The Roads Less Traveled

When I was a child, I always thought I’d own my own vacation home someday.

It’s how I remember my grandparents living — winters at their house in Ft. Meyers, Florida, and a few weeks out of the summer at a cottage on Lake George in Upstate New York.

As an adult, though, I haven’t followed my family’s much-traveled roads. Instead of returning to Lake George, home of many happy childhood memories, I recently vacationed in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The only times I travel to Florida are to visit my mother and aunt, neither of whom live in Ft. Meyers.

Each vacation I plan is to a new destination, which means there is always something different around the corner. And I’m never disappointed. Last year it was Asheville, North Carolina, and the years before that, Vegas and Vermont. Each destination had distinct advantages.

I have the same experience each year when I plan my trips to some of Ohio’s communities that have been nominated for Best Hometowns honors. In the four years that I’ve been responsible for the southwest nomination, I have had the opportunity to visit countless new places in one small region. Each visit comes with its own set of surprises, making the decision difficult but the process rewarding. It’s nice to know that even though Ohio isn’t the biggest state, it will never be dull.

Check out the editors’ Best Hometowns selections — Worthington, Wapakoneta, Zanesville, Medina and Urbana — in the November issue of Ohio Magazine. And feel free to comment on your favorite place to live or to visit in the state. I’m always looking for someplace new to explore.