Nice festival in Houston Pa! Lots of vendors, food trucks , entertainment, and a few alcohol…read morechoices!

A apple fest with no apple cider doughnuts is pretty disappointing. Also wasn't a big fan of swopes…read morefarm apple cider. It was smaller than I had expected

The Ohio Swiss Festival (and now Wine and Cheese "party") is a fun distraction from the knowledge…read morethat winter in Ohio is around the corner. Depending on the weather patterns, it can be chilly and rainy or, as it was this past weekend, warm and sunny. It's held the last Friday and Saturday in September and amounts to a parade, row of food vendors, a tent or building where you can buy locally made cheeses, local shops in the village of Sugarcreek open for browsing (which can be done any day), Swiss competitions (steinstossen, etc), music from local oompah bands and loads of people watching. This year was the first where I've seen some of the local wineries combined with the cheese vendors to create a very cool small scale wine tasting. It's not a full day's worth of activities, but given the location, with the drive, some local shopping, and dinner, you're doing the whole day. Don't miss out on getting some cheese. The swiss is to die for. Also consider taking a walk through Andreas furniture store. Finally, if you're bored with the festival, continue on the way down OH-39 and follow the signs to Berlin. There are loads of Amish shops and restaurants there. The countryside is quite scenic too.

FINALLY! I've known about the Pawpaw Fest for several years, and always managed to miss the…read moreweekend. This year, I made sure to mark it on my calendar and check it out. NOTE: single-day tickets are a bit on the higher side - $20, but a healthy portion of the proceeds goods toward the preservation of pawpaws in Ohio which is always a win-win situation. Tee shirt feen, right here! You bet I picked up a shirt (or two)! Love the cool design logo for this year's festival. Integrated Acres is a huge pawpaw farm in Athens, so I'm glad I went this year, got to taste the fruit - a cross between mango and banana. Got a big 'ol pouch of frozen pawpaw pulp to enjoy through the cold winter months - it's good to dream of tropical climates, folks! Oh, and Snoweville Creamery was at the fest selling their vanilla ice cream with pawpaw pulp on top, and let me tell you, mmmm mmm mmmmmmm!!

Just a small hop and skip from Athens sits Lake Snowden. A small lake, but notoriously known for…read moreone major event that pops up every September, Paw-paw fest! I've been going for years... mostly to stock up on paw-paw fruits. What's a paw-paw? It's Ohio's native fruit. It's actually one of the few fruits that grow in our part of North America. The fruits have particular growing environments that they need to thrive.... particularly, wet, ravine areas with shade, but still some sun. Perfect conditions for those who live in Hocking county & south.... in the north? Not so much, although some have been spotted in Clintonville area. The fruits range per the region they are cultivated, but Ohio's is typically a green avocado shaped fruit, which tastes like a mix between a very rip banana meets mango. They are related to the papaya family.... I believe. So, the festival itself is like something straight from a Mother Earth News magazine. Lots of workshops & presentations on permaculture, horticulture & pawpaws. Pretty informative stuff, if you're looking to learn. Across the grounds is a stage with locals stringing up some music. On one side of the festival you have crafters/artisans selling prints of their pawpaw masterpieces, ceramics, jewelry, glass, lawn ornaments, etc. On another side you have food vendors dishing up just regular food truck fare, and if you're lucky, some of them have paw-paw items to purchase. in between, you have vendors selling Ohio native plants, including paw-paw tree saplings and much more. Note**There are shuttles that run here, as once parking fills up in the main area, you're forced to shuttle. If you drive just a few hundred yards up the road, across from a gas station will be a large lot to park, and shuttle buses stop frequently. Going here is just easy going. Everyone's pretty laid back in true Athens county fashion. It's really easy to just sit back and get absorbed into all of it, and not to mention, Paw-paws are a delicious treat that Ohio gets to experience for a minuscule period of time. Worth a stop for all you hippie-earth-ohio-loving people.

I was really looking forward to attending this with my daughter. I don't get to do fun stuff with…read moreher since I live too far. So this was a treat. Parking was free and it was $7 to get in. Well worth the price. This festival was held in the trees so you were shaded from the sun in most places. It was the humidity that was a killer. Tough wearing a mask but I would never not wear one. I saw a few other people with them too. They had all kinds of vendors, from candles, soaps, honey, home decor, quilts, and many more. They had demonstrations going on and dancers. The dancers we saw looked to be in 70's to 80's they were adorable. We enjoyed that. Food was the normal fair type food, we had a steak hoagie with fries, hot dog and then you can't leave without dessert. Funnel cake and deep fried Oreos. I would definitely return if I was visiting at the time it was here.

Finally got to actually see the festival after 6 years of marching it!! The Jackson Apple Fest…read moreholds a special place in my heart as one of the biggest parades I got to march in middle and high school, and the true appreciation the community has for the bands and other groups that perform. Actually walking through the festival, I have to admit, was a little disappointing. I love fair food as much as the next person, but I was really hoping to see more booths about the community, the apples, and maybe more music considering what an important role the marching bands play in this celebration. I saw only one booth selling apples, out of dozens of booths. I didn't see anything explaining the significance of apples to the festival or Jackson. Most of the booths were the same fair foods, church advertisements, or cheap Ali Express knick knacks sold at a higher price. The rides were squeakier than my hometown county fair's, so you definitely couldn't catch me on them. I definitely didn't hate the festival, but I just wish it had more community and celebration aside from the parade. From the band/marcher side, I was sad to see after several years, they still have not invested in more covers for the wires on the ground. Even as a pedestrian, I was tripping over them, and I remember how dreaded these wires were during parade marching. I really hope they cover these to avoid accidents and just provide easier mobility. The groups that perform deserve that. In my opinion, the parade is what makes this festival. Bands compete for ratings, but they also have fun and celebrate each other. I recommend coming after 7 for the parade. There are lots of floats, lights, and fantastic musicians. That is where I really feel community.

Where are the APPLES?! The Apple Festival has slowly turned into a fair. Good luck finding a candy…read moreapple in that place! Only found 2 places at the entire event that sold candy/caramel apples. What a let down. If someone opened an apple only kiosk they would corner the market. Truly a let down. There's always the pumpkin show which never fails to disappoint.

My mom and I enjoy a good craft fair and decided to try out the Prairie Peddler Festival for…read moresomething different. The drive out from Columbus was pleasant, we took one of the state routes all the way and it was pretty direct. I'd recommend against using the "Second Entrance" when you get to the location. It was very hilly and the turn in to the festival route was a blind left turn at almost the top of a hill on another rural state route where you couldn't see the oncoming traffic. One of those "honk and pray" kind of turns. The festival is set up in a semi-permanent location (the location stays, different fairs come and go) where they have little wooden stalls for the vendors and a well maintained walking path. The overall theme is kind of country chic, but if that isn't your style, it's just a fun afternoon, and there are lots of bath and body products, fudge, and FOOD to keep you going. OMG, the food. It was very crowded when we visited, and by the time we were ready for lunch, the food area was packed, but organized. Each vendor had an IN and an OUT line, and there were lots of options (soup, pizza, hot and cold sandwiches, fries, desserts, etc.) On our way out, we got smoked turkey legs for dinner, and I'm still working on that sucker. All in all, a fun outing!

Great venue , entertainment, and crafters! Totally recommend! Easy to get to and worth the drive!…read moreFood is reasonable and delicious!

Christmas in the woods is an amazing craft bazaar located in Colombiana, OH. This event is filled…read moreto the brim with of all kinds of holiday goods, stationary, stained glass, kitchenware, art, "Christmassy" decor, clothing and food. Make sure you bring a lot of money with you because items are nice in quality and it gets expensive!! Even on a cold, rainy day in October, the place was packed! It's $10 per adult to get inside, kids 12 and under are free. We went with our family and kiddos and it was great. No issues with pushing our stroller around. However, it can be tricky to buy things for the little ones stockings in they're hanging around so bring someone to provide childcare with you if you decide to bring littles!! There is a Santa Claus, live music and lots of food for sale. We had pierogis, kielbasa sauerkraut sandwiches, Mac and cheese, doughnuts, cherry strudel, chicken wings, pulled pork sandwiches and hot chocolate for lunch during our visit. Everything tasted good! I would definitely go back and bring more $ specifically cash next year!!

This was my first time to Christmas in the Woods, but I hope not my last…read more Two weekends in October the woods near Columbiana Ohio host a gigantic high end craft fair / food festival. Everything: iron garden art, photography, knitted items, ornaments, glassware. There is ample parking and a modest entry fee. It was a great time - took us about 3 hours to stroll the property and select our treasures, we had already eaten - big mistake as there was some fabulous fare at this fair!

This place is su much fun,from the music to the food,partying,all the crazy people an their crazy…read moreoutfits.You will love it!!!!!!

I've been attending the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival in Marietta, OH since 2005, and rarely ever…read moremiss it. It is a fantastic festival held annually the second week of September (the weekend after Labor Day), along the Ohio River. From my understanding, this festival has been going on since 1976. It's a weekend festival of fun! So many vendors selling food, live music on the levee, a Sternwheel pageant, races, the most amazing Fireworks show you can imagine, children's activities, a car show, and of course Sternwheelers from all over the country. My advice would be to book a hotel well in advance, because they fill up fast. This is not your average small town festival, this festival brings in the crowds of roughly 100,000 people to the area. Once you attend, you'll realize why people come back again and again to this annual event!