Before we left Ohio and 2016, Tom and I had time for a final adventure day with my parents.  After discussing what we wanted to do, we decided that they would come down to Columbus and we would go to German Village.  We wanted to visit the Book Loft again and we knew we would be able to find something else interesting to explore.

We were serendipitously joined by two other people in our adventure day.  My brother Steve and his wife Kathy were able to meet us for lunch in German Village and then Kathy joined us for our adventure.

We ate lunch at the original Max and Erma’s.  The restaurant chain started in German Village in 1972 and branched out from there.  The original Max and Erma’s has the same menu as all the other restaurants but the atmosphere is cozier.  The restaurant was busy but seating and service were quick.  We all ordered the lunch comb, which is soup or salad, a cheeseburger, french fries, and a cookie for the same price as a burger alone.  The food was delicious and the company was wonderful.

Steve had to leave, but the rest of us walked on down Third Street.  Kathy suggested visiting the Golden Hobby Shop.  The building was originally a school house built in 1864 for the German children in the neighborhood.  Now it houses a craft show that is open year-round.

The crafts for sale in the building are made by people who are 55 plus and sold on consignment.  There were areas for knitted and crocheted crafts, jewelry, cards, seasonal decorations, woodworking, childrens’ items, and artwork.  The most interesting room to me was the room filled with quilts and rugs.  There are some beautiful quilts for very reasonable prices in all sizes.  The crafters price their own items and they can have up to ten items for sale at a time.  If the item sells, the crafters receive 80% of the price.  Tom suggested I turn in some of my knitted items to sell, since I am a Senior Citizen now, but I only knit for people I love.

We finished our adventure day by returning to the Book Loft.  We took about an hour to explore and I found some rooms I did not visit the last time we were there.  I stuck pretty close to my parents because I didn’t want to lose them.  None of us ended up buying anything.  I think the sheer number of books in the place can be a little overwhelming.  Plus, we haven’t made it through the puzzles and books we got for Christmas yet!

We enjoyed our last adventure day for 2016.  German Village has a huge variety of shops, restaurants, and history.  Maybe next time we go, we will even make it to the Meeting Haus and Visitor Center.  I hear they have an educational video!