Vacations Blog

Looking for a great way to kick off your summer vacation in Ohio?  How about some golf?  Oh, I’m not talking about playing.  Summer is supposed to be relaxing and fun.  Futile endeavors chasing elusive and errant dimpled balls across lushly manicured fields is not relaxing!

Watching a professional do it can be.

Island Green Photo by nsaplayer

The PGA’s Memorial Tournament marks it’s 34th anniversary at Muirfield Village Golf Club this June 2009.  The tournament, a vision of it’s founder, course designer and Columbus’ own Jack Nicklaus kicks off Monday June 1 with the practice rounds.  The official tournament begins Thursday June 4 and runs through Sunday June 7.

Golf Bags Photo by nsaplayer

The Memorial Tournament is a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy a few rounds of golf without the stress of having to make any of the shots yourself.  You can walk along side some of the biggest names in golf: Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Anthony Kim, Padraig Harrington and Defending Champion Kenny Perry.  (That’s just a smattering.  Traditionally, The Memorial is a favorite among many on the PGA tour.  Some of the past winners include Fred Couples, K.J. Choi, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods.)

Word on the street is that the Golden Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus, will be playing in the Double Skins Game scheduled for Wednesday after the morning practice round.

The Golden Bear--Jack Nicklaus

Badges for The Memorial Tournament are available in a variety of price ranges to suit your needs.  Three-day practice round badges start at just $30.  A patron badge for the week is only $155.  *All children under the age of 12 are admitted free with a ticketed adult.  (I kind of feel like I’m making money under this arrangement.)  Check The Memorial Tournament website for further details and to purchase the ticket that best suits your needs.

Muirfield Village Golf Club is located at 5750 Memorial Drive in Dublin, OH.  Parking can be a bit of an issue so plan accordingly.  The Memorial Tournament website has done a very nice job in listing available parking areas and how and where to access them.

Defending Champion Kenny Perry

There are plenty of beverage and snack carts on the course however, sleeping on the course is discouraged.  Lodging and dining options are plentiful in the area.  Get a room!

(Photos courtesy creative commons by nsaplayer and thememorialtournament.com)

Tara Cosgrove is our most recent “local” contributor. Tara works for Sticky Fingers Travel Ltd an Irish company dedicated to providing information to parents who wish to travel with their children. Sticky Fingers is run by parents and all of their travel is researched by parents for parents. They provide independent and unbiased advice on family friendly holidays and accommodation, activities with children and things to do and see so that you can plan the perfect family holiday. It is a great site and Tara gives us great insight into her hometown of Dublin.

1. Give 5 adjectives that you would use to describe the “feel” of your town and its residents.
Vibrant, young, friendly, changing and fun

2. What is your favorite neighborhood in your town?
Dublin has so many great areas but my favourite has to be the heritage town of Dalkey which is about 10 miles from the centre of town. It is on the sea and has castles, artsy shops, great beaches, hill walks, an island with a Martello tower on it and seals in the harbour. It also has great restaurants and bars. Despite the fact that it is now home to lots of rock stars and formula one drivers it has retained a great village atmosphere (my granny still gets stopped on the street at least six times a day for a chat!).

3. Which cuisine do you think your town does best? What is the runner-up?
I am not sure if Guinness qualifies as a cuisine but it is definitely Dublin’s signature dish. It is still made right in the city centre and the smell of the hops can waft all the way down the river life on occasions. As a runner up we do great seafood here and several Irish restaurants have been awarded new Michelin star this year. A word of warning though for a Friday or a Saturday night book weeks in advance as the best restaurants get booked up really early.

4. What is the best free thing to do?
The beaches are great and as Dublin is on a bay there are plenty of them. Killiney beach is my favourite and you can get the Dart (our train system) right to the entrance. Walking the pier in Dun Laoghaire is also a great day out and you can reward yourself with a legendary Teddy’s ice-cream if you keep up the pace. Our Festivals are also great and we have just had the World Street Performance Championships here and there is always of course the St. Patricks Day Festival.

5. What is your favorite type of entertainment?
A night out with friends or family to relax and absorb the great banter and atmosphere of Dublin nightlife. There are often four or five conversations going at the one time so it is hard to keep up sometimes. The Irish still love to talk.

6. List the best family friendly activity.
A day at the beach or at the park with a picnic would be my top pick followed closely by Dublin Zoo which is always a great day . We all come home exhausted.

If you are interested in parks, my favourites would be St. Stephen’s Green which is right at the top of Grafton Street, the best shopping street in Dublin and Herbert Park in Ballsbridge which has ducks to feed (but you need to get there early as they get pretty choosy as the day goes on) playgrounds, tennis courts and great planting. Further out I love Powerscourt Waterfall which has a 121 ft. waterfall and is a favourite area for family picnics, with woodland walks, a playground and masses of space and Knocksink Woods in Enniskerry which is quieter and great for a crispy winter walk in your wellington boots.”

7. What spot would you send a couple, looking for a romantic weekend?
The Merrion Hotel in Dublin 2 is a splendid hotel in a Georgian terrace just opposite our government buildings. The rooms in the older part of the building are best if the budget can stretch to it. There are great common rooms with log fires for lounging about in and two in house restaurants so you do not have to set foot outside.

8. Describe a perfect day…one that captures what your area/city is all about. In 3 sentences or less.
Breakfast at home with the kids with a sneaky look at the Irish Times Saturday edition. A walk in the local park followed by some lunch or a BBQ with friends or family to catch up on all the craic (that means fun here in Ireland) during the week and then a few drinks to finish off the day at home or out for dinner

9. Tell us about a place that you love to go, whether it is in the guidebooks or not.
Dalkey Hill has the most amazing views of Dublin and takes my breath away every time.

10. What should we have asked, but didn’t?
Where not to go–like every big city Dublin has an edgy side so do get local knowledge about areas to avoid if you are not sure.