The Golden Lamb and Lebanon, Ohio

Well, it didn't quite happen as planned.

We had wanted to go to the Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville this weekend. And because of that, we booked a night at the Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, Ohio (claimed as the oldest Inn in Ohio, with guests like Charles Dickens!). Two birds with one stone, we thought.

We had explored a little of the Southeast Corner of Columbus (Hocking Hills), and the Northeast part (Holmes County). So this weekend was going to be the Southwest portion with a festival to boot.

As we approached the exit for Waynesville, off of I-71, we changed our plans abruptly. There were so many cars, and a bit of traffic jam by the exit. Not a good sign, we thought. We were glad that a lot of people were heading to taste all kinds of sauerkraut, in all shapes and sizes. We just were not going to be one of them. Not this time.


Instead, we kept going on I-71, just a couple of exits beyond. We saw a brown sign on the highway, saying something about Fort Ancient Museum. That looked a lot more appealing to us than spending the afternoon with thousands of people, so we veered off, and found ourselves on an unplanned route.

Fort Ancient Museum tells the history (and pre-history) of Ohio: the Native Americans who used to call this land their home, and the importance of the Indian mounds found all over the state. We hiked a trail behind the museum, admiring the peak fall foliage on display. It was a lovely unexpected afternoon!




Our home for the evening, The Golden Lamb, did not disappoint. With its more than 200 years of history, 12 US Presidents and Charles Dickens as guests, the Inn delights in sharing their unique stories with their visitors. We loved the Shaker-ish decor and the beautifully decorated guest rooms (all named after visited Presidents). Our suite, with its own living room and ensuite bathroom, was the perfect choice for our family of four.




The Golden Lamb is also a popular restaurant, attracting visitors from all over. We were lucky to have made a reservation before hand and we did enjoy our dinner there (with the Inn's historian entertaining us with facts about The Golden Lamb and the town of Lebanon before our meal was served!).

So, it was a short, but sweet, and somewhat unexpected get-away that we would happily do again!