Description
Discover the best and most unusual getaway ideas in and around Ohio!
Longtime TV travel reporter Neil Zurcher has driven more than a million miles in Ohio and nearby states to find great local travel destinations for his “One Tank Trips” reports. This book collects his all-time favorites, including . . .
- The world’s largest indoor train display.
- The certified best spot in the state for stargazing.
- Ohio’s top FREE attraction.
- A historic village where you can ride an authentic replica canal boat.
- Beautiful bridges, including the world’s longest covered bridge.
- Two haunted state reformatories.
- A ride-through wildlife park with 500 exotic animals from six continents.
- One of the last open-air drive-in restaurants, unchanged since the 1950s.
- A place where you can drag-race in your family car—legally!
- An Amish hardware store selling all non-electric tools, appliances, toys, and more.
- The only World War II submarine still in original condition.
- The Center of the World—really.
- And dozens of other special places
Neil Zurcher writes . . .
I skipped over the obvious big “super” attractions because you have probably already heard about them or have been there. What I try to do is direct you to lesser known, hidden away gems in the tourist world that might not attract lots of attention, but are still very worthwhile as a place to visit.
I’ve tried to mix in destinations that my viewers and readers have told me they also enjoyed. Whether it was a slice of real prize-winning home-made pie in a diner in Jefferson, Ohio or a chance to fly on a life-size replica of the first airplane sold by the Wright Brothers in Dayton. I show you where you can sail across tree-tops and crawl through rock caverns. There is even a park in northwest Ohio where you, and the kids, can dig for prehistoric life.
No matter what you like to do on a holiday or vacation, I think you will find something in this book to excite and entertain you.
Table of Contents
While We Fill the Tank
Be Sure to Check the Location
Using This Book
ALL OVER OHIO
- Canals of Ohio
- Castles of Ohio
- Forts of Ohio
- The Lincoln Highway, an Ohio First
- Holiday Lights in Ohio
CENTRAL OHIO
- The Charm of Charm
- Bats in Ohio
- The Whistleblower of Columbus
- Politicians and Peanut Butter
- Hot Mustard and Wedding Gowns
- The Bicycles of New Bremen
- John Glenn’s Home Town
- Ohio’s Floating Island
- Fried Bologna and Sky High Pie
NORTHEAST OHIO
- First Woman to Fly
- Stan Hywet, the Gem of Akron
- Ohio Link to Where Christmas Was Born
- The Pie Queen of Northern Ohio
- Ashland, a Town of Nice People
- War Birds of Ashtabula County
- Covered Bridge Capital of Ohio
- Football and Other Canton Traditions
- Cars I Have Loved
- Some Cleveland Favorites
- White Turkey Drive-In
- Dover, a City of Do-It-Yourself Museums
- Ohio’s Darkest Spot
- Geneva-on-the-Lake
- Holiday Train Rides
- One of the Best Places in the World for Autumn Color
- A Hardware Store For the Ages
- Lighthouses of Lake Erie
- Shawshank Remembered and Other Ghosts
- Some Presidential Trivia
- A Hidden Treasure on the Lake Shore
- Soaring Over Geauga County
- Mohican Adventure
- Treetop Adventure
- The Little Park That Could
- Adventures on Portage Lakes
- Ohio’s Little Switzerland
- Cod in Cleveland
- Vermilion’s Best Kept Secret
- Zebras, Camels, and Other Exotic Friends
- Center of the World and Other Unusual Stops
NORTHWEST OHIO
- Rails of History
- Cars and Trucks Of The Past
- A Real Candyland
- The Mystery of the Blue Hole
- The First Presidential Library
- Ice Fishing on Lake Erie
- A Presidential Resort
- For a Rainy Day
- Live Your Racing Fantasy in the Family Car
- Bird-Watching on Lake Erie
- Parasailing Over Lake Erie
- Skimming Sandusky Bay
- Ohio’s Caviest Cave
- Underground Ohio
- Digging Ohio’s Prehistoric Past
- National Museum of the Great Lakes
SOUTHWEST OHIO
- A Place to Join the Circus
- An Ohio Icon, Clifton Mill
- Ohio’s Best Free Attraction
- Shopping in the Jungle
- Fly With Bugs in Your Teeth
- The Coolest Toys on Earth
- Petting the Lake Erie Sea Monster
- Another Way to Enjoy the Water
- Really Big Electric Train Layout
SOUTHEAST OHIO
- A Memorial to Ohio Giants
- Home on the Range, Ohio-Style
- Discover The Hocking Hills
- Adventures on a Riverboat
- A Park with a View
- Zanesville, a Monumental City
OUTSIDE OHIO
- Beef-on-Weck, Sponge Candy, and a Boat Ride Through a Cave
- My Most Exciting One Tank Trip
- Go To Hell
- Henry Ford’s Attic
- The Ultimate Driving Experience
- Indiana’s Giant Flea
- Where Ducks Walk on the Fish
- A Train Trip to Titusville
- Seven Miles of Beaches
- Some Holiday Traditions Just Across the State Line
- Waldameer Amusement Park
- West Virginia State Pen
Afterwords
On the Bookselling Trail
My Appreciation
Index