Where can you can you find 4,764 apple fritters, 550 gallons of apple cider and of course the freshest apple pies in the state this weekend? The longest running craft festival in the city of Lebanon, Country Applefest, returns for its 29th year and artisans of both crafts and apple confections will gather on Main Street to celebrate the coming of the fall season.

This festival has long maintained its pure small-town feel by not accepting corporate donations. The volunteers who organize Applefest take pride in the fact that this event is limited to arts, crafts and food only, and all must be homemade. You won't find any informational booths with peddling vendors here, just talented craftsmen with meticulously built pieces and master confectioners whose pies you may elsewhere find cooling on a windowsill. 

Don't feel constrained to just walking Main Street while you're in Lebanon for Applefest. Hop aboard the LM&M Railroad which will be running special 1 hour roundtrip train rides that are perfect for childern & adults. Grab a bite at the historic Golden Lamb, the oldest continuously operated business in the state of Ohio and host to notables like Mark Twain and 12 U.S. presidents. And stop by the Civil War Encampment at the Glendower historic house to relive the history of a war that nearly tore our country apart.

So if you're looking to escape the hustle of city life this weekend for a lifestyle that moves a little more slowly then grab your red and white checkered table cloth and your appetite and get to Downtown Lebanon on Saturday September 24th from 10a-7p for Country Applefest and more. 

For more information on this and our other upcoming Fall Festivals please click here.

As the home to Waynesville, "The Most Haunted Village in Ohio," (according to Haunted Ohio,) and Kings Island's famously-creepy Halloween HAUNT, Warren County's mix of scary experiences range from historical-haunts to gruesome and gory.

Here are the top ten haunted events, tours and locations in Ohio's Largest SCAREground:

1) Halloween HAUNT at Kings Island

According to park officials, Halloween HAUNT is the most immersive horror experience in the Midwest. The bloodcurdling horror, mind-bending terror and nightmarish madness of Halloween Haunt features more than 500 ghastly creatures lurking in the shadows searching for souls, 12 highly-intense and chilling haunted attractions and some of the most hair-raising rides on the planet including The Beast and Diamondback.

Location: Kings Island, Kings Island Drive, Mason. Admission to Halloween Haunt is included free with park admission tickets and 2011 season passes. For more information click here.

2) Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog

Evenings Fridays and Saturdays, September 23 - October 29

Providing more than 20 years of jaw-dropping scares, the Springboro Haunted Hayride and Black Bog are both award-winning attractions. The Haunted Hayride is more than one-mile of tractor-drawn, twisting terror and has been voted "Best Hayride" by Ohio Valley Haunts.

Location: 6070 Springboro Rd., Lebanon. Tickets are $12 for the Hayride, $10 for the Black Bog and $18 for a combo ticket. For more information click here.

3) HOWL-O-FEST at Kings Island

HOWL-O-FEST includes non-scary activities such as a Costume Contest, Twisted Tales Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Gigantic Hay Bale Maze, Dance Party, Foam Pit, Tractor Town, Mask Painting, Games, Food and much more.

Location: Kings Island, Kings Island Drive, Mason. This family-friendly event is included FREE with park admission tickets and 2011 season passes. For more information click here.

4) Morgan's HAUNTED RIVER

7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays beginning October 7

Hike through the "Forest of Lost Souls" then embark on a guided raft trip down the "Haunted Little Miami River." Recommended for children 10 and up (under 17 must be accompanied by an adult).

Location: Morgan's Riverside Campground, 6262 Gilmour Road, Morrow. $15 for adults, $10 children 12 and under. Reservations highly recommended. Call 1-800-932-2663 or visit www.morganscanoe.com for more information.

5) Ghostly Walking Tours of Waynesville, "The Most Haunted Village in Ohio"

7:30 p.m. Every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from October 12 - October 30

Experience Ohio's most haunted village first-hand as you tour historic buildings along Main Street and throughout the Quaker Hill area of Waynesville while learning of ghostly encounters past and present. You begin at the Museum at the Friends Home, a restored boarding home which appears very much as it did when retired Quakers and single school teachers lived there around the turn of the 20th Century.

Location: Museum at the Friends Home, 115 South Fourth Street, Waynesville. Tickets are $10 for ages 12 and up. Space is limited. Reservations: 513-897-1607 or www.friendshomemuseum.org.

6) Ghosts and Goblets Dinner and Ghostly Walking Tour Package

Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays in October

Waynesville's most haunted establishment, the Hammel House Inn sets the stage for an evening of apparitions and fine dining. Guests enjoy tales and testimonials of hauntings at the Hammel House and dinner followed by a guided walking tour of Waynesville, Ohio's most haunted village. Extend your experience by staying overnight at the Hammel House Inn.

Location: Hammel House Inn, 121 S. Main Street, Waynesville. Dinner is $34.95 per person. Lodging starts at $100 per night plus tax. 20% discount on dinner and lodging available select dates (Oct. 1 - 8). 20% discount on lodging only Wednesday's in October. Call 513-897-3779 for reservations or visit www.thehammelhouseinn.com

7) "Gruesome But Truesome 19th Century Practices" Lunch and Learn

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19

Guest speaker, Warren County Historian John Zimkus, will discuss many of the terrifyingly-true medical practices of 19th century in use in this area.

Location: Harmon Hall at the Warren County History Center, 105 S. Broadway, Lebanon. Tickets are $18 per person and include a box lunch and lecture. Reservation required, call 513-932-1817.

8) Ghosts in the Museums Tour

Ghoulish Glendower - 9:00 p.m. - 11:00 on October 21
Haunted Harmon Hall - 9:00 - 11:00 p.m. on October 28

Guided tours of two of Lebanon's historic and haunted landmarks, Harmon Hall and Glendower Historic Mansion.

Locations: Harmon Hall at the Warren County History Center, 105 S. Broadway, Lebanon. Glendower Mansion, 105 Cincinnati Avenue, Lebanon. Tickets are $20 per person and participants must be 12 or older. Reservations: 513-932-1817 or www.wchsmuseum.org.

9) Paranormal Ghost Hunt

Ghoulish Glendower - 9:00 p.m. - midnight on October 30
Haunted Harmon Hall - 9:00 - midnight on October 31

Guests will work with the same equipment used by the Spiritual H.O.P.E. Society staff to conduct a real life paranormal investigation while the museum staff provides history and insight into past haunted experiences. The investigation/tour is limited to 12 guests.

Locations: Harmon Hall at the Warren County History Center, 105 S. Broadway, Lebanon. Glendower Mansion, 105 Cincinnati Avenue, Lebanon. Tickets are $45 per person and participants must be 12 or older. Reservations: 513-932-1817 or www.wchsmuseum.org.

10) Dinner with The Golden Lamb's Distinguished Guests

Dinner offered nightly

Dine with The Golden Lamb's guests both past and present. Ohio's oldest Inn and continuously operating business, The Golden Lamb began as a stagecoach stop for travelers between Cincinnati and Columbus and through the years has hosted 12 U.S. Presidents and some of the most prominent literary and political figures of the 19th century. On the 4th floor of The Golden Lamb Inn there is a special room called "Sarah's Room" where many guests have encountered the presence of Sarah Stubbs, a child who lived in the hotel in the 1800´s. Charles R. Sherman, an Ohio Supreme Court Justice, who died at the Inn in 1829, also is among the reported ghosts in the building.

Location: 27 S. Broadway, Lebanon. Reservations: 513- 932-5065 or www.goldenlamb.com.

Each one of these experiences offer unique chills and thrills that will send shivers down your spine and make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Hear Ye, Hear ye, with the Ohio Renaissance Festival (Sept. 3-Oct. 16th) set to begin this weekend we've put together a list of 16th century terms that you'll want to add to your vocabulary before the games begin.

1) "Good Morrow" : "Hello" -- E.g. "Good Morrow neighbor, might you be in a merry mood this E'en?"

2) "The Blood of John Barleycorn" : "Ale" or "Beer" -- E.g. "Fetch me a pint of the blood of John Barleycorn."

3) "Privy" : "Bathroom" -- E.g. "Beg your pardon, kind sir, but I have had too much of the blood of John Barleycorn and need to find the privy post-haste."

4) "Yonder" : "Over there" -- E.g. "The privy is located yonder."

5) "Grammercy" : "Thank You" -- E.g. "Grammercy, fair maiden, for the dance, thou art verily light on your feet."

6) "Aye" or "Yay" : "Yes" AND  "Nay" or "Indeed Not" : "No" -- E.g. "Yay, I am having a merry good time at the Ohio Renaissance Festival and nay, I do not wish to leave"

7) "Prithee" : "Please" -- E.g. "Mother, may I prithee have an oversized turkey leg for dinner this e'en?"

8) "Hawker" : "A salesperson yelling to get you to come to their booth" -- E.g. "That hawker is proclaiming he has the finest gold jewelry in town."

9) "Carouse" : "To Party" -- E.g. "After the jousting championship, the winning knight shall carouse with all the nobility to rejoice in his victory."

10) "Fie" : "A Curse" -- E.g. "If you do not attend the 2011 Ohio Renaissance Festival, then from this moment on, I fie on you."

Keep these terms in mind as you make your way out to the Ohio Renaissance Festival this fall. There will be plenty of games, rides and entertainment for both young and old.

To get your tickets be sure to visit: www.renfestival.com
Or book your Ren Fest Vacation Package here: Ohio Vacation Packages