Victoria Theater Summer Film Series

If you're looking for something fun and reasonably priced to do in the months of July or August you should definately check out the Dayton Victoria Theater Summer Film Series.  On Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons during those two months the historical Victoria Theater hosts a film series that is an enjoyable experience for all ages. 

The doors to the theater lobby open an hour in advance and the doors to the auditorium open thirty minutes before the show.  Before the film starts free bags of popcorn and soft drinks can be enjoyed in the lobby and thirty minutes before the show an older gentleman by the name of Marvin plays some "old classics" on an organ in the orchaestra pit.  Marvin plays a song the audience can whistle along to and several with words on the screen that guests can sing along to.  Once Marvin finishes a short older Looney Tunes cartoon is shown.  And that's all before the film even starts!

The film schedule is posted on the Victoria Theater website and typically plays one movie per weekend (for all three showings) except for the one weekend each summer they play a trilogy.  Some of the films include musicals, Alfred Hitchcock, westerns, Indiana Jones and comedy films.  Seating is first come first serve and all floor and balcony seats are open.  As you enter the auditorium guests are handed a flyer that has some interesting facts about the movie and the actors involved.

And can you believe this whole experience only costs $5 per show (unless you purchase a summer pass)!!  I've been at least once or twice each summer for the last three years with different ages and everyone has always enjoyed it.

Parking is a little bit of a challenge if there are any big events going on downtown so it's best to get there early so you can enjoy the full experience!

Edith Mae’s Tea Room

Located in an old Victorian home in Xenia, this Edith Mae’s Tea Room is a memorable experience.  The tea room itself is not run by the home owners but by a lady that rents out the space at the rear of the house as well as some side rooms for a Victoria gift shop.  Tea times are on a reservation basis Tuesday through Saturday and the gift shop is open those days as well.

There are plenty of antiques to admire while waiting to be seated and the room is surrounded by windows.  Plenty of Victorian hats for both men and women can be found along the walls and guests typically try them on and even wear them throughout the tea.

This was the most casual tea room experience I’ve had since there really wasn’t a big focus on tea.  We were offered hot tea or iced tea and the hot tea was an English afternoon tea that actually tasted kind of bland.  Instead of the traditional scones or biscuits we were served cinnamon rolls and a raspberry shortbread.  The tiered plate included cucumber sandwiches, ham and mustard bisquits, and chicken salad croissant on the bottom plate, fruit cups and watermelon slices on the middle plate, and pecan cone with cream filling, orange dreamcicle cake with a whipped topping and mini strawberry pies.  The food was delicious but not as “foo-foo” as other tea room food I’ve had.

Parking could be an issue as basically guests just find a spot along the residential street to parallel park.  We found it to be a little unclear where to enter the house due to lack of signage.

All in all we had a great experience and I would go back.  It was peaceful and fun. Some tea rooms have rules about a minimum age that guests have to be but Edith Mae’s tea room seems to be an environment that could be enjoyed by all ages.  I can imagine it would be a great spot for a little girl’s birthday party or bridal shower.

The Cakery

I had a craving for a cupcake over the last few days and thankfully so did a dear friend of mine so today we decided to try cupcakes at a bakery we've never been to before...The Cakery.
Inside the front door of the bakery are tables with picture books of all the different cakes the bakery has made over the years as well as a display counter. From an outside window you can see inside the bakery and watch cakes being decorated and iced. 

The Cakery has been in operation for 12 years and we got to meet one of the owners.  He was a lot of fun, joking with us, offering us an icing sample and telling us all about the different items in their bakery display.  I decided on a lemon cupcake with buttercream icing and key lime filling and their rainbow cake.  The rainbow cake is a creation unique to The Cakery, made up of multiple layers of cake scraps with icing on top.  Since they use pieces from whatever cakes they've recently been baking, each slice is unique. 
The cupcake I tried was moist and the icing was delicious and lighter than traditional buttercream icing.  The rainbow cake was very moist too and full of various flavors of cake.  I think my favorite part of the sweets I tried from the bakery was that although moist and sweet they weren't too rich or heavy. 
My only complaint about The Cakery was there weren't really seats anywhere to sit and eat.  The tables and chairs they did have were covered with Cake photo albums so we ended up eating our cupcake on a bench outside in front of another store.

A Father's Day Suprise

For Father’s day, I was looking for a unique experience to share with my dad.  He’s always had an interest in trains and I had wanted to check out Entertrainment Junction for a few years now.  Well when I saw a Groupon deal for a pack of four tickets to the establishment, I knew it was the right time to explore! 

We had a wonderful experience! We went the Saturday afternoon before Father’s Day and spent around 2-3 hours there.  Our experience started with the train display.  The detailed history and landscape was amazing. One could spend hours taking it all in.  There was also a playground and train ride for kids in this area.

After the train display we walked through the gift shop and hobby shop before venturing to the Amaze-n funhouse.  This was probably my favorite part! There were about 5 different interactive rooms.  The rooms included a mirror, black hole, optical illusions, slanted floors, maze, and more. There were so many details to see that I went through a couple rooms more than once to take it all in.

All in all we all had a great time and enjoyed exploring Entertrainment Junction.  I hear they decorate the place for Christmas and there were a few Thomas the Tank Engine themed birthday parties going on as well.  Before we left my dad was already thinking of other people he could bring to check out the train display.

Segway Adventure

A Groupon offer convinced me to try a segway tour for the first time and I loved it! In fact we didn’t want to end!  Although due to a flat tire our tour started 15-20 minutes late, we still had the same amount of time on the tour.  Departing from the Convention Center, we followed our guide all throughout the city on a 90 minute tour. 

The tour included Oregon District, UD, cemetery, Brown Street, Riverscape, and all along the river.

I was a little worried about balance, steering and speed prior to trying it but I was able to pick it up pretty quickly.  It felt like gliding most of the time.   Because all your pressure is in your feet, my feet did get tired after a little bit but we stopped and took a break for a few minutes.  As we rode around, our tour guide pointed out different city landmarks and commented on new things the city was planning.

I enjoyed seeing the city through a different view point and trying something new.  I can’t wait to do it again in another city.  Although it was a little pricy the experience was wonderful!

The company schedules tours on a weekly basis but reservations are needed to reserve a spot.

Chateau Laroche

Doesn't everyone want to visit a castle?!

I read about a castle in Ohio about a year ago and put it on my list to check out and explore.  The Loveland, Ohio Chateau Laroche isn't too far from us and as the weather started to warm up a few months ago I finally convinced some friends to join me on a little adventure. 

The castle was built by a man after returning from fighting in the war overseas.  Never married, his life mission was to build the castle modeled after the ones in Britain and start an order of knights that would live their life by the golden rule.  Although the builder died, the knight order he established still exists and runs the operations of the castle. 

Admission costs $3 and we thoroughly enjoyed our walk through and around the castle.  The castle was constructed along the river and has a beautiful amphitheater and gardens.  It’s a great place to explore and take pictures but don’t expect a huge castle like the ones in Europe. It’s amazing to think the man built it by hand though and is definitely a cool place to check out.