I never realized just how quick a drive is to the Dayton area until I surprised BK for his 30th birthday with a day and overnight trip to Dayton and Yellow Springs, the latter being a quaint sociopolitical village about 20 miles east of the Gem City.
We drove up with a couple of friends on a Saturday morning, where we met in the Oregon District of Dayton for a late breakfast at Lucky’s Taproom before checking out both Toxic Brew and Warped Wing Brewing Company.
Lucky’s had delicious food (I got the breakfast sandwich and ale-soaked home fries made with Rivertown Lil’ Sipa) and a good beer selection. It was pretty loud, but overall a great place that I highly recommend checking out if you’re in the area.
From there, we walked to Toxic, where we tried a flight of great beers, then on to Warped Wing, where there was also a number of great beers (many of which we’d tried previously, as they are more widely distributed). I really liked each place and am happy we got to experience both. They were different in their styles of beer and taprooms, which was great.
After a few hours in Dayton, we got back in the car and drove 25 minutes to Yellow Springs, where we stayed for the rest of the afternoon and overnight. (I very highly recommend staying at Jailhouse Suites.) Upon our arrival, we walked into town to check out some shops, ate dinner at Ha Ha Pizza, then made our way to Yellow Springs Brewery, which met and even exceeded expectations. Great place and good beer.
We woke up on Sunday and had coffee from Emporium Wines on our patio, walked to town again for breakfast at Williams Eatery, briefly hiked through Glen Helen Nature Preserve, and had fried cheese curds and a milkshake at Young’s Jersey Dairy farm, which is a short drive (or bike) from town.
Next trip to Yellow Springs (there will absolutely be a next one) will be for an entire weekend with rented bikes, more extensive hiking, and for another stay with Jailhouse Suites. For those considering a trip to either place or if you’ve never been, my advice is do it. Go.