From the quaint coastal towns to the bustling cities, western Ohio shines with a special blend of warm hospitality and pioneer spirit. Whether you are a sports enthusiast, a nature lover or a nostalgia buff, you will find no shortage of things to do in Western Ohio.
Farms
Western Ohio offers travelers plenty of opportunities to take advantage of its thriving agritourism industry. Find fresh fruit, veggies and buckeyes at the farm markets. Tour one of the many historic family farms or specialty lavender operations in Hillsborough and Martinsville. Pick up rainbow trout cutlets at the state's only indoor fish farm in Urbana. Toast to your health at vineyards and wineries in Felicity, Ripley and Versailles. Indulge in homemade ice-cream from dairies in Cincinnati and Yellow Springs.
Gardens
Don't let the stiff reputation of public gardens fool you, Ohio's public gardens host some of finest arts and educational programs in the state. Each year over 110,000 people attend the Crosby Arts Festival, the "Jazz in the Garden" concert series and other events held at the Toledo Botanical Garden. Children's gardens in Lima and Van Wert weave art work and butterflies into their plant collections to teach conservation and sustainability. The arboretum at the Cincinnati Zoo boasts one of the largest floral displays in the region with over 80,000 annuals, trees and shrubs.
Recreation
The state and metro-park systems present visitors with a wide array of recreational venues. Northwestern Ohio beckons wind-surfers and swimmers to Maumee Bay State Park on the shores of Lake Erie. Southwestern Ohio provides hikers with some of the best wilderness views on the 60-mile Shawnee Back Pack Trail in Shawnee State Park. For a change of pace, Ohio Caverns in West Liberty lends guests an up-close look at stalagmites with a walking tour of one of the state's largest caves.
Events
Don't miss the Chicken Dance at the Oktoberfest-Zinzinatti. The annual German heritage festival set the Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Chicken Dance in 1994 with 48,000 participants. Fans of Criterium bicycle racing enjoy the Tour d'Burg in Miamisburg, a competitive cycling event that delivers plenty of speed and hairpin turns around the downtown streets each July. If you would like to get your own wheels turning, the Tour d'Burg holds a non-competitive bike tour with 20- to 70-mile routes for participants of all ages and skill levels.
Museums
More than a million people visit the National Museum of the National Air Force in Dayton each year to view the world's largest and oldest military aviation collection of aerospace vehicles. Bring your walking shoes if you plan to visit as the exhibits are spread out over a 17-acre facility. On a smaller scale, the Bicycle Museum of America in New Breman provides guests with a glimpse into the development of bicycles from the early velocipede to the modern racer.
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