Ohio is scenically blessed, and you could easily spend your time just driving round admiring the beautiful views that seem to appear before your eyes as you round every bend. However, take the time to stop and get to know some of state’s great places - you won’t be disappointed.
Art, history and rock & roll
Cleveland, Ohio’s second largest city, sits on the shores of Lake Erie. This one-time major manufacturing centre is today best known as the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The city’s top attraction is stuffed full of priceless memorabilia from iconic stars such as Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and much more, making it an absolute must for music lovers.
The city also boasts artistic greats in its renowned Museum of Art, as well as some of the country’s top sports teams, such as the Cleveland Indians of MLB and the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
In the far south of Ohio sits Cincinnati, home to a symphony orchestra, theatres, music and food festivals galore. Here you can also find the vast Museum Center, a multi-museum complex housed inside the wonderful Art Deco Union Terminal building.
You can spend an entire day here exploring the History Museum, Children's Museum and Museum of Natural History and Science, among others.
Visit the birthplace of manned flight
North of Cincinnati is Dayton, which lays claim as being the birthplace of aviation. The city was the home of the Wright brothers, inventors of the first successful aircraft, and its proud heritage is celebrated in the truly impressive Air Force Museum.
It’s the largest museum of its kind in the country, with over 300 aerospace items on display, including a Wright Flyer and the Apollo 15 spacecraft. One of the highlights is to walk through the original Presidential aircrafts used by Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower.
Enjoy some capital gains
The state capitol, Columbus, is home to the fascinating COSI, a science museum and research centre along the Scioto River. It is also home to the beautiful Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a year-round attraction featuring exotic plant collections from around the world.
The city has many interesting parts that are worth exploring such as the charming 19th-century architecture of the German Village to the chic Short North Arts District where contemporary galleries fill converted warehouses, and funky independent stores sell records and vintage clothing.
Take it real slow in Amish Country
One of Ohio’s great pleasures is the quaint scenery of Amish Country. Here you can experience a modest lifestyle where horse-drawn carts operate the winding streets and local farmers plow the fields.
You can visit the Amish craft stores and flea markets and learn about the religion and culture at the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in the small village of Berlin. An excellent way to explore Amish Country is to drive the Amish Country Byway which runs through Holmes County between Cleveland and Columbus.
See nature in the raw
South of Columbus, near the town of Logan, is home to the rugged and beautiful Hocking Hills State Park, a huge, natural outdoor playground notable for its strange rock formations. Here you can hike through dramatic gorges, visit spectacular waterfalls and delve deep into fantastical caves. It’s a great place to visit, especially in the fall, when the forests transform into vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow.
