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The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, Ohio is Ohio’s oldest inn. Its charm is historic and its former clientele still present. Charles Dickens once stopped here; as did many other prominent citizens of the time. Ghosts of Christmas past.
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Dickens visited the inn during his first trip to America in 1842. He rode five hours by stagecoach, traveling 30 miles from Cincinnati before stopping here for a drink. Unfortunately, he discovered that the inn was a “Temperance hotel” at that time.
He wrote, “This preposterous forcing of unpleasant drinks down the reluctant throats of travelers is not at all uncommon in America.”
Okay, okay. We get the point. Dickens wanted some brandy.
Which leads me to believe that stronger spirits helped inspire him to write about other spirits in his future classic “A Christmas Carol.”
Dickens could come back as a ghost now and imbibe with a little brandy in a room named for him. In fact, there are two rooms at The Golden Lamb named for him: a dining room and a sleeping room, so he could drink until the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future carried him upstairs to sleep it off.
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From Ohio’s claim to Charles Dickens fame and yours truly — wishing you all Christmas cheer in whatever form it takes.
Browsing The Atlas 
We went to Lebanon very early on in our dating had every intention of eating at the Golden Lamb. Unfortunately, we came in too late for dinner and spent the day at Kings Island. When we got out, we missed dinner again. Instead, we opted for the five way at Skyline since it was Jenn’s first trip to the Queen City. She would have much preferred the Golden Lamb.
Oh, Jenn. Skyline Chili rocks! The food at the Golden Lamb is good, but it’s not Skyline. 😉
It’s like visiting the Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee, Juliann, that just happens to be located in a dry county! There is nothing like bellying up to the bar for a cool drink and discovering that it’s water! The very best to you and your family during the holidays and in the new year. I look forward to continuing to share in your adventures. –Curt
LOL. Great comparison, Curt. I forgot about the dry distillery. Good thing Dickens didn’t stop there, too.
Here’s to many more adventures for us both in 2018!
As long as I’ve lived in the area, I’ve never been!!!
Then we’ll have to make plans. 🙂
No, apparently Dickens wasn’t super impressed with the US saying the Americans weren’t British enough 🙂 The Golden Lamb looks really nice and I imagine it’s popular. Happy Christmas Juliann and thank you for your continuing and excellent travel blogs.
And yet, we celebrate Dickens here if we can. 🙂
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s to you, Roy!
Haha my sympathies lie with Dickens 🙂 Happiest of holidays to you Juliann.
I sympathize with him, too. Poor guy. 🙂
Happy New Year, Madhu!