I was born and raised in Southern Ohio in the suburbs of Cincinnati. By no means am I a city girl; I was raised playing in cornfields, investigating creek beds, fishing on river banks, and visiting neighbors along my street. Still, I longed to be a city girl and I took advantage of every opportunity to visit Cincy from as young as I can remember.
When we travel north now, it must go through my hometown. It doesn’t matter if it is out of the way, but our first stop is always Chester’s Pizza in Hamilton, Ohio. I grew up having this amazing, mouth-watering pizza every Friday night. It was a family tradition, and it remains one of my favorite places to visit as we travel the country.
But Ohio is not just about the pizza. It’s also home to one of my favorite museums, the Union Terminal Museums. As you walk into the entrance, the entire history of the region is above you in colorful murals that set atop the pathway to the original terminals for the train station that was a hub for the growing region.
Also in downtown is so much to see and do. The Fireman’s Museum is just cool, there are a number of theaters and art museums, and the Riverfront is often home to festivals and other events. But the stadiums are the amazing features that shadow the river, and home to two nation teams, the Cincinnati Reds and the Cincinnati Bengals. Attending the Red’s games was a great treat for me as a child every time I earned all As on my report card! Of course, that was back when the Big Red Machine was blazing the bases and Red Hot Smokies were served as the top treat.
Not too far from the Ohio River and downtown Cincinnati is the Cincinnati Zoo. It’s been a favorite for me since my childhood, but is still a wonderful way to spend a day. Even more appealing to me now as an adult are the winding streets and original architecture of the houses in this quaint neighborhood.
And then we travel further north into hills and across the farm fields, sometimes seeing Amish at work, boaters floating along rivers, or farmers in their fields. In the center of the state, Columbus stands proud, and COSI is a must-do stop for children young and old.
But for my home state, that’s it! I’ve never been to the Northeast corner where I hear there is so much more to see and do… That’s on the list for one of the stops this summer!
Happy Travels!