Ohio: A Fun Place to Visit, An Exciting Place to Live
Ohio’s past, present and future are well-represented in its big, metropolitan cities and in its smaller, conservative towns. In recent years it has gone from aging rust-belt state to a center of high technology.
The new and old make great sight-seeing attractions. Ohio is home to the largest Amish population in the country as well as to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
You can visit Amish villages, old-fashioned craft shops and trendy entertainment venues all in one trip. And in many areas small family farms can be found not too far from large, modern manufacturing centers.
In downtown Columbus, you can see gleaming corporate office buildings standing next to a full-size replica of the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus’ three-masted flagship on his voyage to the New World.
Big Cities: Cleveland and Cincinnati
Major attractions such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center have been the main reasons that Cleveland has been transformed into a cultural and educational mecca. It boasts a stunning art museum and blooming gardens on the east side of town and its theater district has experienced a major renaissance. Sports fans rejoice in the city's newest sports venues at Gateway and baseball lovers find their field of dreams at Jacobs Field.
Cleveland is also a shopper’s paradise, with over 50 shopping malls and factory outlets to choose from. Neighborhoods such as the Flats, the Warehouse District, and Northcoast Harbor buzz with restaurants, shops, and nightclubs. The people of Cleveland welcome tourists with open arms and are always willing to give sightseeing and travel tips.
Cincinnati is another of Ohio’s cultural and entertainment centers. In many respects it resembles a southern city: Its summers are hot and humid and it has plenty of landmarks and attractions for visitors to see.
Fountain Square, in the center of downtown Cincinnati, offers the first-class Cincinnati Art Museum, the Contemporary Arts Center, the Museum of Natural History and the Lindner Family OmniMax Theater. Located nearby is the Roebling Suspension Bridge, which crosses the Ohio River into Covington, Kentucky, and Kings Island Theme Park, which is home to the world’s longest wooden roller coaster.
Amish Heartland
Ohio has the largest Amish population in the world, mostly in the eastern part of the state. You can visit Amish general stores or take tours of Amish homes in small towns in Tuscarawas, Holmes and Wayne Counties. Museums and recreated settlements show you what it was like to live in Ohio when the area was first settled in the late 1700s.
Ohio is home to other attractions, as well. Popular sites include the Wright Cycle Shop in Dayton, a replica of the workshop in which the Wright brothers designed and built their first airplane; the Toledo Zoo; and the world’s largest cuckoo clock.
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