Take 5: Fall in love with these low-budget day trips not far from Cincinnati

Traveling around the region the last few years to check out colleges for my daughter, Meg, has sparked our family's interest to get out of our ruts and out of the house on weekends.

Unfortunately, college expenses mean we don't have the funds required to do anything extravagant so we started brainstorming, tapping childhood memories of trips gone by.

My parents took us to Metamora and Nashville, Indiana, for the day, or took us on a drive to Miami University, where we'd scope out fall leaves as we went through Hueston Woods State Park. (Side note: My child self for years thought the school was just called "Ami" since my mom referred to it as hers. LOL). Meg and I went to Metamora Canal Days over the weekend so I could show her where I got my ears pierced in eighth grade.

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My parents, sister and I would also go to Bardstown, Kentucky, every year to take in the outdoor musical, "The Stephen Foster Story." I've mentioned this a few times to my kids and they just give me this indulgent, pursed-lips look that says, "Let go. Please." I'll find someone to go. 

We love to hike, we love historic sites, we love to drive through any place with beautiful fall leaves and we love to try new restaurants and shops so I tapped my friends to share their favorite trips.

Because this could go on forever, here are a just few places outside the Greater Cincinnati area my friends recommended: 

Ohio

Yellow Springs

Drive time: 70 miles, 1 hour and 11 minutes, from downtown Cincinnati.

Outdoor activities: John Bryan State Park, 3790 State Route 370, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. There's mountain bike trails, backpacking trails and regular hiking trails. Also available: Camping, canoeing, fishing, boating, rock climbing/rappelling, disc golf and winter activities, such as sledding and cross-country skiing. Pets welcome. Please note the South Gorge Trail is closed for construction.

The Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve, 2381 State Route 343, Yellow Springs, OH 45387, is just east of John Bryan State Park along the Little Miami River. Note: No pets allowed. Along with trails for hikers, this park is good for bird watchers and those with interest in wild flowers. The Narrows Trail and Gorge Trail offer water falls when raining.

Historic stop: Clifton Mill, 75 Water St., Clifton, Ohio 45316,  is one of the largest water-powered grist mills in existence, according to the website. Phone: 937-767-5501. Restaurant and gift shop open daily: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday to Thursday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

The mill tours happen between April and Sept. 1, when they start preparing for the Christmas activities that begin the day after Thanksgiving. The Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill - 4 million lights that take three months to set up - will be open 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It's open 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 24, 25 and 31. Admission: $10 for anyone 7 and older. Free, 6 and younger. Also at Christmas: Santa Claus, Miniature Village and Santa Claus Museum. 

For the family: Make Young's Jersey Dairy, 6880 Springfield-Xenia Road, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387, part of the trip. Phone: 937-325-0629 to check on weather-permitting activities. Dining, home-made ice cream and family-friendly activities.

Pick-your-own-pumpkins runs through Oct. 28, open daily 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cowvin's Corny Maze is also open daily until Oct. 28, weather permitting.

Haunted Wagon rides will be every Friday and Saturday in October. Admission, $12 for adults and children 5 and older, and $5 for children 4 and younger.

They have a Thanksgiving Buffet Nov. 22 and have their choose-and-cut Christmas trees on sale, starting the next day.

Hocking Hills

Drive time: 139 miles, 2 hours and 31 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.

More than natural beauty: While most people know this park as the home of Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills also offers cabins, camping, fishing, antiquing, canoeing, horseback riding, rock climbing, plane rides, rappelling and zip lines. For the family, there are train rides, outdoor dramas, miniature golf, ATV rentals, bowling lanes, drive-in, laser tag and bike rentals.

Eating and lodging: An ale house, several wineries, diners, cafes and fine dining join the usual fast food fare. The lodging options also include tree houses, bed and breakfasts, cottages and more.

FAQ: No admission to this state park, which closes at dark. Pets are allowed in state parks on leashes, but are not allowed in state nature preserves like Conkle's Hollow and Rockbridge Nature Preserves or on nature trails.

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Kentucky

Versailles

Drive time: 93 miles, 1 hour 37 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. 

What's to do? Wineries, distilleries, horse farm tours and Keeneland are just a few things you can do there.

Bourbon Trail: Woodford Reserve Distillery, 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, Kentucky, 40383, is part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Three tours: Distillery: $15-$20/person; Corn to Cork (In-Depth Bourbon Class): $30/person; National Landmark (Educational History Tour): $30/person. Hours: Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. except January and February.

Coolmore America - Ashford Stud: 5095 Frankfort Rd, Versailles, KY 40383-8037. This is a home for international breeding company Coolmore. Historically relevant to the horsing industry, these barns house Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup winner American Pharoah, as well as a Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus. May want to call ahead to see if they're allowing fans to see those horses, among the others. Phone: 859-873-7088.

Keeneland: 4201 Versailles Rd, Lexington, KY 40510-9648. The grounds at Keeneland are beautiful and the thoroughbred race course is world class. Racing continues through the end of October. General admission: $5 per person. Children 12 and younger, free with an adult. Grandstand seating: $10 per person Wednesday through Friday and Sunday, $20. Visitors can also purchase options of various dining rooms that range from $20 to $100 per person, depending on choices.

Wildside Winery: 5500 Troy Pike, Versailles, KY 40383. Visitors can stop by this 30-acre farm for an affordable wine tasting and, new to them, quality beer selections. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 12-7 p.m.; Sundays: 1-5 p.m.  While they will let you sip a wine for free, there are two paid flights available - $3 for four wine samples and $6 for eight.

WinStar Farm: 3001 Pisgah Pike, Versailles, KY 40383-9765. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can walk through WinStar Farm's stallion barns to see a day in the life of the stallions, which include two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and Horse of the Year Tiznow, Kentucky Derby runner-up and Triple Crown Sire Pioneer of the Nile and Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, among others.

Red River Gorge

Drive time: 145 miles, 2 hours and 25 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Robbie Ridge Road, Stanton, KY 40380. (606) 663-8100

What's there: Located in the Daniel Boone National Forest and a part of the National Register of Historic Places, Red River Gorge has trails, zip line, camping, cabins, climbing, lodges, rock climbing, spelunking, bird watching, bicycling, hunting, fishing, boating and swimming. They offer packages for small and large weddings.

Other things to do: Take pictures at the Nada Tunnel, feed goats at Wild Things, attend a movie at the Mountain View Drive-in, visit the Wolfe County Historical Museum, sing up for Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure and take a mountain horse trail ride and kayak/canoe on the Red River.

Natural Bridge

Drive time: 133 miles, 2 hours and 6 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. 2135 Natural Bridge Road, Slade, KY 40376. (606) 663-2214

Inside the National Bridge State Resort Park adjacent to Red River Gorge is this sandstone rock bridge standing 65 feet tall and spanning 78 feet. The state park itself includes lodges, campsites, a Sandstone Arches Restaurant, boating, paddling, canoeing, fishing, hiking and swimming. While pets are not permitted on any trails but Henson Arch Trail and Whittleton Trail, the lodges are now pet friendly.

Closure: The Hoedown Island Bridge crossing the Middle Fork of the Red River is closed. It had been access to Hoedown Island, a recreational area and to cottages. Alternative routes are available.

Carter Caves State Resort Park

Drive time: 121 miles, 2 hours and 15 minutes. 344 Caveland Drive, Olive Hill, KY 41164. (606) 286-4411

What's in a name? The high concentration of caves within this park make cave tours a big part of it. There's more than 26 miles of hiking that includes arches, caves and swinging bridges on trails of varied lengths. Also big: Rappelling and rock climbing for experienced enthusiasts.

The Tierney's Cavern restaurant offers regular season and off-season hours. In terms of places to stay, there are cabins, a lodge, regular camp sites and an equestrian camp ground.

Indiana

Falls of the Ohio State Park

Drive time: 99 miles, 1 hour, 51 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. 201 W Riverside Dr, Exit 0, Interstate 65, Clarksville, Indiana, 47129-3148

For history buffs: The Falls of Ohio allows visitors to walk among the world's largest naturally exposed fossil beds and a part of Lewis and Clark history. There's fishing, hiking, exhibits and more for nature lovers. Hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The interpretive center hours are Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Pets are not allowed inside. Parking: $2. Admission: $9 for those 12 and older; $7 for children 5 to 11; 4 and younger, free. You can also buy a membership to this an other Indiana state parks.

Accessible: This location is goes out of its way for people who need ADA accessible facilities and those with hearing or vision impairments.

Melanie Laughman is the digital preps planning editor for high school sports. She will periodically write a column, Take 5, on family-related issues. You can reach her via Twitter at @mlaughman or by email at mlaughman@enquirer.com.