Cincinnati Cincinnati offers a variety of museums and galleries, fine dining and excellent shopping. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center focuses on the struggle for freedom experienced by runaway slaves and opened in 2004. It is the first of its kind in the USA and features five history galleries, a changing exhibits gallery, a theater, and research and education centers, as well as the Underground Railroad Children’s Exhibit and Slave Jail. The Contemporary Arts Center (painting, sculpture, photography and other media) moved to its current
home, the Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art, fairly recently, and the Cincinnati Art Museum (masterpieces and African-American art) gained a wing and a free admission policy. The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden also boasts new attractions for 2005, while the Taft Museum of Art underwent its grand reopening in May 2004 after a US$22 million renovation and expansion. Cincinnati’s museums include the Behringer-Crawford Museum (archaeology, palaeontology, wildlife, history and art); Harriet Beecher Stowe House (home of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin); the Skirball Museum (Jewish history, artifacts, ceremonial objects and paintings); and the Museum Center at Cincinnati Union Terminal, where the Cincinnati Historical Museum and the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History are housed in an Art Deco train station; a ‘Baseball as America’ exhibition will delight sports fans. Other attractions include riverboat and steamboat cruises on the Ohio River; the Basilica of the Assumption, with the largest stained-glass window in the world; the Kentucky Horse Center, an escorted tour of a working thoroughbred-training facility; Kentucky Horse Park, a museum celebrating the horse (where horse riding is also available); and the William Howard Taft National Historic Site, the birthplace of the former US President.
Cleveland Cleveland is a city of turn-of-the-century architecture and grand public monuments, with diverse neighborhoods and miles of lakefront park and beaches. Cleveland’s museums include the African-American Museum; the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum (with over 200 vintage cars and aircraft); Hower House (a 28-room Victorian mansion); the Kent State University Museum (a fashion museum); the Temple Tifereth-Israel Museum; and Trolleyville (a streetcar and locomotive museum). Other attractions include the Cleveland Botanical Garden (with a flower show modeled on London’s famous Chelsea Flower Show, showing May 27-30 2005) and the HealthSpace Cleveland (formerly the Health Museum of Cleveland), in the Fairfax neighborhood, housing both permanent and temporary exhibits, as well as containing an education center, two laboratories, an auditorium and a kitchen (for culinary courses). The Steamship William G Mather (a floating steamship museum), the Great Lakes Science Center (with over 375 hands-on exhibits), and the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame and Museum are among the highlights in the North Coast Harbor area. The Flats, once the center of heavy industry, is the primary entertainment district. The Historic Warehouse District is on the National Register of Historic Places and has some of Cleveland’s finest architecture, as well as art galleries, restaurants and shops. University Circle, 8km (5 miles) east of downtown, is the cultural center of Cleveland, thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Art (Asian, medieval and 19th-century European art), the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Cleveland Children’s Museum. The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium and the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden, with a massive outdoor gallery with live animals and birds, are situated within the Museum of Natural History. Located in the terminal lobby of the Burke Lakefront Airport, in downtown Cleveland, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum focuses on women’s achievements in these fields, with an OMNIMAX Theater to enhance the experience. The African Safari Wildlife Park is the Midwest’s only drive-through safari, while Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Rainforest, south of the city center, is the seventh-oldest zoo in the country, with more than 3300 animals. The Rainforest features animals and insects in realistic habitats, with simulated tropical thunderstorms and an 8m- (25ft-) high waterfall. Visitors are able to see vets at work when the new Zoological Medicine facility opens. Also in the Metroparks are the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation and Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area facilities. East of the city, the Holden Arboretum is the largest in the USA.
Columbus Columbus, the largest city in Ohio, is home to the Children’s Museum, the excellent Ohio Historical Center (exploring the history of the Ohio region along with exhibitions of decorative arts); Ohio Village (a recreated pre-Civil War town); the Wexner Center for the Arts; the Columbus Museum of Art (European Impressionist, post-Impressionist and German Expressionist masterpieces); Ohio’s Center of Science and Industry; and the restored boyhood home of the writer/cartoonist James Thurber. Two of the most interesting neighborhoods are the lavishly restored German Village, with superb architecture, fine restaurants and taverns, and the 27-acre Brewery District, the vintage beer-making factories of which now contain restaurants, specialty shops and taverns. The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium also contains The Roadhouse, featuring Australian, Indonesian and Southeast Asian Island wildlife. Other attractions include Wyandot Lake Amusement and Water Park, with 13 water slides and a wave pool; a replica of the Santa Maria, moored on the Scioto River; Franklin Park Conservatory, a crystal palace with tropical plants and recreations of seven ecosystems; and the Short North Gallery District, with contemporary galleries and shops selling everything from glass sculpture to secondhand clothing.
The Rest of the State
The Southeast With its high hills, steep ravines and beautiful waterfalls, this region is known as Ohio’s outback and can be observed in Wayne National Forest and from Archer’s Fork Loop, a 15km- (9.5 mile-) hiking trail. Hocking Hills State Park is home to Ash Cave (Ohio’s largest recess cave, with a 27m- (90ft-) high waterfall), Cedar Falls, Rock House (a series of large rooms mysteriously carved into the side of a cliff), the 46m- (150ft-) high Cantwell Cliffs and Hocking Forest, where rock climbing is permitted. Chillicothe, Ohio’s first capital, is surrounded by historical sites such as the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, one of the greatest concentrations of Hopewell Native American burial sites. The town also offers the Adena State Memorial, built in 1807, and Ross County Historical Society Museum. The town of Marietta was the first organized American settlement in the Northwest Territories. Historical sites include Campus Martius Museum (the site of the first government and the fortification that protected the settlers during the Ohio Native American Wars in 1790-94), the Ohio River Museum and theater performances on the Showboat Becky Thatcher. Zanesville offers a narrated ride on a sternwheeler and the National Road/Zane Grey Museum, with information about the building of America’s first highway and Zanesville’s famous Western writer. 24km (15 miles) south of Zanesville is The Wilds, a 9000-acre nature reserve. Athens has a college-town atmosphere with a four-block area of narrow brick streets, historic buildings and interesting shops. The Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, the former home of a famous Ohioan sausage-maker, includes a 19th-century stagecoach stop, an authentic log-cabin village, a farm museum, horseriding and canoeing excursions. The town of Pomeroy is perched on the edge of a sandstone cliff high above the Ohio River and the 1848 Meigs County Courthouse is one of the most picturesque buildings in southern Ohio. A scenic drive along the river leads to Gallipolis, originally settled by the French and possessing an interesting historic district and French art-colony galleries at Riverby, a historic Federal-style home.
The Northeast The world’s largest Amish population resides in the northeast’s Holmes, Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties, a haven of country shops selling everything from handwoven baskets, handmade quilts and antiques to homemade cornmeal. For a glimpse into the Amish lifestyle, the Yoder’s Amish Home in Holmes County offers two reproduction Amish farmhouses and buggy rides for children. The Western Reserve Historical Society, which aims to preserve and protect the people of northeast Ohio, is the largest privately supported regional history society in the USA and regularly features exhibitions highlighting aspects of life in this part of Ohio. The town of Canton has a museum complex that includes the McKinley National Memorial (with memorabilia on the assassinated president), the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Discover World and the Museum of History, Science and Industry. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is also located here. In Mansfield, there is the Richland Carrousel Park and Kingwood Center, a mansion and flower park with English gardens, landscaped ponds and strutting peacocks. Youngstown features the Butler Institute of American Art and Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, which highlights the steel industry that made the city famous. The 65-room Tudor-style Stan Hywet Hall, in Akron, is the largest private residence in Ohio and has formal English and Japanese gardens. Outside the city, Six Flags World of Adventure is an amusement park that includes the former Sea World of Ohio featuring Shouka the killer whale, no less than 10 rollercoasters, a water fun park, and tigers prowling on Tiger Island, as well as 14 new attractions such as the Hurricane Mountain and Shark Attack water slides and The Thrill Bee and Starfish rides. The 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area encompasses a 35km- (22 mile-) long river surrounded by steep, forested hills, sandstone gorges and hidden waterfalls popular with birdwatchers and hikers. Within this area is also the Hale Farm and Village, a living-history museum depicting life in the mid-19th century.
The Central Area In the Columbus area is a circle of historic small towns, such as Granville, with its 19th-century shops, museums, landmark inns and fine restaurants. Lancaster has Square 13 (one of America’s most beautiful and well-preserved residential blocks), The Sherman House Museum (with memorabilia on this famous political family) and The Georgian Museum (a restored mansion with period furniture). Circleville has outstanding architecture and numerous antique shops. The Ohio Caverns are the State’s largest caves, while the Zane Caverns, 8km (5 miles) east of Bellefontaine, contain amazing pearl-like deposits. Also in the area is the Mad River Mountain Resort ski hill. Sites which give an insight into the Native American culture in the region are Flint Ridge State Memorial and Museum in Brownsville, built over a flint pit used by the Hopewell, with exhibits on how they made weapons; and Moundbuilders State Memorial in Newark, great circular earthworks, 366m (1200ft) in diameter with 2-4m (8-14ft) walls, created over 2000 years ago by Hopewell Native Americans; the adjacent Moundbuilders Museum is the first museum in the USA exclusively devoted to prehistoric Native American art. Situated in the picturesque north central region, Ashland is Ohio’s apple country. The Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center & Outdoor Historical Drama, featuring an outdoor amphitheater seating 1600 to host this musical drama and a research and education center, will open in 2005. There is also an orchard, garden and nature trail.
The Northwest Lake Erie is the main attraction in this area, with boating, fishing and tours of the islands offered by a number of operators. On South Bass Island, the Victorian-style village of Put-in-Bay offers plenty of gift shops, vintage saloons and fine restaurants. The 97m- (317ft-) high observation deck of Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial offers fine views. Middle Bass Island is dominated by the Gothic castle of the Lonz Winery, established in 1860 and still making wine – tours and tastings are available. Kelleys Island is on the National Register of Historic Places. Along with old, picturesque homes, it offers historical sights such as Inscription Rock, an exceptionally large Native American pictograph. Geneva State Park opened its new US$16.7 million Geneva State Park Lodge (Ohio’s ninth state park lodge) in 2004. With breathtaking views of Lake Erie, this promises to be a popular destination for nature lovers, although luxuries (a restaurant, lounge and indoor swimming pool) have not been excluded. Scattered along Sandusky Bay are the towns of Lakeside, known for its Victorian architecture and summertime concerts, Marblehead, with its lighthouse and lakefront shops and artists’ studios, and Port Clinton, home to fine restaurants and fishing. Sandusky is the largest town, full of gardens and historic homes (such as the 1834 stone mansion housing the Follett House Museum of Lake Erie memorabilia), as well as the Merry-Go-Round Museum (with a working carousel inside it). But the town is most famous for Cedar Point Amusement Park, one of the largest in the USA and celebrated for its rollercoasters, most notably the Top Thrill Dragster, the highest in the world. In the park’s popular Soak City water park, the Splash Zone includes waterslides, chutes, geysers and over 100 watery gadgets to enjoy. A giant bucket, 48-feet high, continuously douses visitors to the zone. An Indoor Waterpark Resort for winter water fun called Castaway Bay opened in November 2004. The park has been named ‘Best Amusement Park in the World’ by the National Park Historical Association for four consecutive years and is currently undergoing a US$10 million expansion. Toledo, on the Maumee River, is the northwest’s largest city and is famous for its glass-making, available at Libbey Glass Factory Outlet Store. The century-old Toledo Museum of Art and adjacent University of Toledo Center for the Visual Arts are among the top 10 art museums in the USA. Toledo Zoo has recently completed its ambitious expansion project, introducing its Africa! attraction, unveiling a host of African animals, including termites (albeit simulated ones), and a hand-carved African Animal Carousel. Upriver, the restored riverfront towns of Grand Rapids and Waterville feature train and riverboat excursions. Other attractions in the northwest include the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum in Wapakoneta; Sauder Farm and Craft Village in Archbold (a pioneer village with a museum); and the Edison Birthplace Museum and Historical Museum in Milan.
The Southwest Just north of Cincinnati, Paramount’s Kings Island Theme Park offers Broadway-style shows and big-name stars, as well as a 15-acre water park and thrill rides. Most exciting, however, is the unveiling of the Boomerang Bay ‘Down Under’ resort, featuring over 50 wet and wild activities and 30 slides. The Jack Nicklaus Sports Center has two golf courses designed by the man himself. Once a large spa resort, Yellow Springs is still one of Ohio’s most scenic towns, with an interesting historic district and the Glen Helen Nature Preserve, adjacent to the Antioch College campus. Nearby is the spectacular 31m (100ft) waterfall at Clifton Gorge, and Clifton Mill, one of the USA’s largest operating gristmills. The Carillon Historical Park in the city of Dayton is an 18-building complex with authentic recreations of 19th-century homes, businesses and industries; one of the planes flown by the Wright brothers; and one of the largest carillons in Ohio. Near here is the Aviation Trail, with many historical sites relating to the Wright brothers. The Paul Laurence Dunbar State Memorial was the house of the famous African-American author and is now a museum. SunWatch Archaeological Park is a prehistoric Native American village offering visitors close-up looks at ongoing digs, reconstruction daub-and-thatch lodges. 10km (6 miles) northeast of Dayton is the US Air Force Museum, the world’s largest and oldest military aviation museum. Other sites in the southwest include the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce; Rankin House (where abolitionist Reverend John Rankin hid more than 2000 slaves from 1825 to 1865) in Ripley; Serpent Mound State Memorial (a giant snake, one-quarter of a mile long and 6m/20ft wide, created by the Adena Native Americans over 2000 years ago) near Locust Grove; Fort Ancient State Memorial (an archaeological site displaying evidence of the Hopewell and Fort Ancient Native American tribes), southeast of Lebanon; and the Piqua Historical Area, offering restored 19th-century architecture and rides on a canal boat down a stretch of the Miami & Erie Canal.
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