened to be a “supermoon” this weekend, which is when the moon is at its closest point to Earth during the year.  At first it was a little discouraging because it ended up clouding up a bit,  but after a short wait the sky cleared up and we got to watch the moon rise over the lake which was pretty amazing. 

Sorry this post is short on pictures, I was a little worried I might tip! :)

Check out Touch the Earths Facebook page here!

A Decade for Donkey

This week marks the 10th anniversary for local coffee shop, Donkey Coffee and Espresso. Donkey has been celebrating all week by offering special deals to customers on drinks and treats.  I know it is already Thursday, but you can still join the celebration and take advantage of today and Friday's special. Along with its 10th anniversary, Donkey is also celebrating the opening of a newly renovated outdoor patio upstairs. It is the perfect place to relax and have coffee with a friend or hit the books.

 

  Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffin....so good!

ACCVB Kiosk in Baker Center

Hey everyone! The Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau kiosk in Baker Center (right next to the information booth on the first floor) is now fully stocked!  You can go pick up an Athens County Visitor's Guide which is full of suggestions on shopping, dining, and what to do around town.  Some maps are included as well to help guide your way.  We also have a new edition to the kiosk, our Bobcats in Athens brochure!  The Bobcats in Athens brochure highlights our top ten things to do and see around Athens and can be used as a guide to exploring Athens off-campus. 

Here you can find information on our top suggestions and interactive maps

Stuart's Opera House

I got to see Elvis! Well...Dwight Icenhower, an Elvis tribute artist.  Dwight is a nationally recognized Elvis tribute artist, and one of the few who have been able to make a full-time career out of it.  He came to Stuart's Opera House back in February and the show was a blast.  He was always in character and had ladies swooning over him on each side of the stage, it was quite entertaining.  By the end of the show, the area in front of that stage was filled with people dancing and having a blast.

 

Stuart's Opera House is located in Nelsonville on the Public Square which is a really neat area in itself.  The theater is pretty cozy and casual, plus any seat is a good seat.  We were up in the balcony and we could see perfectly.  It's a great place to go hangout, and see some live entertainment.

Stuart's Opera House also puts on the Nelsonville Music Festival, which is taking place May 18-20.

Check out the lineup here!

Winter Hiking at Strouds Run

Last Wednesday the weather was pretty nice, so me and two of my roommates decided to go hiking at Strouds Run State Park. We hiked the Homestead Trail which was 1.9 mi. Overall the hike was not too challenging, I was struggling a little in the beginning but then I was good to go. The only down side was it rained earlier in the week, so the beginning of the trail was a little on the muddy side. Once we got higher up on the hill it wasn’t too bad though.

Map of Hiking and Biking Trails

We just chose a random trail so we didn’t really know if we were hiking towards a lookout or anything like that, but once we reached the end of the trail we were surprised with an awesome view of Dow Lake. There were also some cool flat rocks to relax on and take in the view before heading back down.

When we were looking at the lake we noticed the shape of the lake looked a little strange and the beach area looked bigger than usual, so when we got back down the hill we decided to go to the beach.  Once we got there we noticed that all of the water by the boat house and beach area was gone. It was pretty bizarre looking at an empty lake.   

Dairy Barn Arts Center

If you are in the mood to check out some awesome art, The Dairy Barn Arts Center is the place to go! It is one of Southwest Ohio's premier art galleries, and conveniently located a few minutes off campus. The Dairy Barn has different exhibitions throughout the year and there is also a little gallery shop to check out while you’re there. The current exhibition is the Ohio Border Biennial Exhibition, OH +5.  OH +5 is an all-media exhibition featuring artists from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.  The 63 works of art in this exhibition will be there until March 11 and after that they are for sale. So far, The Dairy Barn is one of the top places I have visited. Not only is the gallery really awesome, but the shopping is just as much fun! I was surprised how many different items they had for sale ranging from ceramics and jewelry to paintings and postcards. 

 

 

Gallery Hours:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday-Saturday: 12-5pm, Thursday Open Late until 8pm

Sunday: 1-5pm

Passion Works Studio

Today I decided to head uptown and stop in Passion Works Studio, which is located just off Court St. at 20 East State St. Passion Works is an art studio that supports collaboration between artists with and without developmental disabilities and is also home to the Passion Flower, the official flower of Athens, OH. I have known about Passion Works for awhile now and have seen the flowers around campus but I have never actually visited the studio. When I went there today I was shocked how many different things are for sale, not only can you buy Passion Flowers but you can buy greeting cards, jewelry, ornaments, paintings, and many more works of art. Everything is so unique and bright, you can't help but be in a better mood once you walk in the shop. My favorites were the rusted Passion Flowers and the greeting cards. I definitely plan on buying a Passion Flower at some point so I can take a little piece of Athens with me after I graduate.

Hours:

Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

Saturday 11am-5pm

 

Geocaching

Geocaching is a real-world outdoor treasure hunting game where players try to locate hidden containers called Geocaches. To find the caches you need a GPS device. Some people use Garmin devices, but there are multiple apps you can download on your phone. I downloaded the app Intro to Geocaching, it’s free and it’s pretty easy to use. When I started off I was a little skeptical but after getting started it turned out to be pretty fun. I knew there was a cache up at The Ridges so I headed there first. The cache is located at the Kennedy Museum of Art where I visited Tuesday but it was pretty tough to find. It was my first time looking for a cache so I had no idea what I was looking for and I ended up just roaming around aimlessly for awhile. The clue was “to the left” and I couldn't find anything to the left. I started to get little frustrated but then after crawling under a bush I found it totally hidden by leaves! This cache was a box and there was a ton of stuff inside, once you find the box you write your name in a book inside and you can take something out of the box and replace it with something else. The next cache I tried to find was at the OU baseball stadium. This was even harder for me to find! The app directed me to the general area, so I knew I was close I just could not find it anywhere. The clue was “water gate”, so I was looking all around this gated area and…nothing. After searching for a decent amount of time I was ready to give up, then I discovered the app has a compass on it that tells you exactly how many feet away you are. After using the compass feature I finallllly found it hanging from a sewer grate! This one was just a little black pill bottle and there was just a piece of paper inside to sign. Overall it was a fun experience, but I think it would be a little better when the weather is warmer. Next time I go Geocaching I think I will get a group of people to go and make a little competition, who can find the most Geocaches the quickest.

The Kennedy Museum of Art

The Kennedy Museum of Art is the perfect place to visit on a rainy day like today! The Museum  is located at The Ridges in Lin Hall, the building itself is really cool because it has all of the original molding and marble floors. Currently, there are two exhibitions in the Museum. Upstairs there is Recent Acquisitions 2009-2011, which is filled with art purchased or donated over the last three years. On the main floor, there is the 2012 Ohio University School of Art Faculty Exhibition. My favorite was the Faculty Exhibition; the mediums used range from painting, sculpture, ceramics, prints, and photography to graphic design, drawing, and new media. So, no matter what you are interested in there is something for everyone to check out. My favorite piece was Mail Art: Passing Through My Hands, by Sherry Blankenship. It was a mixed media piece composed of pastels, pen, paper, photographs, postage franks, handwriting, and postal marks. I thought it was really cool because she used envelopes she has received from people and turned them into art. While I was there I also stopped into The Ridges Cafe, which is connected to the museum, for a bagel and a nice warm cup of coffee before I had to go back out in the cold rain.

Bong Hill

So my first adventure was not one of our top ten places to visit in Athens but it is definitely a place all students should check out before they leave this beautiful town! Last Sunday was gorgeous so my roommates and I wanted to get outside and go hike "Bong Hill". To get there you just head east on Stimson Ave  towards the highway and turn right on Co Rd 25 (there will be a red barn-type building where you turn) then turn left on Long Run Rd, go down a little ways and you will see parking on the side of the road. If it is a nice day like it was on Sunday you will probably spot some cars so you know you are there. The hill is on the left side of the road and you will see a little "path" to hike up. The hike itself is pretty short, only about ten or so minutes and it's not too difficult. Although, there are some points where you have to climb up a few rocks (I was definitely starting to feel the burn). Once you get to the top, you are rewarded with a beautiful view of Athens and OU's campus. We even brought binoculars and were able to find our apartment! After hanging out for about an hour and watching the sun set we decided to hike back down. It was a little difficult trying to climb down the rocks but it was pretty funny watching all of my roommates try not to fall. Beautiful weather and going to Bong Hill made my Sunday a lot better than most. I hope you enjoy the pictures I took while I was at the top, and next time there is a nice day, get outside and go see what Bong Hill is all about!

I know my directions are not the best. I will try to find it on a map and post it.

Hello!

Welcome to the Bobcats in Athens blog! My name is Erica, I am currently a senior at OU and interning with the Athens County Convention and Visitor's Bureau (ACCVB). ACCVB came up with the concept of Bobcats in Athens to encourage students to explore Athens beyond Uptown and Court St, with the focus on free activities. Starting with our Top 10 things you must do or see in Athens, I will be documenting my adventures around Athens in this blog and I cannot wait to get started!