Top 10 things to do in Ohio

Luckily, the state’s only national park is a good one. Situated in between two of Ohio’s largest cities, Cleveland and Akron, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is full of native plants, wildlife, and other attractions. The Cuyahoga River runs through the more than 30,000-acre park, which features dozens of wooded biking and hiking trails. The Towpath Trail follows the route of the historic Ohio and Erie Canal—look for remnants of canal structures, a covered bridge, and several historic homes that are located within the park. You’re almost guaranteed to spot some of the thousands of animals that call the park home, including great blue herons, beavers, bald eagles, river otters, and seven species of bats.

Sherry Groom currently holds the Guinness World Record for “largest collection of trolls.” As of 2018, there were 8,130 unique trolls in her collection—when you add in duplicates that number increases drastically—and you can see them all (and more) at the Troll Hole Museum in downtown Alliance. The museum is part traditional exhibition space and part art gallery, with several floors of troll history packed into two adjoining buildings. The Grumpy Troll cafe, located in the back of the obligatory gift shop, serves coffee, teas, and waffles. Guests are encouraged to bring in a customized troll and add it to the crowd outside of the museum’s miniature football stadium (a nod to the nearby Pro-Football Hall of Fame), and Groom has future plans to add a Rock n’ Troll Hall of Fame as well.

It’s hard to miss the Longaberger Basket Company’s headquarters while driving down State Route 16 in Newark. An exact replica of the now-defunct company’s most popular basket, the 180,000-square-foot, seven-story basket-shaped building is 160 times larger than its inspiration. The 30,000-square-foot atrium is topped with a glass ceiling and two 150-ton handles. The Longaberger Basket Company ceased operations in 2018 and abandoned its novelty headquarters, but a developer has plans to turn the building into a luxury hotel.

Just the parking lot of the nearly 20,000-square-foot American Sign Museum in Cincinnati features no less than 10 signs. The inside contains hundreds more—some lit with neon and lightbulbs, some hand painted or gilded gold—comprising a collection that spans more than 100 years of history. The numerous neon signs are maintained and repaired in-house by Neonworks, the only neon fabrication and repair shop located within a hundred miles. Visitors are welcome to watch as technicians bend tubes, run diagnostics, and repair broken signs from the museum’s collection.