Those who love knitting or crocheting with yarn made of natural fibers know there are a few benefits to choosing alpaca yarn over wool. Alpaca fleece tends to be warmer. It’s also lighter, stronger and more resilient than wool  — plus it’s a more environmentally sustainable option, especially when you buy locally from Sunburst Valley Alpacas, a small farm on the West Side. Sunburst Valley has a small herd of alpacas they source their fleece from, which they sell through their online store. Not only do they offer raw fleece, but Sunburst Valley also has natural and dyed batts and skeins of handspun, natural and hand-dyed yarn. All dyes are heavy-metal free, and the yarns come in a variety of colors (the farm also can custom dye a skein so you can seamlessly finish that cozy blanket or trendy hat pattern). If you want to skip the crafting process, the farm also sells handcrafted hats, socks, ear warmers and fingerless mitts made from their own alpaca yarn. sunburstvalleyalpacas.com.

1. Jungle Jim's International Market
2. The Party Source
3. Liquor Barn (Formerly DEP's Fine Wine & Spirits) TIE
   4. Marty's Hops and Vines TIE

Boys, keep out! Explorer Chick has women-only tours all over the world, but they call Cincinnati their home. With trips ranging from backpacking in the Grand Canyon to glamping in Belize, the tours focus on exploring new places and getting your heart and blood pumping for adventure. The website makes it easy to book  — sort tours by where you want to go and what kind of experience you want to have. Up for hiking? Rappelling? Surfing? All three? Click on those options and see where Explorer Chick can take you. And if none of your gal pals can go with you, don’t worry; it’s super-easy to bond with and befriend the other badass ladies on your trip. explorerchick.com.

1. Beelistic Tattoo


2. Skincraft Piercing & Tattoo


3. Hybrid Image

1. Cincinnati Museum Center
2. Parky’s Farm
3. Super Parties TIE
   4. Dave & Buster’s TIE

1. Top Golf


2. Toyko Kitty


3. MadTree Brewing

1. Richter & Phillips


2. Schwartz Jewelers


3. Monmouth Jewelers

1. Fern


2. Natorp's Nursery Outlet


3. A.J. Rahn Greenhouses

1. Mandell-Brown Plastic Surgery Center


2. McKenna Cosmetic Surgery Center


3. The Plastic Surgery Group

1. Apollo Home


2. Jolly Plumbing


3. Zins Plumbing

1. Tiffany Brogden


2. Jordan Nicely


3. Nick Foltz

1. Sibcy Cline


2. Keller Williams Realty


3. Pivot Realty Group

1. Maple Knoll Village


2. Twin Lakes


3. Marjorie P. Lee

1. Mt. Lookout Shoe Repair


2. D & P Shoe Repair


3. Clarence Howell Shoe Repair

1. Jungle Jim's International Market


2. Hemptations


3. High on the Hill

1. H&R Block


2. The Tax Man


3. Orcutt & Company CPA

1. Churchill's Fine Teas


2. Jungle Jim’s International Market


3. Coffee Emporium

1. Christ Hospital Urgent Care Red Bank Rd.


2. Bluegrass Urgent Care


3. CareFirst Urgent Care - Beechmont

1. Cincy Vapors


2. Lefty's Tobacco Plus


3. Galaxy Vapors

1. Noah's Ark Animal Clinics


2. Animal Care Center


3. Grady Veterinary Hospital