Around Ohio

One of my favorite places to visit in Ohio is Hocking Hills. Just an hour south of metro Columbus, there are fun things to do and pretty places to see regardless of the time of  year.

Visit my Hocking Hills page for details.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

If you’d like to see some of Ohio’s leaf beauty before you have to rake it, here are some leaf tours you can follow around Ohio:

Lake County
Medina County
Southern Ohio

For more information visit the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources leaf page.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

With the economy and gas prices and all, “staycations” are all the rage. I suggest that “stayohiocations” are a great getaway. One place to get away from it all while staying in Ohio is Amish country.

Located in Holmes County, this relaxing rural getaway is just an hours’ drive from Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus. I just spent some time there, and while Millersburg and Berlin were a bit more touristy than they were 20 years ago, it is a quaint part of the state to visit.

My wife and I spent much of our time at the White Oak Inn. The White Oak Inn is located on Rt. 715 near the Holmes/Knox County border. I really didn’t think Ohio had such rural areas left; we drove several miles without really passing a thing. The White Oak Inn brochure says they feature “gracious country lodging and fine dining…with relaxed hospitality.” I would agree. Their multiacre setting includes rooms, cottages and cabins surrounded with woods (and you just might be able to adopt a kitten while you’re there). Here are links to a few photos:

White Oak Inn signs

White Oak Inn highway

White Oak Inn main house

White Oak Inn grounds

^{Photos ©2009 John C. Kazalia}

And if you email me I’ll tell you how to save 50 bucks at your stay at the White Oak Inn!

For more places to stay in Ohio’s Amish country, visit this page where you can book a room online! For more about Amish country attractions, visit my Amish country page.

Your Buckeye, John Kazalia.

If you’re looking for a cheap, local getaway, the Lake Erie Islands are one of my favorite places to visit. My favorite access to the lake is in the Lake Erie Islands area, basically Sandusky and surrounding communities. Visit shoresandislands.com/ for more information on this area.

The Circle Tour takes you to the Lake Erie Islands area, Cleveland, and beyond. This one will take more than one day if you try to follow the whole tour. Just following the Ohio portion will take days if you stop to take it all in. Here are links to more Lake Erie islands info:

• Lake Erie’s Islands have a lot of state parks–here’s an overview of Kelley’s Island, the Marblehead Lighthouse, and more.
• Unless you like to swim, you’ll need to use a ferry. Neuman’s Ferry is
  one way to get from the mainland to the Erie Islands and beyond.
• This guide to Put-in-Bay from their Chamber of Commerce shows all the fun stuff to do on Put-in-Bay Island.

Cities along the coast in the Lake Erie Islands area have their own Web sites with tourist information:

• Huron–A directory of food, fun, and more in this lake town.
• Port Clinton–Here the Chamber of Commerce provides tourism information and more about Port Clinton.
• Sandusky–Recently rated the 6th best small town in America, Sandusky combines lakefront charm with a shopping mall and other modern amenities.
• Vermilion–You’ll think you’re in New England with this town’s marina in the heart of downtown.

And if you’re looking for a place to stay visit my hotels and motels around Sandusky page.