Downtown Cincinnati Roebling Suspension Bridge at sunset
Travel

Ohio Road Trips: 50 Places to Visit this Year

It’s time to point your car toward adventure, relaxation and fun. From a retro tour of Cincinnati to the natural wonders of northwest Ohio, let us be your guide this season. 

Warming temperatures and sunnier days fire up our urge to hit the road. Ohio is large enough to have a wealth of great destinations but also small enough to get from one part of the state to the other over a course of an afternoon. Our guide to 50 locations spans city and country, the great outdoors and some of our best museums. So whether your sense of adventure caters to nature, history, arts or food, we have plenty of ideas to start filling your weekends. 

Valley Gem Sternwheeler on the Ohio River (photo by Bruce Wunderlich)
History Tour of Marietta: Take a trip into the past in Marietta, the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory.

Plane at National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (photo by Ken Larock)
Ohio Military Museums and Memorials: 
These destinations across Ohio honor those who gave of themselves to protect the United States of America.

Union Terminal in Cincinnati
Classic Cincinnati Tour: 
From landmark buildings to baseball history to amusement park thrills, these Cincinnati spots offer fun ways to revisit the past.

“Field of Corn (with Osage Orange Trees)” in Dublin (photo courtesy of Dublin Arts Council)
Ohio Roadside Finds: These curiosities provide a glimpse into local heritage, Ohio history and sheer creativity. They also make for some great social media moments.

Sunset at Ottawa National Wild Refuge (photo by Mike Balonek)
Northwest Ohio Nature Getaways: Explore northwest Ohio to find a wealth of biodiversity where the water meets the land.

JAFB Wooster Brewery’s Hefeweizen
Medal-Winning Ohio Beers: 
Ohio breweries took home awards at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival. Visit four spots that won gold and another whose coffee beer has medaled three years running.

Visitors in a gallery at the Akron Art Museum (photo by Rachael Jirousek)
Akron Arts Tour:
 Explore visual art, vintage finds, makers and more throughout the city of Akron’s downtown.

Southern Theatre interior (photo courtesy of CAPA)
Historic Ohio Theaters: These storied performance spaces have been restored over the years in order to ready them for new generations of audiences.

People outside of Schmidt's in Columbus (photo by Laura Watilo Blake)
Columbus Food Tour: 
From a 24-hour doughnut shop to authentic German fare, these capital city favorites have been around for years.

Wright Brothers National Museum at Carillon Historical Park (photo courtesy of Dayton History)
Iconic Ohioans: Ohioans changed the world. Here is where you can revisit history and learn more about some of our most notable names.