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While many Midwest states boast of one major urban attraction
with several smaller cities, Ohio has many major metropolitan
areas including Cleveland, which rests on Lake Erie,
the capital Columbus in central Ohio, and Cincinnati,
the state's "queen city" in the southwest corner.
Beyond city limits, Ohioans are equally proud of their smaller
tree-shaded towns and surrounding countryside that seems to
stretch for miles.
Over the years, Ohio has produced its fair share of great
men including Thomas Edison, astronaut Neil Armstrong,
and eight of the nation's presidents. Similar to its sister
Midwest states, Ohio has preserved a rich history amid waves
of immigration and industrial development.
Cleveland
It's not Ohio's capital and it may be called the "little
brother" of Chicago, but in the past ten years, Cleveland,
Ohio's north coast city, has proven its metropolitan worth.
Since 1995, the city has built new homes for each of their
professional sports teams: Jacob's Field for their
Major League Baseball Cleveland Indians, a lakefront
state-of-the-art football stadium for its NFL Cleveland
Browns, and the Gund Arena for NBA basketball team
the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If you're more in tune with music, Cleveland houses the
Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame - the first ever museum dedicated
to the living heritage of. popular music. Designed by internationally
renowned architect I.M. Pei and resting on Cleveland's
Lake Erie shoreline, the strikingly angular building
of glass and white architectural concrete holds everything
from Britney Spears' music video outfits to original
lyrics of John Lennon's "Imagine," scribbled
on brown paper, and everything in between. The building itself
is considered part of the exhibit; an aerial shot of the building
resembles a record player - the 'needle' being a row of curved
shrubbery hugging the circular courtyard or 'record.' And
if Rock n' Roll isn't your style, a ten-minute drive away
is University Circle - an area of Cleveland bursting
with culture. Here, you'll find the Cleveland Institute
of Music, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Natural History Museum,
Botanical Gardens, and Severance Hall - home of
the world-class Cleveland Orchestra.
Neighborhoods boarding downtown Cleveland offer quiet afternoon
getaways. On the East Side, beside University Circle,
you can stroll the streets of Little Italy, stopping
for an espresso at an outdoor café, or browse the artistic
boutiques of nearby Coventry. On the West Side,
Edgewater Park offers visitors a chance to step back
and admire Cleveland's attractive skyline. As the sun sets,
the skyscrapers and apartment buildings reflect the golden
beams as they sink into Lake Erie.
Serpent Mound
Stretching over a quarter mile long (1,330 feet in length)
and rising four to five feet above the ground, the coiling
Serpent Mound, located east of Cincinnati in Southwest
Ohio, is the largest serpent effigy known in the world today.
While archaeologists debate which Native American culture
built this massive snake mound, they conclude that it was
built between 800 B.C. and 1000 A.D for religious purposes
to ward off evil. Visitors can climb Serpent Tower nearby
for a bird's eye view over the nearby shaded trees of the
coiling serpent made of clay, rock, and soil.
Lake Erie Islands State
Park and Cedar Point Amusement Park
Limestone cliffs, historic wineries, and great fishing greet
visitors to the Lake Erie Islands State Park. Each
island - Catawba, Kellys, Middle Bass and South
Bass (Put-in-Bay) - offers a unique way to experience
Lake Erie. From the always lively and up-for-action
main strip of Put-in-Bay on South Bass to the
quiet campgrounds of Kellys Island and Middle Bass,
you can tailor your trip to suit you. Cars are scarce on these
islands - bicyclists and golf cart drivers own the roads.
Docks are available for boaters to hitch a post and stay for
the night, and a daily ferry service commutes from South
Bass to Port Clinton on Ohio's north shore several
times a day.
Ferry services also commute between the islands and docks
near Cedar Point Amusement Park - a hot spot in Northern
Ohio for its death-defying roller-coasters like the hair-raising
Millennium Force. Standing a staggering 310 feet tall,
reaching speeds of 93 miles per hour, and carrying passengers
down 80-degree angle tracks, this wild ride of a roller-coaster
was the tallest and fastest in North America when it debuted
in 2000. But the rides aren't the only draw to Cedar Point
- its location (a peninsula jutting out into Lake Erie) is
a major plus for visitors. Not only are there great beaches
for guests to cool off in Lake Erie waters, but on a clear
day from the top of several of the park's higher rollercoaster
hills, just before they drop some hundred feet at soaring
speeds, riders can spot the distant Lake Erie Islands.
Pro Football Hall of Fame
Anything you might ever want to know about one of America's
most popular spectator sports can be found in Canton,
Ohio at the one-and-only Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Since its opening in 1963, the Hall of Fame has attracted
millions of visitors - so much so that it has expanded in
size three times to accommodate. Today, this five-building
complex honors the greats of the pro football world from past
and present, and outlines the history of the sport with its
expansive memorabilia collection, research library, several
movie theaters, and a museum store. If this works up your
appetite, never fear: the Hall of Fame's Tailgate Snack
Bar offers stadium-style food and refreshments for visitors. |
