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101 Things To Do in Ohio
Are you looking for some fun and exciting getaway ideas for your Ohio vacation? We've put together a list of 101 Things to Do in Ohio that will help you find the activites, events and places that will make your vacation a trip to remember.
And if you've got some inside knowledge on one of these destinations or have a favorite spot we didn't mention here, let us know! Post a story about your best Ohio vacations on our Share
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Family Funcursions
Interactive Experiences
Uniquely Ohio Natural Adventures
Thrills and Chills
Quick Cultural Excapes
Walk in History's Footprints
Guys Getaways
Shopping Sprees
Peaceful Retreats
Only in Ohio Road Trips
Fun Festivals
Family Funcursions
- Take the family on safari at the Wilds near Cambridge. Take an open-air safari across the rolling hills of one of the world’s largest, most innovative wildlife conservation centers. More than 25 species of Asian, North American and African animals including rhinos, giraffe and more freely roam, run and mingle with one another on nearly 10,000 acres of reclaimed, strip-mined land.
- Ride a Highwire Unicycle across the atrium at COSI. Both COSI science center locations ( Columbus and Toledo) are chock full of hands-on activities that makes learning fun.
- Search for 375 million-year-old fossils at Fossil Park in Sylvania. Just bring a water bottle, a few brushes and a keen eye to pick up your fill of trilobites, corals and brachiopods. The rock piles come from a working quarry about a mile down the road, and the adventure is free!
- Walk into Diagon Alley during Wizarding in Wilmington. Harry Potter fans, don your robes and dig out your Quidditch brooms on July 20. A section of the town will be cordoned off and transformed into locations from the Harry Potter movies.
- Hang Ten at Kalahari Indoor Water Park in Sandusky on FlowRider, an indoor surfing wave that makes hanging 10 a possibility even in December!
- Play Arctic explorer when you visit the three polar bear cubs born this year at the Toledo Zoo, or put on your khaki safari hat to gaze at hippos lounging in the Hippoquarium
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Interactive Experiences
- Gather in the grape harvest at one of the 20 wineries in northeast Ohio’s Grand River Valley appellation.
- Create your own glass menagerie with an artist in residence at the Toledo Museum of Art’s Glass Pavilion. The Pavilion provides plenty of muse with one of the top glass collections in the world ranging from antiquity to current day.
- Weave a basket with traditional artisan Leota Hutchinson in the Hocking Hills or head to Longaberger Basket Company in Frazeysburg to watch the basket weaving pros at work then apply your new-found knowledge to weave your own heirloom basket.
- Capture the beauty of each of Ashtabula County’s 16 covered bridges on film during the peak of fall foliage season during the Covered Bridge Festival (Oct. 13-14).
- Immerse yourself in the sounds and spirit of the greats at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Rock and Roll Night School.
- Learn to roll the perfect maki or how to pair a Belgian lambic with dinner fare at the Dorothy Lane Market School of Cooking in Dayton.
- Sail the inland seas ; learn to tack, cruise and trim on Lake Erie at Harbor North Sailing School in Huron.
- Try your hand at heritage crafts including quilting, wreath-making and woodcarving at Historic Sauder Village in Archbold to learn about life in the late 19 th century.
- Test new, innovative KitchenAid products and appliances in eight interactive culinary areas at the KitchenAid Experience Center in Greenville. Then head over to the factory for a tour as new mixers roll off the assembly line.
- Express your inner artist at the Mazza Museum in Findlay, where you can view an inspiring collection of artwork from children’s books and learn to draw or paint your own renditions.
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Uniquely Ohio Natural Adventures
- Paddle the placid waters of Lake Erie by kayak around North Bass Island (population 17) with 41Degrees North Adventures.
- Have a hearty breakfast of buckwheat pancakes at the 204-year-old Clifton Mill, then hike the rugged natural beauty of Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve.
- Hike the remote splendor of Wayne National Forest where, if you’re lucky, you might see a black bear or bobcat.
- Spelunk the depths of Seneca Caverns in Bellevue to follow the path of the subterranean crystal clear “Ole’ Myst’ry River.”
- Embark on a geocaching adventure at Salt Fork State Park near Cambridge, the largest of Ohio’s 74 state parks.
- Pedal Ohio’s beautiful countryside and experience small towns on a new level during GOBA (Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure), a six-day bike tour.
- Hike 125 miles of trails in the pristine, natural beauty of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, just minutes from downtown Cleveland and Akron.
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Thrills and Chills
- Ride all 17 roller coasters in one day at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky. We suggest a light breakfast.
- Spend the night at a very haunting destination , the Ohio State Reformatoryin Mansfield during the Overnight Experience. We dare you… The old prison is a spooky specter during the day, but goose bumps are guaranteed as the darkness and dampness of night creep in… The Reformatory served as the setting for movies from the Shawshank Redemption to Air Force One and more?
- Break the speed limit (legally) – Learn to drive a high performance racecar at the Mid-Ohio Driving School in Mansfield. Stick around Mansfield for some of the best racing in the Midwest including NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, The Honda 200 (Indy Car Series), Honda Super Cycle Weekend (AMA Superbike Championships NASCAR Truck series and more.
- Surf (no kidding!) the wild waves of Lake Erie in November. Those who crave the wave, but need to stay close to home will find themselves in the camaraderie of a hearty bunch of Buckeye surfer devotees.
- Get the ghost scared out of you at Ghostly Manor Thrill Center in Sandusky. Ghostly Manor is a year-round high tech haunted house with an XD 3D Theater. The theater is a 3D motion ride that has 100 different movements per second and up to two Gs of acceleration – not for the faint of heart!
- Fly like a bird in a replica of the Wright B Flyer, an early Wright Brothers biplane located in Miamisburg.
- Dive the shipwrecks of the Lake Erie Islands . Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes which can cause stormy waters in a hurry. Erie has claimed more ships than any of the other Great Lakes.
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Quick Cultural Excapes
- Expand your definition of art at the cutting edge, Zaha Hadid-designed Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati
- Explore Ohio’s art pottery heritage at the Zanesville Art Center, then head to Logan and Nelsonville to pick up some contemporary ceramic creations.
- Take in a musical or comedy at Rabbit Run Theater near the shores of Lake Erie in Madison. Rabbit Run is one of the last remaining summer stock barn theaters. Or catch a Broadway show at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, the second largest performing arts district outside of New York
- Listen to the sweet strains of live bluegrass music at the Southern Ohio Opry in Lucasville.
- View treasures of American art at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown then head to the urban oasis of Mill Creek Park.
- Marvel at the handmade wonders at Warther’s Carving Museum in Dover, then browse the button collection and observe knives being made.
- Be welcomed into Amish homes for a progressive dinner and to understand their unique culture in a face to face way with an Amish Culture Tour arranged by Garden Gate Get-A-Way Bed and Breakfast in Millersburg.
- Hear the world renowned Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall in Cleveland or in the fresh air at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, or visit Lima to hear the Lima Symphony Orchestra’s take on the classics.
- Search for a new style as you browse the galleries of Kent State University’s Fashion Museum, where you can find works of wearable art from the 1700s to the present day, including a special Oscar de la Renta exhibition.
- Discover the flora and fauna of the Costa Rican cloud forest and the Madagascar spiny desert at the Cleveland Botanical Garden’s soaring glasshouse.
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Walk in History’s Footprints
- Trace the paths of escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad from the Ohio River to Lake Erie starting at Rankin House in Ripley along the Ohio River.
- Explore the fascinating remains of the Fort Ancient Indian culture at Serpent Mound in Peebles.
- Stand in the spot where Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President on Air Force One after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The plane is located in the Presidential Hangar at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton.
- Take a peek inside President James A. Garfield’s personal study , where he ran his campaign and wrote correspondence in Latin and Greek, at his home, Lawnfield in Mentor.
- Ride the Valley Gem Sternwheeler in Marietta and enjoy the gentle splash of the paddlewheel. Visit the nearby Campus Martius Museum, and then stroll the riverfront before bedding down at the historic Lafayette Hotel.
- Look out over the Ohio horizon that inspired the Great Seal of Ohio at the restored home and gardens of Adena in Chillicothe. Adena was home to Thomas Worthington, Ohio’s sixth governor.
- Sleep where presidents and authors have spent the night. The Golden Lamb in Lebanon was host to Ulysses S. Grant, Charles Dickens, John Quincy Adams and plenty more notables from American history.
- Slip silently along the water aboard a horse-drawn canal boat at Historic Roscoe Village in Coshocton, then shop the unusual offerings at Unusual Junction.
- Retrace the footsteps of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart down the double stairway at the Big House where they were married. Home of Pulitzer Prize winning author and early conservationist Louis Bromfield, the Big House and the rest of Bromfield’s Malabar Farm are now part of Malabar Farm State Park, a working farm open to the public where sustainable agriculture can be observed and discussed firsthand.
- Learn more about Islamic culture at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo in Perrysburg, one of the largest and most beautiful mosques in North America.
- Explore the amazing floodwall murals in Portsmouth and Steubenville to get a feel for each city’s unique heritage and culture.
- Tour the unique quilt barn trails of southern Ohio, including those in Harrison, Athens, Monroe, Miami and Adams counties.
- Have high tea at a president’s dining table at Spiegel Grove, the estate of Rutherford B. Hayes in Fremont.
- Blast off into space with visits to the hometowns of two of America’s most famous astronauts; John Glenn’s boyhood home in New Concord and the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta.
- Hop aboard one of Ohio’s scenic railways to experience the landscape of the state from a new vantage point.
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Guys Getaways
- Golf one of Ohio’s championship public courses like Longaberger in Nashport or Little Mountain in Concord.
- Catch a fly ball at the Cleveland Indians’ Jacobs Field, and then indulge in some gourmet game day fare slathered with Stadium Mustard, of course!
- Pay homage to gridiron greats at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton during the Hall of Fame Festival in early August.
- Head out into Lake Erie’s prime fishing territory to catch walleye, perch, steelhead trout and smallmouth bass with Bo-Kay Fishing Charters out of Lorain.
- Admire the classic beauty of automobiles from the ’30s, ‘40s and ‘50s at Snook’s Dream Cars Museum in Bowling Green.
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Shopping Sprees
- Shop the eclectic art galleries of Columbus’ Short North Arts District before dining at one of the neighborhood’s tempting restaurants.
- Peruse the quirky galleries of Yellow Springs, then try some original organic cuisine that is the town’s specialty.
- Find unbeatable bargains at Ohio’s enticing outlet malls located in Jeffersonville, Lodi and Aurora.
- Experience the peace of the Amish enclave of Middlefield in Geauga County, where you can sample local Swiss cheese or pick out a solid oak pie-safe.
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Cuisine
- Taste a Hungarian hotdog at the world famous Tony Packo’s Café in Toledo and browse the wall of more than 1,000 hot dog buns autographed by nearly every star who has come to town. Check out the new restaurant downtown across from Fifth Third Field, home of the triple-A Toledo Mud Hens Minor League Baseball Team.
- Have dinner with wine pairings in a vineyard under the stars at Shamrock Winery in Waldo.
- Taste a worldwide range of offerings , including Polish pierogis, French pastries and Lebanese falafel and Vietnamese hot sauces at Cleveland’s historic West Side Market.
- Sample the delectable and unexpected flavors of Thai chili, cocoa curry and lavender with wild berries at Jeni’s Ice Creams in Columbus’ North Market.
- Pick your own fresh raspberries at Robert Rothschild Farms in Urbana before shopping for some gourmet raspberry-based vinegars and salsas at the shop
- Take a passeggiata through Cleveland’s Little Italy where you can dine at a classy restaurant or at a hole-in-the-wall pizza shop, browse art galleries and vintage shops and cap of the night with a cappuccino and canola.
- Taste more than 350 flavors of jams , jellies and syrups at Simply Smuckers at the company’s headquarters in Orrville.
- Bring your appetite to Athens for an eclectic array of restaurants, including Purple Chopstix and Casa Nueva Cantina, which also display amazing works of art by members of Passionworks, a local handicapped artist’s collective.
- Visit Cincinnati to indulge in specialties like Skyline Chili and Graeter’s Ice Cream, then walk of the calories along the city’s revitalized riverfront.
- Sample some of Ohio’s best handcrafted beers at the Columbus Brewing Company in Columbus, Great Lakes Brewery in Cleveland and Barrelhouse Brewing Company in Cincinnati.
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Peaceful Retreats
- Spot a bald eagle nest in Crane Creek State Park.
- Spend the night in a luxury yurt on Kelleys Island after exploring the island’s famous Glacial Grooves.
- Pedal through the scenic countryside along Holmes County’s Rails to Trails corridor alongside Amish buggies.
- Photograph frozen Cedar Falls in Hocking Hills State Park in the majestic stillness of winter.
- Tiptoe between the giant trees at Dysart Woods in Belmont County, one of Ohio’s largest stands of old-growth forest.
- Spend a silent sunrise at the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in Oak Harbor to check a few neotropical songbirds off your life list.
- Tuck into a four-poster bed in a luxurious room at the Victorian Colonel Taylor Inn Bed and Breakfast in Cambridge and wake up to the aroma of freshly made breakfast.
- Explore the incredible rhododendron, holly and magnolias and then relax with a t’ai chi or yoga class at the 3,500 acre Holden Arboretum in Kirtland.
- Rent a pontoon boat and while away a summer evening on Atwood Lake in Carroll County, then spend a cozy night at the Atwood Lake Resort with spectacular views of the lake and hills.
- Taste the sweetness of homegrown maple syrup in the sugar shack in Burton’s town square, and then tuck into the Red Maple Inn for a New England style getaway. Make sure to get a tall stack of pancakes for breakfast!
- Pamper yourself with a five-night spa getaway filled with massages, yoga classes and facials at The Kerr House bed and breakfast in Grand Rapids. The stresses of life will melt away.
- Explore the oak savannahs, wetland orchids and prickly pear cactus patches of Oak Openings Preserve in Swanton, one of North America’s centers for biodiversity.
- Rent a private island and beach house in the middle of Indian Lake for a relaxing summer family getaway – there won’t be any neighbors!
- Spend the night in a circular room at the Quaker Square Crowne Plaza in Akron’s former Quaker Oats silos – one guess on what to eat for breakfast…
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Only in Ohio Road Trips
- Take a road trip across Ohio from Bridgeport to New Westville along Route 40, the National Road, to see a cross-section of Ohio’s history.
- Make a pilgrimage to the birthplaces of 1950s-era entertainers in east central Ohio – Clark Gable’s home can be found in Cadiz, Dean Martin’s is in Steubenville and Hopalong Cassidy’s is in Cambridge.
- Take a road trip to find some of Ohio’s quirkiest roadside attractions like the Dental Museum in Bainbridge, the world’s largest basket in Newark and the world’s largest cuckoo clock in Wilmot.
- Trek the 452-mile path of the Ohio River Scenic Byway , stopping in historic riverfront towns along the way, including East Liverpool, Marietta, Gallipolis, Ironton, Portsmouth, Ripley, New Richmond and Cincinnati.
- Tour Frank Lloyd Wright homes throughout the state starting at the Westcott House in Springfield and ending with a night’s stay at the Penfield House in Willoughby Hills.
- Drive along Lake Erie’s scenic coastline and tour the historic lighthouses, including Marblehead Lighthouse, Lorain Lighthouse and Fairport Harbor Lighthouse.
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Fun Festivals
- Celebrate the New Year Ohio style – with the lowering of a 20-foot, 600-pound fiberglass walleye at Port Clinton’s Walleye Madness.
- Witness the return of the buzzards to Hinckley on March 15 each year.
- See double at the Twins Day Festival in Twinsburg, the largest gathering of twins, triplets and other multiples in the world during the first weekend of August.
- Taste more than 150 varieties of Ohio wines , ranging from crisp un-oaked chardonnays to full-bodied cabernet francs at Vintage Ohio in Kirtland during the first weekend of August, the largest wine festival in the Midwest.
- Sample pumpkin chili, pumpkin blossoms, pumpkin ice cream and of course pumpkin pie at the Circleville Pumpkin Show the third weekend in October before finding the King Pumpkin, which can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.
- Explore the cultures, foods and dances of Central and South America at Columbus’ Latino Festival held the third weekend in June.
- Feast on dozens of varieties of bratwurst at the Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival the first weekend in August.
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