Some of the best Cam and Dad adventures start with no plan at all. On a fall evening, my son Cam and I pointed the car toward Lebanon, Ohio, a small town between Cincinnati and Dayton where history, ghosts and old locomotives sit just a few blocks apart. Our goal was simple: see the oldest hotel in Ohio, maybe meet a ghost, and find some trains. We did not exactly dress for history. I was in old sweatpants and a hoodie, and Cam wore sweatpants and his Alabama jacket. A Georgia guy walking in beside an Alabama jacket is its own kind of adventure.
The Golden Lamb: Ohio’s Oldest Hotel and a Ghost Named Sarah
The Golden Lamb has welcomed travelers since 1803, making it the oldest continuously operating business in Ohio. I had no idea how nice it was until we walked through the front door. Antiques, a warm lobby and polished woodwork everywhere made us feel a little underdressed. Paul at the front desk didn’t blink. I asked if we could just look around and maybe find a ghost. “Of course,” Paul said, and told us that Sarah, the inn’s famous child ghost, has her own room on the fourth floor, complete with a write-up of her story.
The 17 guest rooms are named for famous guests, from 12 presidents, John Quincy Adams to George W. Bush, to authors from Charles Dickens to Mark Twain. When a room isn’t booked, the door is left open so visitors can peek in. Cam and I climbed all four floors, peeking into one incredible room after another, each like a little museum you’re allowed to sleep in. We didn’t meet Sarah, but Cam kept checking over his shoulder just in case.
Address: 27 S. Broadway St., Lebanon, OH 45036
Website: https://www.goldenlamb.com
LM&M Railroad: Climbing Locomotives After Dark
After the ghost hunt, we asked Paul where the train station was. He pointed the way, just a couple of blocks from the hotel, then tipped us off to where a couple of engines were parked that we’d “probably want to see,” plus a shortcut back to the hotel lot. Paul knows his customers.
The Lebanon Mason & Monroe Railroad runs historic train rides from downtown Lebanon on the old Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern line. It was dark, the depot was quiet and nobody was around to tell us no, so Cam and I had a ball climbing up on the engines. The passenger cars were locked up tight, which gives us a good excuse to come back. We’re thinking about riding the Pumpkin Express this weekend.
Address: 16 E. South St., Lebanon, OH 45036
Website: https://lebanonrr.com
Black Horse Tavern: A Diet Coke and a Golden Lager
Back at the Golden Lamb, we settled into the Black Horse Tavern, the inn’s casual pub, where Ronald Reagan once worked the room shaking hands back in 1968. Cam ordered his usual, a Diet Coke and a water, because a good wingman stays hydrated. I went with a pint of the Black Horse Tavern Golden Lager, a crisp American golden lager that tasted just right after climbing four floors and a couple of locomotives.
Address: 27 S. Broadway St., Lebanon, OH 45036
Website: https://www.goldenlamb.com/dine/black-horse-tavern/
Lebanon Brewing Company: Oktoberfest in an Old Firehouse
No Cam and Dad night is complete without a brewery stop. Lebanon Brewing Company pours its beer inside the town’s old Fire Station 41 on Silver Street, a short walk from the Golden Lamb, and it has been Lebanon’s hometown brewery since 2022. Claire, our bartender, was terrific with Cam, and brewers and bartenders always seem to love my wingman.
I ordered the Lebanhosen, their Oktoberfest beer, and it was brewed to perfection, just right for a cool fall night. It’s a fun name and an even better beer.
Address: 20 W. Silver St., Lebanon, OH 45036
Website: https://lebanonbrewingco.com
Home by Nine, With Plans to Come Back
We headed home around 8:15 p.m. with a hotel full of presidents, a ghost we never quite met, two locomotives climbed and a couple of good pours behind us. Lebanon packs a lot of fun into a few blocks, and you don’t need a reservation, or even nice clothes, to enjoy it. If the Pumpkin Express works out this weekend, Cam and I will be back on those rails, this time inside the passenger cars.
