Ohio Tourist Attractions – Simply Soaking!
Located in the mid of Midwest, Ohio is proud to be the birthplace of eight US presidents. Apart from this interesting history, Ohio is famous for its varied landscape ensuring a good array of natural attractions right from the sandy shores of Lake Erie in the north and waterfalls and cliffs in the south. Oh yes! The popular city of Columbus is its capital and that it is the choice of many tourists from all over the world for holidays.
The Ohio tourist attractions are in their own way unique and that they tend to mesmerize visitors of all ages right from children to the senior ones. So, I am happy to dedicate this article to share with you about those major Ohio tourist attractions that were explored by me.
Exploring its capital and largest city above all Ohio tourist attractions, I visited the Children’s Museum, the perfect Ohio Historical Center to know about the history via shimmering arts, the Wexner Center for the Arts, the Columbus Museum of Art holding European Impressionist, post-Impressionist, and German Expressionist masterpieces, Ohio’s Center of Science and Industry, and the reinstated home of the writer/cartoonist named James Thurber. Further, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is where you can explore the Australian, Indonesian, and Southeast Asian animals.
Lastly, for fun time, I also explored the Wyandot Lake Amusement and Water Park offering some 13 water slides and a wave pool. Further, I also visited a model of the Santa Maria on the Scioto River, Franklin Park Conservatory, a crystal palace holding tropical plants and replicas of seven ecosystems, and the Short North Gallery District offering modern galleries and shops of sculptures, clothing, and accessories.
My next target was Cincinnati famous for a myriad of museums and galleries, fine dining and interesting shopping. I first visited the great historical landmark – the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center that reveals the freedom struggle led by the runaway slaves. Such an attraction is not to be found anywhere else. With its five history galleries, a temporary exhibits gallery, a theater, a Slave Jail, and research and education centers, it is really worth a visit. Then, the Contemporary Arts Center is the home of exhibits related to paintings, sculptures, photography, and other media, while the Cincinnati Art Museum offers marvels of the African-American art at no entry cost.
Other worth visiting museums are the Behringer-Crawford Museum for archaeology, palaeontology, wildlife, history, and art; the Skirball Museum holding Jewish past collection, artifacts, ceremonial objects, and paintings; and the Cincinnati Historical Museum and the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History located in an Art Deco train station.
Next, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is really worth a visit with its diverse range of wildlife and plant life. I also went for a riverboat cruise on the Ohio River and explored the Basilica of the Assumption as here is the largest stained-glass window on the planet.
Lastly, I visited Cleveland where great public monuments, miles of lakefront park, and beaches welcomed me. The Cleveland Botanical Garden is full of blooming flora and sometimes you might be lucky to attend a flower show. Then, the HealthSpace Cleveland located in the Fairfax area is where you can take a tour of permanent and temporary exhibits, an education center, two laboratories, an auditorium, and a kitchen where cooking classes are held. This was previously called the Health Museum of Cleveland.
I then headed towards its North Coast where a floating museum called the Steamship William G Mather, the Great Lakes Science Center offering more than 375 practical exhibits), and the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame and Museum were the attractions.
The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium for space exploration and the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden full of animals and birds are really alluring. Then, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum in the terminal lobby of the Burke Lakefront Airport in the downtown is dedicated to the women’s success in the domains found in the name. There is also an OMNIMAX Theater to make it feel even better.
The African Safari Wildlife Park is the only drive safari in the Midwest – so it not worth missing! If you want to meet over 3000 animals, come to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Rainforest in the south of the downtown. In the Rainforest, you can spot animals and insects in their habitats, virtual tropical thunderstorms, and a waterfall. If you are lucky, check out if the recent Zoological Medicine facility is functioning to see the vets.
Among all the Ohio tourist attractions, I loved exploring Cincinnati and Cleveland. This is not even half of the attractions that I have mentioned about. So, I would suggest that come with enough time to explore the region for full satisfaction!
