Traveling in Ohio

Of all places, Ohio was the last of the 50 states to add to my website! I had driven through Ohio before, but of course that doesn’t count as a real visit, so in 2014 I finally flew out to Columbus to complete my mission of visiting all 50 states in America. This of course made my trip to Ohio special, but in many ways I was still so close to my home state of Virginia that my expectation weren’t too high. Ohio definitely took me by surprise though. The number of large cities, historic sites, and even the national park I visited were all pretty impressive.

Columbus

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Columbus is the 15th largest city in America, and the capital of Ohio. As Columbus is a huge city, tourists can visit several different districts such as the historic downtown, the Arena district, brewery district, German Village, or Short North to name a few! Unless you visit on an extended trip, you’ll never be able to see all of Columbus. A few well known highlights are their nationally renowned zoo and aquarium that receives 2.5 million visitors a year.

Cleveland

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Ohio’s next largest city after Columbus, Cleveland is located 150 miles northeast of the capital on the shores of the Lake Erie. Despite losing over half its population in the past century, Cleveland’s interesting sites still remain. Famous for sports, the city is home to the Cleveland Indians, and any fans of rock should definitely visit the Rock and Roll hall of fame.

Cuyahoga Valley

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With most of Ohio within a 30 minute drive of a major city, many are surprised to find that the state has one of the few national parks on the east coast. The name Cuyahoga is translated to Crooked River from the Mohawk language and was used to describe the river flowing through the northern Ohio valley. Most visitors choose to go hiking or cycling through the parks trails, taking in the scenery of the deep ravines, rolling hills and the wildlife.

Cincinnati

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Located on the border of Kentucky along the Ohio River, Cincinnati transformed itself from a trading post during the revolutionary war to a modern city. Along the waterfront you’ll find plenty of retail shops and dining to bars and clubs, as well as the Reds’ Stadium. Other places to visit are the home of former president Taft, Eden Gardens, and the various other museums and art galleries.