Ohio Vacations
Ohio, also known as the “Buckeye State” became the 17th state on March 1, 1803. It is brimming with fun, family activities, from the shores of Lake Erie, to the Ohio river, to the rolling hills of Hocking Hills State Park and everything in between.
Amusement Parks
Ohio has some of the best amusement parks in the country. Among them, Cedar Point is overflowing with roller coasters including the exciting new Valravn Birdseye, which is scheduled to open this year. It promises to break world records, by featuring a 214', 90 degree drop traveling at 75 miles per hour. Don’t forget a visit to Kings Island in Cincinnati to round out your tour of amusement parks.
Indoor Water Parks
These water parks are great places to escape a blustery, Ohio winter. The water resorts are a balmy 80 degrees anytime of the year and full of exciting water entertainment for the whole family!
- CoCo Key Water Resort -Cincinnati www.cocokeycincy.com/
- Fort Rapids Indoor Waterpark -Columbus http://www.fortrapids.com
- Great Wolf Lodge -Sandusky https://www.greatwolf.com/
- Kalahari -Sandusky www.kalahariresorts.com
- Splash Bay Resort -Toledo www.splashbayresort.com/
Canoeing
Canoeing is one of my favorite summer activities. Canoe liveries are available in the Mohican, Hocking Hills, Upper Cuyahoga River, Little Miami and Canal Fulton areas. Don’t limit your trips to rivers. Many opportunities are available at local lakes such as Walborn Reservoir, a Stark Park, located close to Alliance. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent.
Festivals and Craft Shows
Festivals such as the Yankee Peddler, Shaker Woods, Christmas in the Woods, Circleville Pumpkin Show and The Ohio Mart at Stan Hywet in Akron are just a few of the interesting festival and shows to attend. These festivals offer an unparalleled shopping experience.
- www.yankeepeddlerfestival.com/
- www.shakerwoods.com/
- www.pumpkinshow.com/
- www.stanhywet.org/events/ohio-mart-2016
Museums
Need to chase away those winter blues? Ohio offers many unique museums to explore. Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a favorite spot for budding scientists to discover the scientific world.
Discover World located in Canton alongside McKinley’s Monument is a hands on science museum that contains a robotic dinosaur plus much more.
Maps Air Museum, short for the Military Aviation Preservation Society, is another shining star in the city of Canton. It focuses on aviation history by housing aircraft and memorabilia from the past.
McKinley’s Monument and museum in Canton, is the location of President William Mckinley’s tomb, along with his wife Ida and their two daughters. Once inside, one’s eye is directed upward to the stained glass dome that streams light down on the stately tomb.
A visit to Lanterman’s Mill, built in 1845–1846 in Mill Creek Park, is the ideal way to spend a Saturday. Take a step backward in time to the days when heavy millstones ground the flour. Whole wheat and buckwheat flours as well as cornmeal are for sale in the gift shop as well as handcrafted gifts. Don’t forget to visit the covered bridge nearby. ://www.millcreekmetroparks.org/visit/places/mill-creek-park/lantermans-mill
Restored villages are an excellent way to view life from another era. The Ohio History Center in Columbus, Roscoe Village in Coshocton, Schoenbrunn Village in New Philadelphia and Stan Hywet in Akron all depict early life in Ohio. Roscoe Village has an added feature in that the village is home to actual businesses that are open to the public free of charge. Stores selling old fashioned wares along with pubs and restaurants are available.
- www.Ohiohistory.org/
- www.roscoevillage.com/
- www.ohiosfirstvillage.com/
- http://www.stanhywet.org/tours-attractio
Music
The Alive Festival in Mineral City is one of the largest Christian music festivals in the US. This year’s festival runs from July 20 -July 23, 2016. Go for a day or attend all 4 days. I love, love Alive!
No trip to Ohio would be complete without a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Outdoors
Holden Arboretum is a beautiful place to enjoy a spring day outdoors.
Kelly’s Island-Lake Erie is a great place for hiking, camping, biking, fishing and just plain relaxing. Nothing tastes better than fresh caught Lake Erie walleye and perch over a campfire! Explore the Glacial Grooves, Inscription Rock and local gift shops.
Lakeside, a Chautauqua community, is my favorite place to vacation with my family. The dock at Lakeside is connected to a sandy beach and a splash park for small fries. I have passed many hours relaxing in the Adirondack chairs, listening to the waves and the bells chiming. Hoover Auditorium is home to the Lakeside Orchestra and is the staging area for many world class performers. Hotel Lakeside built in 1875, is a historic hotel facing lake Erie. It is furnished with period antiques including the beds that are a bit small and squeaky! It also delivers a dining room that serves splendid food. Lakeside is the perfect place to renew your mind body and spirit. — —
Put-in-Bay, Lake Erie offers tours of Perry’s monument, shopping, restaurants, taverns and overnight accommodations. Biking and golf carts are the preferred modes of touring the island.
Ohio State Parks are a source of outdoor activities including picnicking, boating, sled riding and camping. West Branch, Beaver Creek, Hocking Hills and Salt Fork State Parks are some of my favorites. Salt Fork, Maumee Bay, Mohican, Deer Creek and Punderson parks also offer lodges that are available for an romantic overnight stay or a family vacation. Cozy great rooms beckon one to enjoy a good book by a crackling fire.
- parks.ohiodnr.gov/
Shopping
Amish Country — Holmes County
Amish Country located in Holmes County offers life at a relaxing pace and a peek back to a simpler time when horse and buggies were the mode of transportation. The town of Berlin is a shopping extravaganza! Quaint shops showcasing area artisans handwork such as Amish quilts dot the streets. Take time to eat at Boyd and Wurthmans, a hidden gem of the locals in Berlin. Lehman’s in Kidron could be described as a non-electric shopper’s paradise.
The Hartville Marketplace is an indoor and outdoor flea market offering just about anything you might want to purchase. Located next door to the Marketplace is the Hartville Hardware which displays a full size house and 4 more facades, that are adorned with the latest trends in home decor. This is not your everyday hardware; it is billed as the largest independent hardware in the US. Also nearby, is the Hartville Kitchen, offering the best in Amish and Mennonite cooking. Expect a long line as this a favorite of bus tours!
The West Side Market in Cleveland is an amazing ethnic food market. A must see for the gourmet cook.
