Featured Stories

All across Ohio, food lovers are signing up for cooking classes that range from hands-on to hands-off. Regardless a home cook's skill level, culinary taste, or budget, there is likely a local cooking class that fits the bill.

Ohio's plum summer months offer residents and visitors alike a flood of inspired outdoor fun. Home to a broad range of arts and cultural events, the Buckeye State features some of the Midwest’s premier festivals and fun—which speak to big-city dreams, small-town Americana and immigrant-steeped history.

Boasting some of the most beautiful geography in the state, Southeast Ohio is fast becoming the epicenter of the state's burgeoning ecotourism industry. Clustered around Hocking Hills State Park, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the current crop of outdoor recreational activities has never been more environmentally friendly.

"American Idol" contestant and hometown hero Crystal Bowersox enjoys a visit with her fans back in Northwest Ohio.

Gourmet food trucks are invading Ohio at a fast clip. Part of a larger national movement, numerous new mobile dining operations are hitting the streets of Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. 

Cold beer, warm sun, and an endless supply of hot dogs – it's no wonder that attending a pro baseball game remains as popular today as it did 100 years ago. When it comes to baseball, Ohio is blessed, sporting bats that swing in Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A leagues, not to mention the big boys in Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Once resigned to only “beer league” softball or touch football, Ohio’s sporting types can now try their hand at indoor rock climbing, role-playing paintball, and upscale bowling. The bravest of the bunch can graduate to aerial ski jumping, BMX riding, and flat-track roller derby. 

Over the past decade, Ohio quietly has become one of the most gay-friendly states in the nation. Cleveland recently was awarded the 2014 Gay Games, Columbus earned a Top 10 spot on Out magazine's most LGBT-friendly cities, and Cincinnati recently overhauled its Pride festivities. As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.

History may be a snooze in school, but Ohio's historical sites have a way of turning sleepy-eyed students into avid history buffs. The breadth of attractions is without peer, offering a compelling education without the pressure of a pop quiz. Come explore the past, today.

Our favorite coffee shops are rarely about the java. We choose our roosts because they are comfortable, convivial community hubs -- what sociologists like to call the "Third Place." Falling between work and home, these places serve as venues for reading the paper, catching up with mates, or putting the finishing touches on the Great American Novel.

Whether it's hunting for that prized pumpkin, riding extreme roller coasters, visiting historic sites, or observing the wildlife at area zoos, there likely is an ideal season in Ohio in which to do it. Winter, spring, summer and fall all usher in a new set of climatic conditions – and the family-friendly attractions that come with them.

When it comes to dealing with Old Man Winter, locals generally fall into one of two camps: those who embrace the climate and those who don't. Fortunately for both groups, Ohio is blessed with enjoyable activities that take advantage of -- or wholly ignore -- the seasonal conditions.

Banish the notion of country inns as gloomy, dark places with heavy drapes and dusty doilies. Today's travelers have much higher expectations, and the inn industry is changing right along with them. It isn't uncommon to check into a bed and breakfast and find stained glass windows and wireless Internet. Guests are pampered with chef-prepared gourmet fare followed by a relaxing night's sleep on 400-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Don't believe us? Take a tour through the following Ohio inns and see for yourself.