Several day trip adventures are possible from Cleveland, ranging from Lake Erie islands and beaches and the world's largest Amish community to Cedar Point, the roller coaster capital of the world. Additional leading nearby attractions include the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton and the Mormon history attractions, Holden Arboretum, and Lake Metroparks Farmpark, all in Kirtland. Ohio Amish country is centered just southwest of Canton. The Mohican region near Mansfield offers outdoor adventures and a mid-20th century Hollywood escape frozen in time. Mansfield features the Ohio Reformatory, where the "Shawshank Redemption" was filmed, and the Richland Carousel, a favorite of children. Great art museums outside of Cleveland include the Butler Institute in Youngstown and the Toledo Museum of Art. The latter features the Glass Pavilion, one of the great American buildings of the 21st century, and with arguably the best collection of ancient glass artifacts in the world.
Ohio Amish Country is located east and southeast of Cleveland. Amish communities comprising the largest Amish population in the world are scattered through seven Ohio counties, but the most visited portion is centered around Walnut Creek in Holmes County, about two hours south from downtown, and directly southwest of Canton. Eastern Holmes County is much more pervasively Amish than the better known Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, more rural and its natural beauty benefits from the rolling Allegheny foothills. About 43 percent (even higher in the eastern end of the county) of the population of Holmes County speaks Pennsylvania German or German at home versus only six percent in Lancaster County. Although most popular during the spring planting season and during the harvest season and Leaf Turn, many find Ohio Amish Country enjoyable in other seasons as well, including during the holiday season in December and the maple sugar season in February and March. Maple sugaring is especially popular in Geauga County, just east of Cleveland. Amish attractions generally are closed on Sundays and during religious holidays such as Good Friday.
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Cedar Point in Sandusky, about one hour west of downtown, is America's largest roller coaster park and often labeled the Roller Coaster Capital of the World. Cedar Point is an absolute must for the roller coaster afficionado, but has plenty to offer to the non-thrill-seeking type, including a water park, shows, arcades, a beach, non-thrill rides, and kiddie attractions. Cedar Point is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, and weekends in May, September and October and features Halloweekends during Halloween season. Allow at least a full day for just Cedar Point's amusement park and consider fast passes during peak days. Kalahari Resort in Sandusky is one of the largest indoor waterparks in the U.S. Sandusky also is a ferry port for the Lake Erie islands. Or if you just want to have some indoor family fun, stop at Ghostly Manor Thrill Center www.ghostlymanor.com they also have a haunted attraction rated "The Best Places I've Ever Been" by the Travel Channel.
Lake Erie's islands are another day trip possibility, although many visitors, especially those who want to party in Put-in-Bay, stay for at least one night. Both adult entertainment venues and family activities are available. The islands typically are reached by ferries operating from several Lake Erie ports, including Sandusky and Port Clinton. Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island bills itself as the Key West of the North Coast, while Kelleys Island features a cozy beach and the best known example of glacier grooves. Put-in-Bay also is the site of Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial, one of the nation's 29 national memorials administered by the National Park Service. It celebrates the American naval victory in the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813, fought just off South Bass Island, and the subsequent peace between the U.S., U.K., and Canada. The American victory, one of the most important naval victories in U.S. history, helped secure Ohio, Michigan and much of the Midwest for the nascent American republic. It also reportedly is the only time in British history that an entire fleet, albeit a small one, was surrendered to an enemy. The memorial features a 31-story observation deck atop the world's most massive Doric column. The memorial, the only peace memorial in the National Park Service, stands 47 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. The open-air, upper observation deck platform is 12 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty’s torch. On a clear day, visitors can see the Ohio mainland, Michigan, and Ontario.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry%27...Akron, about 40 minutes southeast of downtown Cleveland, features Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, a magnificent estate, reportedly the seventh largest residence in the U.S., and the best historic residence destination in Ohio. Stan Hywet is famed for its furnishings, gardens and its Christmas decorations and holiday season "Deck the Hall" themes. It was built by F. A. Seiberling, the founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The Akron Art Museum is a very good regional art museum. The Akron Aeros, the AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, play in downtown Akron in the excellent Canal Park Stadium.
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Canton, just over an hour from Cleveland, is the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Other attractions in Canton include the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum and the National First Ladies' Library.
Kirtland, about 30 minutes east of downtown, is the home of the Kirtland Temple, Historic Kirtland, Holden Arboretum, Lake Metroparks Farmpark, and Gildersleeve Mountain, collectively affording visitors some of the best historical perspectives and hiking in northern Ohio.
Kirtland is where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) saw the establishment of church organization and basic doctrines. The Kirtland Temple was the first Mormon temple and is a National Historic Landmark. It is open to the public, unlike Mormon temples of the Salt Lake City-based LDS. That's because it is owned by the Community of Christ, a separate Mormon sect headquartered in Independence, Missouri, whose temples are open to the public. Opened in 1836, the Kirtland Temple is one of the oldest surviving buildings in northern Ohio and an outstanding example of pre-Civil War carpentry skills.
Historic Kirtland is an historic site restored and maintained by the Salt Lake City-based LDS church to witness the pioneering spirit of this period of the church's history. The painstaking restoration reportedly features the only functional ashery in the U.S. Visitors to Historic Kirtland learn not only about the economic foundations of an early 19th century American community, but also about the spiritual foundation of the LDS movement.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/99...
The Holden Arboretum is one of the largest and best in the U.S. Its 3,600 acres contain over 17,000 accessioned plants and mass plantings, emphasizing plants that will prosper in northern Ohio, including plants collected in similar climates along the 40th parallel from China and Korea. Holden Natural Areas comprising 1491 acres are one of the 591 National Natural Landmarks. Of Holden's two National Natural Landmarks, Bole Woods is open to the public, but Stebbins Gulch can be visited only as part of a guided tour.
Lake Metroparks Farmpark was named by USA Today as one of North America's 10 best farmparks. It's a family-oriented science and cultural center devoted to agriculture, farming and country life. Among its 50 breeds of livestock are over a dozen endangered species, such as Jacob sheep, which often have four to six horns. Visitors can engage in such activities as hand-milking a caged cow in the dairy parlor, an activity typically engaged in by children to the great delight of camera-toting parents. From corn mazes to dog-herding demonstrations, from an antique tractor collection to alternative energy demonstrations, this farmpark attempts to cover a wide gamut of farm and country activities. It offers one of the best maple sugar bushes in Greater Cleveland in February and March.
Gildersleeve Mountain, accessed by the trails of the Lake Metroparks Chapin Forest Reservation, offers a panoramic view which includes the Cleveland skyline and Lake Erie. It contains a cross country ski center for winter activities.
Mentor, about 30 minutes east of Cleveland, has the largest natural sand beach in Ohio at Headlands Beach State Park. The James A. Garfield National Historic Site there celebrates the life of America's last president born in a log cabin. The site, administered by the National Park Service, features Lawnfield, the beautifully restored Garfield family home, and a small, but very good museum. Garfield and his wife are interred in the magnificent James A. Garfield Monument in Cleveland's superb Lake View Cemetery. Mentor also features two great nature preserves. Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve contains some of the best trails on Lake Erie with bluff forests and 1 1/2 miles of wild beach. The Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve, a National Natural Landmark, is accessed by boardwalk trails. A few miles down Mentor Ave. (Rt. 20) from Mentor is the Rider's Inn in Painesville. Established in 1812, it's the best surviving stagecoach inn in northeastern Ohio.
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Blossom Music Center is located in Cuyahoga Falls, less than an hour south of downtown. It's perhaps the best summer music venue in the U.S. Its Pavilion comfortably seats 5,700 and its lawns can hold another 13,500 concert-goers. It's located inside the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Blossom is the summer home of the world-renown Cleveland Orchestra, and also features other ensembles comprised of orchestra musicians, all part of the annual Blossom Music Festival. In addition, other genres of music are presented by livenation.com.
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Mansfield, about 90 minutes south of Cleveland, offers attractions such as the Ohio State Reformatory, used in the filming of the Shawshank Redemption. The Richland Carrousel is the first new hand-carved carrousel built in the U.S. since the 1930s. Kingwood Center features much enjoyed gardens.
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Mohican Region is located two hours southwest of Cleveland and directly southeast of Mansfield. It features the unique Malabar Farm State Park, a preserved mid-20th century Hollywood escape and a working farm, complete with barn dances and other activities. With nearby Mohican State Park, a state forest, and a large artificial lake, this region is a favorite escape for many Greater Clevelanders. Loudonville is a popular tourist destination there, and the most popular family canoeing location in northern Ohio.
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Mohican State Park offers a state lodge, managed by Xanterra, the same firm that manages several famed national park lodges, as well as cottages, and camping sites, including primitive areas. The lodge has an indoor Olympic-sized pool, and an outdoor Olympic-sized pool is additionally available for campers. The park has a mountain biking trail. Mohican State Park and its lodge border Pleasant Hill Lake, formed by the Pleasant Hill Dam, a favorite place for children to visit and viewable also from Mohican State Park trails. Pleasant Hill Lake Park near Perrysville also offers camping, a beach and a marina with boat rentals.
http://www.mohicanstatepark.org/
Malabar Farm State Park near Lucas uniquely features a mid-20th century Hollywood escape, featuring the 32-room "Big House" preserved as it existed at the time including almost all furnishings. Malabar Farm was the home of perhaps the greatest American Renaissance man of the 20th century -- Louis Bromfield. Bromfield was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, accomplished screenwriter, prominent political commentator, and one of the fathers of American sustainable agriculture. Malabar Farm was conveniently located for cross-country passenger train travelers between Los Angeles and New York City. Bromfield's good friend Humphrey Bogart married Lauren Bacall at Malabar Farm. The park also offers a working farm, a hostel, campground, beautiful trails, winter sports activities, tractor tours, a maple sugar bush, and an occasional barn dance. The park also was a shooting location for the film "The Shawshank Redemption." The Malabar Farm Restaurant is housed in one of the oldest stagecoach inns in Ohio and features a locavore menu.
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Tree Frog Canopy Tours near Loudonville reportedly offers an excellent hardwood zipline adventure.
Lake Erie Beaches are an excellent summer attraction. Pack a picnic. The most popular beaches near Cleveland are Huntington Reservation in Bay Village, Edgewater Park in Cleveland (near W 25th), Mentor Headlands in Mentor, and Lake Metroparks Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park Beach. Mentor headlands has about a mile of natural sand beach and tends to be the least crowded of the three. Fairport Harbor Beach is protected by a breakwall which mutes the wave action for smaller children; it also has a dog beach. Huntington Reservation has an ice cream stand, but can get quite crowded in the summer time.
Geneva State Park has a 300-foot Lake Erie beach about an hour east of downtown Cleveland. It uniquely offers campsites and cabins in addition to a lodge. It's also adjacent to the popular resort strip at Geneva-on-the-Lake and in a popular winery district.
Lake Erie Wineries are located both east and west of Cleveland.
http://www.ohiowines.org/maps.shtml
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Cuyahoga Valley National Park begins just over 30 minutes south of downtown. The CVNP is especially spectacular during autumn's fall colors.
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, www.cvsr.com - The CVSR offers both morning and afternoon railroad trips through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with destinations as far as Akron and Canton. Trains depart from Independence; just south of Cleveland. You'll need a car to get to the station. After that, you can have a lot of fun riding a train like in the good old days. Special theme trains are available, often appealing to children.
ASM International World Headquarters and Geodesic Dome in Russell Township, Geauga County, is about 50 minutes east of downtown, featuring the world's largest open-air geodesic dome in Materials Park.
http://blog.cleveland.com/architectur...
Toledo is two hours west of Cleveland. In addition to a good zoo, the big attraction there is the Toledo Museum of Art. Admission is free and it houses perhaps the world's greatest collection of glass artifacts in its Glass Pavilion, renown in its own right as a masterpiece of SANAA, winners of the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The glass collection consists of over 5,000 artifacts from ancient to contemporary.http://www.toledomuseum.org/about/arc...
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Youngstown, about 80 minutes from Cleveland, is the location of the Butler Institute of American Art, the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. There is no admission charge, although donations are welcome. The Beecher Center, housed in the south wing of the Butler's Youngstown location, is the first museum addition dedicated solely to new media and electronic art.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler_I...
Presque Isle State Park is located about 90 minutes northeast of Cleveland. Presque Isle, a National Natural Landmark, features some of the best beaches on Lake Erie on a sandy peninsula that arches into the lake. In late July and through August, the surface water temperature of Lake Erie can top 75 degrees F. At the entrance to the state park is Waldameer Park, an old-fashioned trolley amusement park. There is no admission charge to Waldameer; visitors pay for the rides separately. Waldameer features the Ravine Flyer II roller coaster, which crosses a freeway and is rated as one of the best wooden coasters in the world.
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Western Reserve Towns – Before Ohio became a state, Northeast Ohio was once known as the Connecticut Western Reserve. Pioneers from New England poured into the region and built many small towns reminiscent of the towns they left behind in New England . These towns remain existence today, and make excellent day trips from the city of Cleveland .- Chagrin Falls , www.chagrinfalls.net - Located astride the scenic ‘High Falls’ of the Chagrin River, about 18 miles east of Downtown Cleveland, Chagrin Falls was first settled in the mid-19th century by New Englanders eager to exploit the commercial potential of the falls and river. Today, this village blends 19th Century charm, with sophisticated modern shopping. Pick up anything from cosmic sub sandwiches, couture fashions, homemade popcorn, candles and Hermes handbags. Shop the eclectic mixture of antique, fashion, gift and bookstores and dine at any number of restaurants, from cozy to elegant. The only Jeni's Ice Cream Shop in Greater Cleveland is located in Chagrin Falls.
- Hudson , ci.hudson.oh.us/news/downtown.asp - Hudson is a traditional Western Reserve style town with a century old clock tower that has been rejuvenated with boutique shopping and bistro dining in its attractive downtown First and Main development. Before Western Reserve College moved to University Circle and then later merged with Case Institute of Technology, it was located in historic Hudson . The beautiful campus dates from 1826 and remains in use as prestigious prep school.
- Oberlin, www.oberlin.org - Oberlin's historical importance extends beyond Northeast Ohio . Oberlin College , one of the nation’s leading liberal arts schools founded in 1833 and became both the first institute of higher learning to admit African Americans and women. The college and community were also instrumental in the Underground Railroad in the 1860s. Visitors will find a number of heritage sights, restaurants and shops in a charming downtown district. Oberlin College ’s prestigious Music Conservatory gives many public performances throughout the year.
- Peninsula, www.explorepeninsula.com - The hamlet of Peninsula is located in the heart of the Cuyahoga Valley between Cleveland and Akron . It developed in the nineteenth century as an important commercial center on the Ohio-Erie Canal . Visitors will enjoy the parklike atmosphere of the downtown district that includes numerous recreational opportunities that exist like a scenic railroad, hiking, biking, and golf.
- Vermilion, http://discoververmilion.com - This historic whitewash harbor town on the shores of Lake Erie is truly reminiscent of a quaint New England fishing village. The charming atmosphere, bed and breakfasts, a soda fountain, Czech and French Restaurants, beaches and marinas are big draws.
Regional performing arts -- Lakewood is adjacent to Cleveland and its Beck Center offers a robust theater schedule to complement the many offerings in Cleveland proper. The E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall in Akron is an excellent performance space that often hosts events not available elsewhere in the region. One of the more unique musical theater opportunities in the region is The Ohio Light Opera. Its summer schedule takes place when Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare is relatively dark. Gilbert & Sullivan fans particularly make the summer trek to Wooster.
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Columbus and Pittsburgh are both within 3 hours drive of Cleveland and both are worth a visit if time permits. It's probably too far to drive there and back in one day, but either would make a great weekend trip. Some Clevelanders do visit the Columbus Zoo, sometimes rated as one of the nation's best, as a day trip.