Ohio......?????

[jadbad2004]

Should check out the Serpent Mounds in southern Ohio, it's pretty awesome.

[Gee]

For hiking -- Old Man's Cave and the Hocking Hills area
Biking - Many of the state parks have mountain bike trails and the 70 mile long Little Miami Scenic Trail
Boating and Fishing - Most State Parks
Canoeing- Many canoeing spots
Extreme Fishing & Boating -Lake Erie
Paintball- I don't recall exactly which ones but there are a few state parks that have paintball fields -go to the Ohio State Parks website
Entertainment -Read Panther in the Sky by James Alexander Thom and then go to the outdoor drama "Tecumseh" near Chillicothe
Interesting Culture - Holmes county/Amish Country
Largest Basket in the world(Newark Ohio) - Dresden Ohio home of the Longaberger Basket Company and factory
During mild weather there are several festivals going on every weekend in different locations
The Ohio State Fair - Columbus in August

[trtlflwrs]

I know there's tons of camp grounds and such down in the Loudenville area... (Mohican). It's also a great place for kayaking 'cause there's a great canoe livery there (they have awesome campgrounds and other things to do also, check out canoemohican.com ).

There's lots of little "museums", from
John Glenn to
William McKinley to
Longaberger Baskets to the
COSI in Columbus...
Hale Farm is great history for kids- i chaperoned a daycare group there (depicts mid-19th century living with people in costumes and stuff)...
Pro-Football Hall of Fame...

There are a lot of festivals all year long... I've been to the "Maple Fest" in Chardon(personal fav), the "Melon Festival" in Milan(GREAT food), the "Antique Festival" in Millersburg... the Ohio Festivals and Events Association lists them all every year at ofea.org... I love it!

You can always check out Ohio's Department of Tourism at discoverohio.com, too. It's what my friends and I use when we get sick of Ohio and want to explore but don't have enough cash/time to leave the state!

[JefferyT]

For backpacking the largest wilderness/forest area is the Shawnee State Forest and State Park in Scioto County, just north of the Ohio River and between Portsmouth and Cincinnati (closer to Portsmouth) It is rugged appalachian plateau country, so you might like it if you like mountain hiking.

http://www.ohiodnr.com/parks/parks/shawnee.htm

[SeabeeBolt]

If I were you I would stay in the southern part of the state. If you go to Cleveland stay away from the beaches. Unless you don't mind polluted water with needles in it. The Rock & Roll Hall of fame is real interesting as well as all of the other museums. But, keep yor doors locked at all times, lots of street beggers.