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U.S. state
Photo: Mike Sharp - User: (WT-shared) 2old at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ohio's nickname is "the Heart of It All", purportedly because of its shape (kind of like a heart), its central location in the American Midwest, its mosaic of big commercial cities, small towns, industry and farmland, and its critical role in "America's Heartland".
Flat agricultural land dotted with cities and suburbs surrounding Toledo and stretching into Indiana to the west and Michigan to the north.
Contains the Firelands communities, as well as many resorts along the Lake Erie coast.
rolling wooded foothills from the Allegheny Mountain range subside as they approach Lake Erie (definition of NEO includes 13 counties and 4.5 million people).
Flat agricultural lands dotted with small cities
Ohio's capital Columbus and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Includes the city of Dayton and southwest Ohio rural communities
The city of Cincinnati and the portion of the surrounding metropolitan area that lies in Ohio.
Very hilly, coal-mining country in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, rolling into Pennsylvania and West Virginia and including the Wayne National Forest.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Akron-Canton Regional Airport (CAK) is a small, easy to navigate, quick in-and-out airport. The airport has become home to low-fare airlines such as Southwest.
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) is on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, so you'll have to cross the bridge to get to Cincinnati. Delta has a small hub here.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is Cleveland's main airport and by far Ohio's largest, on the west side of the city. The airport is served by all of the major domestic airlines, some international airlines, and it is a hub for United Airlines. The RTA Red Line Rapid Transit (see, below) provides frequent and fast rail service from inside the airport to the heart of downtown in roughly 22 minutes for $1.75.
John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) is served by most of the major airlines, with direct flights from most major American cities. Aside from rental cars, the airport can also be reached by the #7 bus, or by taxi. A taxi ride to downtown will cost approximately $25.
James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY) is in the northern part of the metropolitan area. Nonstop service is available from Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Newark, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. Dayton is the nation's number one 90-minute air market, meaning the city can be reached in 90 minutes or less by 55 percent of the population. Even if your destination is in a different part of the state, it is often cheaper to fly into the smaller Dayton airport, so it is worthwhile it to compare fares.
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By car
Ohio is served by many interstate highways.
By train
Ohio is a bit under served by rail, however a few Amtrak routes crosses through the state. Notice however that most trains arrive at inconvenient times, often in the middle of night.
By bus
Greyhound and Megabus offer intercity bus service.
By boat
Many boaters use the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and their connection points as a travel route. There are many marinas and public boat ramps available for this purpose.
By foot
By bus
Information on transit can be found here.
By car
North Coast Scenic Byway (OH-2) is a principal route between Sandusky and Cleveland that provides easy access to the Lake Erie Islands and one of the world's most famous amusement parks Cedar Point.
By thumb
Like most of the midwest, highways are long, straight, and flat, and drivers are often going long distances--in other words, a hitchhiker's dream.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Columbus · International · CMH
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the state capital and regional hub of 2 million residents
the county seat of Summit County, used to be known as the Rubber Capital, and has made the transition from the world's tire manufacturing hub to its high-tech Polymers Research Center, now referred to as the Polymer Capital. It is also the home of the All-American Soap Box Derby.
home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum
regional hub of 3 million residents (Cincinnati Metro and Dayton Metro), the "Queen City" is home to the Bengals and Reds. Cincinnati was the first boom town and first major inland city in the United States, and its Over-the-Rhine district is the largest National Historic District in the United States.
traditionally one of the more liberal US cities, regional hub of 3 million residents, the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World" and home to one of the five richest collections of arts and culture institutions in the US
a mid-sized city famous for being the home of the Wright Brothers, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Dayton International Peace Museum. Dayton can be a wonderfully charming place to visit.
a city with historical ties to the glass-making industry and the second-largest city in central Ohio, Newark is the home of the "Basket Building," a 4-story picnic basket-shaped building which is the corporate headquarters of the Longaberger Co.
home to Cedar Point Amusement Park.
"The Glass City" is home to the Toledo Mud Hens Baseball team, a world-class art museum, a nationally ranked zoo, and the famous Tony Packo's Cafe.
The only national park in Ohio.
north of Sandusky (between Cleveland and Toledo), a group of picturesque and festive islands in Lake Erie are accessible via ferry. In addition to several Ohio state parks on the islands, there is plenty to do including visiting wineries, restaurants, bars, marinas and beaches. One of the Islands, Put-In-Bay, is known as the "Key West of the North" for its party atmosphere, especially during the summer months.
Along the southern shore of Lake Erie are a large number of public beaches. The largest natural sand beach in Ohio, Headlands Beach State Park, is east of Cleveland, in Mentor. Cleveland Lakefront State Park also includes a large beach at its Edgewater Park, just west of downtown Cleveland. Many other beaches are available throughout Northern Ohio, including Huntington Beach, Euclid Beach and Fairport Harbor. In addition, Maumee Bay State Park, near Toledo, boasts an extensive Lake Erie Beach as well as an inland beach and various resort and banquet facilities, not to mention a challenging Scottish-links style golf course.
halfway between Columbus and Cleveland, Holmes County is home to the world's largest population of Amish residents, along with famous attractions like Heini's Cheese, Skyview Ranch, the Amish Door and dozens of other historical Amish attractions.
Warren County, Ohio is the ultimate getaway for Ohio family fun. As the home of attractions such as Kings Island, Great Wolf Lodge, and Ozone Zipline Adventures, Warren County is truly "Ohio's Largest Playground".
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a rail trail in the state of Ohio, spanning from the Ohio River in Cincinnati in the southwestern corner of the state to Cleveland in the northeast. The trail is 85% completed as of December 2014.
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