by admin | Jul 2, 2015 | Restaurant, Wapakoneta
El Azteca is one of the best Mexican restaurants you can find! Authentic food, decent prices and a great atmosphere are topped only by the fantastic service. The people of Wapak (Wapakonetians if you will) are truly lucky to have such a great Mexican restaurant. It also serves travelers heading north or south on I-75 as well as those going east or west on route 33. The building is beautifully decorated inside and you’d hardly know it was once a Big Boy restaurant. (At least, that’s what it looks like – we still need to find a long-time Wapakonetian that can verify this.) The menu is huge and you’re sure to find something that teases your palate – even if you’re a vegetarian. In fact the menu can be a little daunting. But you can pick from the combo menus if you’re not sure. That way you’ll also get a sampling of some various things. Perhaps the thing we like most about it is the food comes out QUICKLY. We’re not sure how they make the food so fast, but they do a great job, even with larger groups of people. And then there’s “Hot Plate” guy who will remind you not to touch your plate because it’s so hot. (Sometimes he likes to trick you though, so watch out 😝 ) Most combos are something like a burrito, a chalupa, rice and beans, all for $7.95. Lunch combos are priced even better at $6.95 mostly. For the cheapskates among us, you can grab a plate of nachos with cheese and beans for $4.50. It’s so filling you can...
by admin | Jun 27, 2015 | Diner, Restaurant, Wapakoneta
The Lucky Steer Restaurant has been a Wapak tradition for over 40 years! It sits prominently on “Hamburger Row”, aka Bellefontaine Avenue, which is handy for travelers stopping in off of I-75. The friendly staff will have you smiling, as will the quick service, excellent food and great prices. The Lucky Steer has the feel of an old-fashioned diner but without any of the drawbacks. It doesn’t feel old, everything looks nice and modern. The menu has a nice variety and even has stuff to make vegetarians feel welcome. There’s a very friendly feel to everything, starting with the cute logo of the Lucky Steer himself. (Actually we’ve felt that the steer isn’t so lucky as he is probably going to be eaten, and my wife has dubbed the place the Unfortunate Cow. 😝) The food is fantastic and service excellent. In a word, this place is friendly. It makes you feel at home. For travelers, you just can’t go wrong. You’ll have service with a smile and be treated to an amazing meal. The ONLY thing we can say that isn’t positive is that you’ll likely come home smelling like a diner. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though depending on your point of view! Lucky Steer Restaurant...
by admin | Jun 25, 2015 | Cool Places, Wapakoneta
The Temple of Tolerance is an amazing hidden gem in the small town of Wapakoneta. If you’re ever in the area, you have to see it! The Temple of Tolerance is one name for it. Many locals also call it simply “the Rock Garden” – yet neither name does it any justice. The Rock Garden/Temple of Tolerance is a huge garden of rocks and antiques that you could get lost in. The front of it is a house that sits at the address of 203 South Wood Street. You really can’t miss the house. It might seem run-down by some or very, very weird to others, but most think it’s just awesome. Vines and plants seem to run rampant and yet they’re very cleverly maintained. Interesting old items like a bomb from WWII are displayed from the front porch. Cast iron, high quality iron fences and gates combine to give the place an almost eerie look. And yet it’s so inviting at the same time. Those that have an adventurous streak in them will giddily open the gates and proceed down various trails. If you do so, here’s a glimpse of what you might experience… You will see amazing displays of rocks all along the trails. There are many spots to sit down and simply “be” among all the rocks and artifacts. If you go far enough, the trails will lead to a more open area with a huge Temple in the middle of it. Climb up to the top and you will be amazed at the structure and just how high up you are. This is the Temple...
by admin | Apr 21, 2015 | Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta, Ohio (pronounced WAH-pah-kə-NET-tə) is an amazing town with a rich history. Wapakoneta, or “Wapak” as it is known locally, sits nicely nestled right next to the highly trafficked Ohio Interstate 75. Maybe the most popular resident of Wapakoneta is Neil Armstrong, widely known as the first man to walk on the moon. Wapak celebrates this every year with their Moon Festival. The “Moon” can also be seen from I-75 – a large round orb protruding from the ground that serves as the most visible part of the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum. The Neil Armstrong Musuem is home to Armstrong’s spacesuits from his Gemini and Apollo missions. You can also see the Gemini VIII spacecraft, an Apollo 11 moon rock, and two aircraft that Armstrong himself flew. The beautiful Auglaize County Courthouse also sits prominently in downtown Wapak. It was finished being built in 1894 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Nowadays you have to go through a metal detector to get in, but it’s worth it to see the architecture and paintings. There’s also a beautiful statue of the lady of Justice. The statue was resurrected in 1994 through a campaign called “Copper Pennies for the Copper Lady”. The campaign raised over $25,000 to fix her up. Then there’s the amazingness that is the Rock Garden. The Rock Garden was built over many years in what started out as Jim Bowsher’s backyard. Jim and his brother Walt built a place for all to come and feel the spiritual zen that the rocks help provide. It’s truly a wonderful and unique place like nowhere else...
by admin | Apr 20, 2015 | Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta, Ohio has a vast and rich American Indian history. In fact, the name “Wapakoneta” is an Indian name that come from the Shawnee word “Wa·po’kanite”, meaning “The Place of White Bones”. Most likely this is due to the fact that mastodon bones have been found in the Wapakoneta area three times since 1870! One mastodon skeleton was found in a swamp about eight feet deep. It was about 19.5 feet long and 14 feet tall with tusks about 12 feet long. For real. These things existed. (For more on this and other Wapakoneta history, check out http://www.wapakoneta.net/history) The land around Wapakoneta including most of Auglaize County were originally lived in by the Miami tribe of Indians. Members of the Wyandotte indian tribe would also come upon the land from the north and east. However, as the white man does, the Miami tribe was attacked and their main village of Pickawillamy (which was near Springfield) was destroyed. The entire tribe picked up and headed west for Indiana. Meanwhile the Shawnee tribe had been driven out of their home in Georgia and the Carolina’s. The Shawnee found a new home in the Wapakoneta area. Two of the most legendary Indian Chieftains, Blue Jacket and Black Hoof, helped establish a settlement in the Auglaize County area. A council house was created where Wapakoneta now exists. This council house served as a meeting place where many of the most prominent names of the time came together. These include both Blue Jacket and Black Hoof of course, but also James Blue Jacket (Blue Jacket’s son), Tecumseh and his brother the Prophet, Little Snake, Little...
by admin | Apr 20, 2015 | Fun Facts, Wapakoneta
Old Vienna beer was originally brewed by City Brewing Company in Wapakoneta. (See pic above 🙂 ) Wapakoneta’s cost of living is 18.00% lower than the U.S. average. Wapakoneta was home to the first sawmill and gristmill in northwestern Ohio, created by the Shawnee. Wapakoneta is featured in the 1940 film, “Third Finger, Left Hand”. One of the characters is from Wapakoneta and the town comes up often throughout the film. When Auglaize county was formed, there was a fierce contest between Wapakoneta and Saint Marys to see which would be the county seat. Wapakoneta won out. When the oil boom occurred in the area in the late 1800’s, Wapakoneta was part of it too. Oil and natural gas helped the city grow. In the late 1800’s, Wapakoneta claimed to produce more butter churns than anyone else. A strange claim, but it might be true: the butter churn was patented by Michael Brown, Francis McFarland and Joseph Brown of Wapakoneta. You can still find many antique butter churns made by M. Brown & Company. Chief Black Hoof, an early Indian Chief that lived in the area, lived to be 109 years old! Wapakoneta was highlighted on the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” in 2010 when Wapak resident Kent Boyd made it all the way to runner-up. (Ok, he was really from Botkins, but the rest of the country didn’t know that and Wapak was still featured!) The statue of the lady of Justice that sits in the courthouse originally faced east, overlooking the main entrance. The town of St. Marys to the west had a huge...
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