After exploring northern Indiana, we made our way east to check out neighboring Ohio. We decided to head towards Cleveland to visit the national park there and then see what other fun we could find. It wasn’t hard to find interesting sights and natural beauty in Ohio: we visited the national park, two hall of fames, a famous zoo, and the biggest military air museum in the world!
On the drive in we made a short detour to see the Lockport covered bridge in the little village of Stryker. While the movie The Bridges of Madison County brought fame to the covered bridges of Iowa, it is actually Pennsylvania and Ohio that have the most. It was interesting to learn that the bridges weren’t designed to protect people, but were covered to protect the structure supporting the bridge. Without protection from the weather, the wooden timbers supporting the bridge would decay and eventually collapse. By keeping them dry, the bridges would last much longer.
Cleveland:
Our first destination in Ohio was Cleveland so we could visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Ohio’s only national park protects the Cuyahoga River between the cities of Akron and Cleveland. It is easy to get to and offers so many activities, many of which center around the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail running through the park. Visitors can walk or bike the miles of trail where mules once walked as they towed heavy boats through the canal. Even though the Canal Exploration Center was closed due to Covid-19 during our visit, we learned a lot about the locks by reading the informative signs along the trail.
One of the most popular spots in the park is Brandywine Falls. It was definitely good to get there early to avoid the crowds and because the parking lot fills up quickly. We enjoyed an easy 1.5-mile loop hike through the wooded area around the beautiful waterfall. Another good hike is the Ledges Trail, a 2.2-mile hike along sandstone cliffs known as Ritchie Ledges.
Within Cuyahoga Valley National Park we found another covered bridge called Everett Bridge. It was smaller and different from the Lockport bridge, but still just as beautiful.
While we were in Cleveland, we stopped at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which is downtown on the shore of Lake Erie. The large museum documents the history of rock music and has 7 different levels. The main hall starts by exploring the roots of rock and roll in gospel, blues, folk, and country music. There are a variety of exhibits including cities that had a major impact on rock and roll, protests against rock music, musical instruments, and numerous individual artists and rock groups.
Canton:
Next, we traveled about an hour south to Canton to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This museum is very impressive and lives up to its mission to ”honor the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values, and celebrate excellence everywhere.” Visitors can follow football’s story from its earliest beginnings through each decade along with game milestones and world events. You can view a display case of all the diamond-studded Super Bowl rings, watch video clips of epic game finishes, or use cool 3D displays to compare your size to a player’s leg, bicep, and hand sizes.
The Game for Life Theater showcases holograms of Hall of Fame legends sharing their inspirational life lessons learned from the game in a locker room setting. The Super Bowl Theater is an immersive visual and sound experience featuring a 40 foot screen and 15-channel surround sound which allows you to experience NFL action as if you were right on the sidelines. Both of these favorites are included in the admission price and are worth a visit.
Dayton:
As an Air Force veteran I have always wanted to see the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton. It’s the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. You could spend all day in this facility looking at exhibits ranging from the beginnings of flight through each major war or conflict all the way to space exploration. If you are an aviation buff, you’ll be in airplane heaven!
Columbus:
We ended our time in Ohio with a visit to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium. Visionary zookeeper Jack Hanna transformed this facility into a world class conservation organization and family fun destination. You can explore each continent as you walk the pathways and view all of the animals in their native habitat areas. While I love all of the big cats, my favorite zoo animal is definitely the giraffe. The Columbus Zoo has one of the largest giraffe areas I have ever seen and there were several new baby giraffes too!
I never knew that Ohio had such an abundance of things to see and do! I have always loved looking at covered bridges; they are so interesting and your pictures are magnificent. How freaking cool is that to visit both of the best Hall Of Fames! What a breathtaking view of Brandywine Falls, our first pet Doberman was named Sir Brandywine of Carriage Hill 🙂 I really enjoyed the pictures of the zoo animals too. Thanks again for sharing !
Hey Sandi, I forgot about Brandy’s registered name–that is so cool! The waterfalls we have seen on our travels are really spectacular and this one did not disappoint. We didn’t know that Ohio had so much to see and do either. I think we just scratched the surface and will probably visit again one day.