Destination Cleveland, OH -- And Beyond

Neil Zurcher is a familiar name to Clevelanders who have been around for a while. He has been a journalist in the area working mostly on television and his travel reports aptly named One Tank Trips have highlighted much of Ohio's familiar and unfamiliar points of interest. Zurcher has put over a million miles of road under his tires in 25 years of travel reporting and is now blogging about his travels. It's a great resource if you are looking for some interesting places to visit beyond the Cleveland area. Here's some of what I came up with.

To the west of Cleveland are the Lake Erie Islands, a great day trip to either South Bass and the town of Put In Bay or to Kelley's Island. Both are reached by ferries or small plane. Also in the Sandusky area is the large amusement park, Cedar Point, known for its collection of thrilling roller coasters. There are also plenty of places to charter a fishing trip to try your luck at catching some of Lake Erie's favorite walleye and perch.

To the south near Akron is Stan Hywett Hall and Gardens built by the Sieberling family of Goodyear fame and the Football Hall of Fame in Canton. A little further down I-77 and you can exit to Sugarcreek and Millersburg. The area between the two cities is dubbed Amish Country. Actually Holmes County is known for its Amish and Mennonite settlements. Lots of good food and great shopping for all things handmade.

To the east is the Holden Arboretum. Here you will find wonderful blooming gardens most anytime Spring through Fall and beautiful wintry scenes in the cold months. Also out in this direction is Lake Metroparks Farm where you can even milk a cow if you care to.

Okay, enough for now. I've only touched the surface. Here's hoping a few of you catch Cleveland fever, stop by and then stay longer to see the rest of what Ohio has to offer.