I have a friend in Columbus, Ohio looking to go somewhere on July 4th weekend, but not having any particular ideas where to go. The two main criteria are that the destination be within reasonable driving distance (maybe 4-5 hours, max) and somewhere to the north of Columbus. Scenic is good. Someplace with a romantic overtone would be nice too, since he’s recently married.
I’ve heard that the shores of Lake Michigan are beautiful, but I’ve never been there myself and am reluctant to send him off without any particulars. Does anyone have specific recommendations for places that would be nice to visit? Thanks in advance.
Well, living to the north of Columbus, I would not recommend looking for too much scenery up here. The most scenic part of the state is to the south of Columbus. The Hocking Hills State Park is just south of Lancaster and has some beautiful scenery and natural sights. He could head towards Bellefontaine and check out the Ohio Caverns, Zane Caverns, and the 2 castles. And there are the ferry trips from Sandusky to the Bass Islands and Pelee Island in Lake Erie. It has been a couple of decades since I made that trip, but it was scenic enough then to impress a high school student.
Indiana Dunes is on Lake Michigan, about 6-7 hours drive. It is supposed to be very nice, but I have never been there.
OTOH, how busy will it be on the 4th of July? He is more likely to find scenic drives within a few hours in eastern Ohio, western PA. He will at least be starting to hit the Appalachians there.
Taking the backroads from NW Indiana to NJ one year, I stumbled across Ohiopyle State Park, in SW PA. It looked great, and I wished I could have stayed a few days.
Good question, I have no idea what the Dunes would be like on the Fourth. How about a tour of covered bridges? There’s a bunch of 'em off I-90 between Cleveland & Erie.
Yeah, there is a lot of nice scenery to the south and west of Columbus, but he seems to want northern Ohio. And most of that is pretty flat, at least once you get beyond an hour or so of Columbus. There is the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area between Akron and Cleveland. It is supposed to be really good.
Thanks for your responses, folks. I think his desire to stay north of Columbus has more to do with avoiding too hot and humid weather than anything else, although I think it’s safe to say that the weather has been so screwed up it might not make a difference where he goes.
I’ll pass your suggestions on to him today. Even if a couple of them are a bit far to travel for this coming weekend, there’s always the rest of the summer. Cheers.
Well, now if you want stuff to do or look at in between breaks in the moving car. There’s…
Sauder’s Museum and Village in Archibald Oh. Similar to Colonial Williamsburg, a living museum where live demonstations of the arts of our fathers are on display. And the hard candies avalible at the gift shop just Rock!
Outside Freemont Oh. is the Hayes Memorial and house. Where former President Ruthaford B. Hayes lived and IIRC is buried.
Let’s not forget the Pro footbal Hall of Fame in Canton. Though not nessisarly romantic it is lots of fun and football afns will adore the gift shop.
Here in Toledo we have a top notch Zoo. Our Art museum is free (A donation box is at the door) and lots of great stuff goes on like poerty and music on Friday nights. and there’s always a Mud Hen’s game to stop at.
Come! Visit Toledo! We got it all and we’re willing to share.
