Ohio......????? (Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati: amusement parks, college, shop)

[jadbad2004]

Should check out the Serpent Mounds in southern Ohio, it's pretty awesome.

[Gee]

For hiking -- Old Man's Cave and the Hocking Hills area
Biking - Many of the state parks have mountain bike trails and the 70 mile long Little Miami Scenic Trail
Boating and Fishing - Most State Parks
Canoeing- Many canoeing spots
Extreme Fishing & Boating -Lake Erie
Paintball- I don't recall exactly which ones but there are a few state parks that have paintball fields -go to the Ohio State Parks website
Entertainment -Read Panther in the Sky by James Alexander Thom and then go to the outdoor drama "Tecumseh" near Chillicothe
Interesting Culture - Holmes county/Amish Country
Largest Basket in the world(Newark Ohio) - Dresden Ohio home of the Longaberger Basket Company and factory
During mild weather there are several festivals going on every weekend in different locations
The Ohio State Fair - Columbus in August

[trtlflwrs]

I know there's tons of camp grounds and such down in the Loudenville area... (Mohican). It's also a great place for kayaking 'cause there's a great canoe livery there (they have awesome campgrounds and other things to do also, check out canoemohican.com ).

There's lots of little "museums", from
John Glenn to
William McKinley to
Longaberger Baskets to the
COSI in Columbus...
Hale Farm is great history for kids- i chaperoned a daycare group there (depicts mid-19th century living with people in costumes and stuff)...
Pro-Football Hall of Fame...

There are a lot of festivals all year long... I've been to the "Maple Fest" in Chardon(personal fav), the "Melon Festival" in Milan(GREAT food), the "Antique Festival" in Millersburg... the Ohio Festivals and Events Association lists them all every year at ofea.org... I love it!

You can always check out Ohio's Department of Tourism at discoverohio.com, too. It's what my friends and I use when we get sick of Ohio and want to explore but don't have enough cash/time to leave the state!

[JefferyT]

For backpacking the largest wilderness/forest area is the Shawnee State Forest and State Park in Scioto County, just north of the Ohio River and between Portsmouth and Cincinnati (closer to Portsmouth) It is rugged appalachian plateau country, so you might like it if you like mountain hiking.

http://www.ohiodnr.com/parks/parks/shawnee.htm (broken link)

[EarthBound?]

If I were you I would stay in the southern part of the state. If you go to Cleveland stay away from the beaches. Unless you don't mind polluted water with needles in it. The Rock & Roll Hall of fame is real interesting as well as all of the other museums. But, keep yor doors locked at all times, lots of street beggers.

[Scouting Sharon]

Was this just to goad people? Come on... where are you from that you couldn't think of anything for Ohio... the 7th most populous state, the birthplace of Presidents?
I know this post is very old but I have to write a little something.
The original post said about camping, etc. and there are some great places!
You need to check out the state parks (Ohio Department of Natural Resources - camping, boating, fishing, hunting, biking, hiking in Ohio) which include our islands*; Wayne National Forest (do the search, the link was insane); national parks in Ohio (National Park Guide) *including 4th largest monument in the U.S. unfortunately the observation deck is closed for repairs until 2011 or so;
Museums, Halls of Fame... Oh heck... just check out this whole site! :-)
Ohio Museums and Ohio Hall of Fame Museums from Science to Strange
We ARE the heart of it all... we are like a mini United States of America. Ohio has the largest population of Amish AND metropolises; we have national sports teams, arts & orchestras, zoos, world famous amusement parks AND fantastic nature (and it's not all flat); and unique things such as the Amphicar Swim-In (the website of The International Amphicar Owner's Club).
I would love to 'hear' from the original poster, or anyone else. Of course there is so much more, and everything already mentioned.

[costello_musicman]

To add to the list:


- Lake Erie Islands!!! (Put-in-Bay, Kelley's Island)
- Amish country
- Boating cruises from Downtown Cleveland.


Don't forget we have three major cities with their own amenities too...Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus

[WeSoHood]

HAHA are you kidding me?

Ohio has some of the best suburbs. Great lakefront areas. Very diverse and ethnic urban cores. Plethora of arts and culture. 11 million people. World Class muesums and symphonies. Some of the best hospitals in the world. Metroparks, the Hocking Valley, etc.

I can go on and on just about stuff to do in Cleveland or northeast Ohio (home to nearly 4.5 million people).

It's a shame that people don't know anything about Ohio, or when they do it's almost entirely wrong. I moved here a couple years ago from DC and love the change. It's almost funny because 90% of the US I visit really isn't nice at all and pretty horrible when in comparison to my area in Northeast Ohio. Within the first month I moved here, my neighbors threw block party / large cookout. Families and kids everywhere, live band, good drinks, and then a Browns game after.

A week later my neighbor invited me on his boat. All summer long I go boating, fishing, tubing, water skiing, jet skiing, hang out at the beach, sail, etc... I love living on the water, and it's one thing DC does NOT have.

IMO, I really don't care what people think about Ohio anymore, because I've lived here for a little bit now and love it. Not to mention there are beautiful women here, which I'm still wondering how/why that happened I still don't know how someone couldn't think of ANYTHING to do in Ohio when it's one of the most populated states in the US... it doesn't have this many people because it's awful and filled with nothing to do

[no1brownsfan]

"It's a shame that people don't know anything about Ohio, or when they do it's almost entirely wrong."


You hit the nail on the head. My wife and I have friends from the NYC area that we met on our honeymoon. Their impression of Ohio, because they had never been here, was that it is all rural. They even said we had a slight southern accent. Well, when they visited here, they were suprised as to how "civilized" we really were. They also thought, because of where my wife and I lived at the time, that we were rich, because of all of the big houses. We had lived in Twinsburg at the time, in a nice apartment, and I can certainly see why they would think that, based on some of the homes out there. Nope, we're not rich, in fact far from it, but that was cool that their impression changed. I don't understand it either as to how people don't know much about this state. Some of the best, brightest and most famous people in this country are from here! We really are the "Heart Of It All!"

[Mohicanhunter]

You all did such a great job covering the states attraction, I am going to just discuss a small part in a bit more depth. I am from Loudonville in the heart of Mohican country and let me tell ya, if it wasn't for tourism L'ville would be a ghost town. Our Mohican Adventures Camp and Canoe is the largest employer in the town if that tells you anything. Anyhow let me get on with it...

Within a 15 minute drive you can,

Camp, canoe, hike, bike on the asphalt bike path or through the Mohican forest, horseback riding, play mini golf and ride go-karts,dirt track racing on weekends, don't forget to grab some cheese from Holmes Cheese for the wine tasting on every saturday at the old mill. Live entertainment at the pubs, downtown markets on the weekends, the many sites in the forest(Gorge Overlook, Firetower, Memorial Shrine, Covered Bridge)and wildlife is abundant, I especially enjoy the large number of Bald Eagles that the ODNR has reintroduced all throughout the area. Great fishing, skiing, swimming at Pleasant Hill Lake and Reservoir not to mention the Morel mushroom hunting you can take part in in the spring MMmmm Can't wait til next spring! There is also the Malabar Farm that has many interesting things to do (it is geared toward learning of founding people and places around the area) as well as an outdoor drama stage near, and of course the Great Mohican Indian Pow-Wow twice a year. I am sure i have missed some things but that is what comes to mind.

And I guess I should mention, there are things to do in winter month's also with ski resorts and such

Soo many activities concealed in just a few of Ohio's wonderful valley's! Kinda makes you wonder, if there is that much to do in this little patch of woods, what else could this state possibly offer?