Fairfield, OH Outdoor Activities

Founder Sarah Rose McGuire dedicates her stable to rescuing and rehabilitating horses that may have been neglected or abused by a former owner. During lessons for children 3–12, both horse and child benefit from gentle interspecies interaction: the rescued horses learn to trust their pint-sized human partners and the children enjoy themselves or overcome their fears of riding or being recruited as a jockey. The 60-minute sessions illuminate the subtleties of equine grooming, tack, and proper riding form, with new riders leashed on a lead line until they demonstrate mounted mastery. An experienced trainer with a class A show pedigree conducts each lesson in a private one-on-one format, though two siblings may take their lessons together.

Founded by a group of friends who created the acclaimed Newport Gangster Tour as a fundraiser in 2008, American Legacy Tours blossomed into a full-fledged tour company two years later. Participants choose from seven distinct tours that traverse cities as guides share fascinating and sometimes seedy history. The Queen City Underground Tour ventures beneath the city’s streets into a hidden burial vault and long-forgotten tunnels, and the Newport Gangster Tour delves into a scandalous past by visiting the sites of former brothels and speakeasies. Elsewhere, on the Haunted Covington Tour, guests feed their thirst for fright and their hunger for candy handouts from amiable apparitions.

Mechanized towers stand along the shoreline of Wake Nation Cincinnati's 10-acre lake, steering riders across the water as they grip cables rather than lines attached to boats. Cruising clockwise from the cables, up to seven people at a time can wakeboard, water ski, kneeboard, or waterskate around the aquatic arena at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Wake Nation designed the main lake for everyone from beginners to elite-level riders, and peppered it with manmade obstacles and floating jumps, allowing boarders to zip along and pull off tricks that sometimes aren’t possible behind a boat. They also have a smaller practice lake for beginners and young riders from 5 years old and up.

Experienced staff members observe boarders at all times, supplying safety tips, training, and navigational advice for circumventing Poseidon’s rose bushes. Visitors can bring their own equipment, or rent or buy necessary gear from Wake Nation’s pro shop. A cast of instructors lead lessons and observe riders during freestyle riding, fun summer camps, and special events such as birthday parties.

Beech Creek’s nine-hole golf course blankets the rolling Ohio countryside with 2,980 yards of player-friendly fairways and greens. The relatively short layout welcomes beginners and novice golfers, while more experienced aces and tape-measure enthusiasts can flaunt their length off of the tee on two par 5s that measure at least 550 yards.

Players can also stretch out their swing with a stint at Beech Creek’s driving range or a lesson from one of the on-site PGA instructors. A grill with fully-stocked bar awaits postround revelry, acting as a casual hangout where guests can nosh sandwiches and burgers and try to cover up bogeys with covert mustard stains on the scorecard.