The Great American Miniature Donkey Sale

Camping & Lodging

It is our intention to help you have a most enjoyable experience in all aspects when attending The Great American Miniature Donkey Sale.  Here are some camping and lodging suggestions. There is an orientation map just after the lodging table.  Comments are by ‘Dowell’, your lodging connoisseur. 

Camping

Camping is available Friday night at the Fairgrounds for a fee.  The Camping area has water and electric hook-ups, a dump station, and restrooms & showers with HOT water. The Camping area is about 200 feet from the Sale Building. Please pay the fee to Dowell or Martha and we will pass it on to the Fairgrounds.

Historical Lodging

The Golden Lamb 27 S. Broadway, Lebanon, OH 45036, 513-932-5065, www.goldenlamb.com

The Golden Lamb, Ohio’s oldest inn, and eyewitness to almost 2 centuries of US history, still stands and offers travelers (you) food, drink and lodging.  You can walk through the halls, and even stay, in the rooms where novelists Samuel Clemmons (Mark Twain) and Charles Dickens stayed.  Or, if you’re partial to US Presidents, Ulysses S Grant, Rutherford B Hayes, William McKinley, James Garfield, Martin Van Buren, William Harding, William Howard Taft and John Quincy Adams all slept there.

The Golden Lamb is 0.7 miles from the fairgrounds in downtown Lebanon and has 18 rooms.  Rooms are on the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th floors.  There is no elevator (this is a historical building).  The rooms are air conditioned, are decorated with antiques and have antique beds.  The second floor can be a bit noisy through the dinner hours due to the fact that restaurant restrooms and some dining parlors are located on this floor.  Upper floors are quieter. All rooms have their own restroom with shower. There is no space to park trailers (they can be left at the Fairgrounds). See the picture of the inn under directions to the Sale.

Dowell’s favorite rooms are corner rooms overlooking Broadway and down Broadway to the East. There are several others listed with views of Broadway. 

* Rutherford Hayes (#15) –bedroom & sitting room, a corner suite overlooking Broadway, 3^rd floor.

* William Howard Taft (#3) – corner room over looking Broadway, 4^th floor

* Samuel Clemmons (#20) – Nice big room, overlooking Broadway, 3^rd floor

* DeWitt Clinton (#17) – Nice room – overlooking Broadway, 3^rd floor

* Cordell Hull (#18) – Room overlooks Broadway (haven’t seen),3^rd floor

* Horace Mann (#7) – Good room, overlooking Broadway, 4^th floor

* Charles Dickens (#36) –Most requested room, same bedroom suite as in the Lincoln Room in The White House, overlooking Broadway, 2^nd floor

Bed & Breakfasts

The Hatfield Inn - 2563 Hatfield Rd, Lebanon, OH 45036 – 513-932-3193 or 888-247-9793

This B&B receives my top recommendation.  This quaint, remodeled 1810 farm home is completely renovated with spacious common rooms added. It is located 5 miles from the fairgrounds on a manicured 55 acre farm. It has 8 rooms, with 3 on the first floor. This includes 1 fully handicap accessible room and another which is mostly so. The rooms are large, modern with good sized bathrooms / shower and very great common spaces with beamed ceilings, etc. Full breakfast included, circular porch, sun room, hot tub, beautiful setting, smoking areas limited.  The owner has lived there all his life and tells great stories.  All rooms with view.  You’ll want to move in.  Double Occupancy Reasonable B&B rates, www.bbonline.com/oh/hatfield/

Burl Manor - 230 Mechanic Street, Lebonon, Ohio 45036, 513-934-0400

This historic Italianate Home features a great parlor with grand crystal chandeliers and uniquely carved stariway. Located in Lebaon's premier historical neighborhood, this home has high carved ceilings and beautiful woodwork. This home was originally built by the publisher of Ohio's oldest weekly newspaper, The Western Star. Full breakfast upstairs rooms available, no elevator, 3 or 4 rooms, No smoking. Distance to Sale - less than 2 miles. Very Nice. Very good web site at www.burlmanor.com

Lebanon & Near Lebanon Hotels / Motels – Overview

There is a good selection of all types of lodging near Lebanon.  This is high season for hotels near the Kings Island Amusement Park (I-71 Exit 19) so book early. A major tennis tournament, the ATP, may be occurring during this period about 2 miles from this exit.  Dowell also suggests checking rates to see if you can do better using AAA, AARP, corporate discount, etc.   

** Have indoor pools     ^^ Lodging about 2 miles from the Elms Farm    ^Lodging less than 10 miles from the Elms Farm



Orientation Map (Only Visible in PDF Format)

Lodging and Exit Comments

Here are comments on what you will find around the exits. Remember, you candrop off your trailer at the Fairgrounds.

LEBANON

The Lebanon lodging to consider includes, 'The Golden Lamb', a unique experience described earlier, and the Shaker Inn.  The Shaker Inn is a clean, family owned motel.  At the Shaker Inn, room types include those with; 2 double beds; a king; a small 2 room suite (1 with king, 1 with pull out sofa) & microwave; a king with kitchenette, and a 1 family suite, 2 rooms, one with 2 doubles, one with 1, and kitchenette. All rooms have refrigerator and cable TV (HBO). Outdoor pool. Parking directly in front of room, space for only smaller trailers.  All rooms are on the ground floor.  Nice website and good folks. People have enjoyed staying at the Shaker Inn. (By the way - no trailer parking at the Golden Lamb, but you are only a mile from the fairgrounds. Also, the 2 B&Bs memtioned earlier are in the Lebanon area.)

I-71 Lodging (I-71 Exit 25 North Kings Island – Ohio Rte 741)

This exit is convenient to the Sale , about 9 miles away.  It has gas stations, fast food, sit down chain restaurants, convenience stores, etc. A wide variety of hotels are located by the exit. Most have limited trailer parking. Expect these hotels to fillearly die to Kngs Island & 'The Beach', a huge water park.

The Kirkwood Inn is an especially nice motel, including restored old house for breakfast.  It is a nice, clean family owned motel, 2 levels – outside rooms.  Limited parking here also, so drop large trailers at the Fairgrounds. The Kirkwood is directly across from the Houston Restaurant, very popular with folks every year, serving American food the old way with large salad bar – Prices reasonable – people come for miles to eat here. If you stay at the Kirkwood, just drive North on Rte 42, 7 miles to Lebanon town center, then 1 mile, per the directions, to the Fairgrounds.  The other hotels are parts of major chains and you can view them on the web.  Book early.

I-71 Lodging (I-71 Exit 19 Fields Ertel Road)

This exit has everything you could ever want – a major shopping area including gas, grocery, restaurants of every kind, electronics, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and a major auto mall with every car make under the sun. Sam’s, Walmart, Tractor Supply are not far away.  If it is a major store in the US, it is near this exit.  Very nice area.

The lodgings listed are all essentially right next to, or across the street, from each other.  All are very well kept and relatively new. Check the chains’ web sites for information.  Marriott will have the most space for trailer parking, others should have some.

I-75 Lodging (I-75 Exit 19 Union center Rd)

This exit is very convenient with the Marriott just by the highway.  Full services here with Applebees, PF Changs, Max & Ermas & restaurants, fast food, gas stations, and a mall with Barnes & Noble across the street with a 12 screen movie theatre with the most comfortable seats you will find.  Plenty of trailer parking spaces.  The ambience is upscale office park & convenience.  Nice area.

I-75 Lodging (I-75 Exit 22 Tylersville Rd)

This exit has almost everything you could want, gas stations, fast food, restaurants, Kroger, Kohl’s, Home Depot, Wal-Mart nearby, etc.  The Wingate (www.wingateinns.com) is a nice hotel with nice continental breakfast.  To access, turn West, then go just past Meijer’s, turn right and follow it to the end.  Trailer parking space should be OK unless you have a very large trailer. Nice area.

I-75 Lodging (I-75 Exit 29 Monroe – Lebanon Ohio Rte 63 )

This exit is convenient to the Sale , about 8 miles away.  It has several chain hotels (see list above). There is a McDonalds, gas stations, etc.  Sara Jane’s Country Cooking offers ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ grown by local farmer, Bob Garver. The exit is the site of a huge truck stop and very large flea market.  Ambience is ‘Truck Stop Improving Industrial’. Trailer parking space at the hotels is very limited.