Way to See Stars
Explosions rocked downtown Cleveland. Chunks of buildings from a battle scene littered the streets. Crowds of curious onlookers gathered, hoping to catch a glimpse of movie stars. For a few weeks in August, Hollywood came to Cleveland, transforming it into New York City and then destroying it for the filming of “The Avengers.” The film was the talk of the town, bringing an influx of tourism and providing residents with an inspiring point of pride for their city.

PB&J Lunch
Don’t tell mom, but there’s a little shop in Columbus that puts her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to shame. Krema Nut Company’s lunchtime menu features a dozen different variations of the classic concoction, including the PB-Nana, PB Apple Cheesecake and the Nutty Mallow. Hungry for more? They also make a killer peanut butter milkshake. 1000 W. Goodale Blvd., Columbus 43212, 800/222-4132. krema.com

People Watching
One could reasonably argue that Yellow Springs is the best place for meeting and observing cool, creative folks about any day of the week — but there are two days a year when the place brims with personality, and the people-watching is top-notch. The Yellow Springs Street Fair draws thousands of people to the closed-off downtown avenues of the fun and funky Greene County village for a Saturday in spring and fall. Wandering amid the incense-perfumed booths full of food, fashion, fabrics, art and political-cause conversation, you’ll find a lively (and friendly) stew of bikers, buskers, belly-dancers, nature-lovers, punks, hippies, hipsters, young students, aging flower children and a whole bunch of folks from the ’burbs dropping by to take it all in. 2012’s street fairs are on June 9 and Oct. 13, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. yellowspringsohio.org.

Beer and Brats
The laid-back atmosphere of Swig in Perrysburg pairs well with its menu of draughts and handcrafted sausages and hot dogs — “charcuterie and suds for the curious,” as the sign says. The large selection of beers is changed out regularly, a strategy that Swig calls “musical taps.” Dining here can be a culinary adventure — try the Reversed Hot Wings (coated in ranch dressing, served with a side of hot sauce) and the chocolate bacon sundae for dessert. 219 Louisiana Ave., Perrysburg, 419/873-6224.
swigrestaurantandbar.com
     
Restaurant With a View
Enjoy a home-style meal at the Millrace Restaurant, located at scenic Clifton Mill in Clifton, and dine to the sounds of a waterfall. With the Clifton Gorge and Little Miami River as a backdrop, feast on pancakes, omelets and cornmeal mush for breakfast, sandwiches, soups and salads at lunch and entrees such as roasted salmon for dinner. 75 Water St., Clifton 45316, 937/767-5501. cliftonmill.com

Swamp Thing
Bowling Green’s Black Swamp Arts Festival — named for the swampland that was drained in the late 1800s to produce fertile farmland — celebrates its 20th year Sept. 7–9. Painters, potters, beaders and other artists demonstrate, display and sell their work, while several stages host musicians playing everything from classical, jazz and folk to bluegrass and rock. Downtown Bowling Green. blackswamparts.org

Places to Catch March Madness
Every diehard hoops fan knows the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off each year at the University of Dayton Arena. The tradition continues in 2012 with first-round games March 13 and 14 in the Gem City. And this year, the Buckeye State will get a double-dose of dunking and dribbling with Columbus hosting second and third round action March 16 and 18 at Nationwide Arena. ncaa.com

Train-Themed Food
The locomotive and bright red train cars near Interstate 71 in Bellville no longer take on passengers. Rather, the Buckeye Express Diner hosts hungry customers looking for juicy burgers and hand-cut fries. Open for lunch and dinner, the diner also serves sandwiches, salads and ice cream. 810 St Rte. 97, Bellville, 419/886-2900. buckeyeexpressdiner.com   

City Markets
Ohio has a wealth of city markets where shoppers can find fresh, familiar and exotic foods. Dating to 1840, the West Side Market in Cleveland houses more than 100 vendors selling meats, fruits and vegetables, seafood and bakery, including ethnic specialties. Another public shopping spot, North Market in Columbus, offers the finest fresh produce, baked goods and more to about 1 million shoppers every year. To shop and connect with the community, Findlay Market in Cincinnati is the place to go; scan the aisles of fresh produce while enjoying street performers and special events. 2nd Street Market in Dayton promotes sustainable, local food, and provides great seasonal vendors. On Saturdays at the Erie Street Market in Toledo you’ll find a farmer’s market, plus vendors selling coffee, baked goods, flowers and more. westsidemarket.org, northmarket.com, findlaymarket.org, metroparks.org (2nd Street Market), toledo.com/attractions/erie-street-market-toledo-ohio

Place to See the Wright Stuff
Dayton’s Carillon Park gets its name from the 151-foot-tall bell tower that rings out over the 65-acre historic site along the Great Miami River. The park is home to several reminders of Dayton’s past, but no piece produces more pride than the original 1905 Wright Flyer III — the world’s first practical airplane. Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright fabricated the flyer in Dayton and famously flew it above a field on the outskirts of town more than a century ago. 1000 Carillon Blvd., Dayton 45409. daytonhistory.org

Place to Get a Grip
You’re not going to find any mountains in Columbus, but the capital city is home to an artificial peak that just might pique your interest. The Scioto Audubon Metro Park, located along the banks of the Scioto River just south of downtown, boasts the largest free outdoor climbing wall in the country. If you seek to scale this 35-footer, be sure to bring your own gear. 400 W. Whittier St., Columbus 43215. metroparks.net

Way to Feel Warm and Fuzzy
Ralphie’s old man may have described it as a “pink nightmare,” but visitors to A Christmas Story House Museum and Store in Cleveland love the bunny suit made famous in the now-classic 1983 holiday movie. The shop, located across the street from the house pictured in the film and adjacent to a museum featuring memorabilia from the movie, carries both children’s and adult sizes of the bunny outfits, as well as an assortment of leg lamps, Red Rider BB Guns and more. 1103 Rowley Ave, Cleveland 44109, 216/298-4919. achristmasstoryhouse.com

Place to Raise a Glass
Since 2006, the Toledo Museum of Art’s Glass Pavilion has focused on the art of glass sculpture and everyday objects. A brilliant Dale Chihuly chandelier greets guests at the entrance, and beyond the exhibition rooms visitors can sit in on glass-blowing demonstrations by artists. Always free, the TMA Pavilion houses a large collection from the Libbey estate, as well as art from around the world. With its curving glass walls, this building is a work of art itself. 2445 Monroe St., Toledo 43620, 419/255-8000. toledomuseum.org

Historical Replica
Most folks know who our capital city is named after, but did you know that right downtown, you can board a nearly perfect, full-size replica of the small wooden flagship in which Columbus crossed the ocean blue? The Santa Maria sits in the Scioto at Battelle Riverfront Park, and you can enjoy it during regular tours that provide a wonderful, educational glimpse into our past. You’ll definitely come away asking: How could they have come so far in something so tiny and cramped? 25 Marconi Blvd., Columbus 43215, 614/645-0351. santamaria.org

Bagels
Although he’s not a native Manhattanite, John Marx, owner of Marx Hot Bagels in Blue Ash, created a New York City-style haven in the suburbs of Cincinnati. His kosher restaurant, which operates like an East Coast deli — complete with quirky décor and a blunt staff — specializes in some 40 varieties, baked fresh daily. Flavors range from chocolate chip to combo, which pairs perfectly with another Marx favorite, the tuna salad. 9701 Kenwood Rd., Blue Ash 45242, 513/891-5542

Place to Take a Well-Deserved Break
Nestled in the peaceful countryside northeast of Cincinnati, Loveland is home to Grailville, a lovely and highly unusual retreat. Grailville receives some 8,000 visitors a year who come to learn, rest, think, walk the labyrinth, meditate, enjoy nature, restore their faith and share in a community that is based on the principles of the Grail, a women’s movement based on faith, environmentalism and sustainable living. 932 O’Bannonville Rd., Loveland 45140, 513/683-2340. grailville.org

River View
Actually, this place could just as easily have won our nod for Best Family Park, or Best New Place to Hear Music Outdoors. Downtown Dayton’s RiverScape MetroPark, created and managed along the Great Miami River by the local Five Rivers MetroParks system, boasts a sleek, modern music pavilion that is the latest addition to a gorgeously landscaped urban enclave that bursts with flowers, fountains, festivals and family activities all summer long. From cycling and kayaking in the warm months to ice-skating during the winter, RiverScape is a great destination. metroparks.org/Parks/Riverscape

Place to Rendezvous
If you didn’t know better, you’d swear Bogie and Bacall just strolled through the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. The French art deco gem, which opened in January 1931, boasts a lobby resplendent in Brazilian rosewood and Italian marble. Egyptian influences hold court in the dining room, where the focal point — in addition to the award-winning cuisine — is a ziggurat-shaped fountain flanked by sea horses with lotus light crowns. And the guest rooms? They’re thoroughly modern spectacular. 35 W. Fifth St., Cincinnati 45202, 513/421-9100. cincinnatinetherland plaza.hilton.com

Capitol Experience
Each year, 90,000 visitors tour the splendid Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, heralded as the epitome of Greek Revival magnificence. The past comes alive with the chance to walk where Abraham Lincoln strode as he prepared to deliver a fiery 1859 oratory about slavery, and see where history has been made every day since the edifice opened on November 15, 1861. It was the second-largest public building next to the United States Capitol. 1 Capitol Square, Columbus 43215, 614/752-9777. ohiostatehouse.org

Way to Lift Your Spirits
Those in the know in southern Ohio can walk into many Cincinnati-area restaurants and request a Skimerton Tea, a top-shelf take on the traditional Long Island iced tea. Ten years ago, local bartending legend Steven Skimerton poured equal parts Absolut Citron, Bombay Sapphire, Captain Morgan’s, Grand Marnier and sour mix over ice, shook, and finished with Coke and a lemon, creating a concoction that became so popular, it is now featured on menus at both casual and fine-dining establishments.

Setting for a Seriously Scary Story
Today known as The Ridges, the former asylum in Athens casts a beautifully ominous shadow on the campus of Ohio University. With numbered graves, a boarded-up tuberculosis ward and more than 1,000 acres of land, this is no place to be left in the dark. The institution’s hilltop location, gruesome history of lobotomies and electroshock therapy, and iron-barred windows add to the Victorian mansion’s intrinsic eerie-ness. athensohio.com

Outdoor Escape
Revel in nature’s beauty anytime of the year with a weekend escape to Shawnee State Forest & Park. The park occupies 1,095 acres of the 63,000-acre forest in southern Ohio, where stunning views are visible from the park’s guest accommodations, which include cottages, camping facilities and a lodge. This season, drop a baited hook into icy waters for recreational ice fishing (weather permitting), or follow the park naturalist on a winter hike along a section of a 40-mile trail. 4404 St. Rte. 125 W. Portsmouth 45663, 740/858-6621. dnr.state.oh.us  (click on Parks)

Local Brew
It’s not necessarily a rap on Starbucks to make the perhaps obvious point that most Ohio cities and towns have their own brands of sought-after local coffee. Java sippers and latte lovers all over the Buckeye State are loyal to some very fine, favorite brands, many of which also practice their own versions of social-consciousness-raising that coffeehouses have become known for. For instance, Cincinnati’s Coffee Emporium moved its roasting operations to the stressed Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, and is also known for other good works. The taste folks in Columbus love is Stauf’s, which has been around since 1988 and sells wholesale and retail in its Cup o’Joe and MoJoe joints. Daytonians have been enjoying Boston Stoker coffees since 1973; the company started in Englewood and expanded across the metro area with 10 stores, roasting more than 150,000 pounds of coffee a year. In Cleveland, the big brew is Phoenix Coffee, a 20-year-old business with five cafes, a downtown roastery and a hefty wholesale business. We presume, too, that all of them would subscribe in one way or another to Boston Stoker’s chipper motto: “Coffee makes you smarter than you actually are.” So true. coffee-emporium.com, staufs.com, bostonstoker.com,  phoenixcoffee.com

Sweet Drive
It’s a sure sign of spring. For 11 years, Ohio maple syrup producers have organized the March Maple Madness Driving Tour (this year’s dates are March 10, 11, 17 and 18). Last year, there were 40 stops in 16 counties, the largest tour to date. Included are small backyard operations and large commercial syrup makers, where proprietors answer questions and give guided tours. For a complete tour stop list and Ohio maple information, visit ohiomapleproducers.com.

Place to Break a Record
If you buy a ticket to a Dayton Dragons’ game at Fifth Third Field this year, there’s a good chance you’ll help set a new record … at least for a day. The Dragons, a minor-league baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, have the longest sellout streak in the history of professional sports. That’s 844 consecutive contests — every game the team has ever played at Fifth Third Field. The previous record was 814, which the Dragons surpassed in 2011. daytondragons.com

Homage to a Temperate Fruit
As one of the largest native tree fruits in America, found almost exclusively in old-growth forests, the pawpaw is celebrated in southeastern Ohio every September at the three-day Pawpaw Festival (this year’s dates: Sept. 14–16). The mango-like fruit brightens to warm yellow as it ripens. Its creamy pulp can be enjoyed raw or chilled, baked or blended. The festival features this versatile treat in everything from pies and salsas to shaved ice and white wine. Live music, artisans, vendors and a beer tent give this forgotten fruit the fame it deserves. Lake Snowden, Albany. ohiopawpawfest.com

Suburban Secret
Nestled against the Maumee River in Perrysburg on one of the Stranahan family’s estates, the 577 Foundation offers an educational oasis for the community. Just 12 acres, the property is packed with possibilities: From solar panels to a bio-dome greenhouse to community gardens and organic compost corner, everything has form and function. A preservationist, founder Virginia Secor Stranahan would be proud to see how her ideas have evolved to include a nonprofit book center, pottery barn and river walk. 577 E. Front St., Perrysburg 43551, 419/872-0305. 577foundation.org

‘Spirit’ of Community
Middle West Spirits proprietors Brady Konya and Ryan Lang have concocted the right mix of commerce and community in Columbus. It’s a win-win for Ohio as the home of a micro-distillery making high-quality (and tasty) spirits that also supports Ohio through local ingredient sourcing. It’s no wonder weekly tours are a hot ticket. Middle West Spirits is the purveyor of OYO vodka and whiskey — Honey Vanilla Bean and Rock Fruit are their latest infused vodka varieties. 1230 Courtland Ave., Columbus 43201, 614/299-2460. middlewestspirits.com 

Rising Star from Ohio
There’s no place like home for 22-year-old folk/rock singer and Ohio native Jessica Lea Mayfield. “At the end of the day, I’m coming home to Kent,” she says of her hometown. When she’s not on tour or recording in Nashville, Mayfield spends her downtime there, where the down-to-earth entertainer started out performing locally in her family’s bluegrass band. She now has a thriving solo career with three soulful albums to her name. jessicaleamayfield.com

Artistic Display of Civic Pride
Freelance illustrator Julia Kuo really loves Cleveland, so she set out to draw a picture of something in or around the city each day for 100 days. The works paint a broad brushstroke, ranging from depictions of icons like the Rock Hall and West Side Market to lesser-known delis and record stores. The works are posted on her blog with a brief narrative, and prints can be purchased through her Etsy shop. juliaincleveland.tumblr.com; etsy.com/shop/JuliainCleveland

Best Fashion State-Ment
Show the world your favorite state with T-shirts from new Columbus-based clothing company State Line. The shirts are adorned with a stylish and functional Ohio-shaped pocket and come in a variety of color combinations. Keep your eyes peeled for more — the company plans to release a full line of products sporting the state outline soon. statelineohio.com

Bunches
It’s a short drive from downtown, but upon arriving at Steve and Gretel Adams’ Sunny Meadows Flower Farm, located just six miles southeast of Columbus, it feels like you’ve landed in the country. Rows of flowers share seven acres of land with fresh fruits and vegetables, all grown using organic practices. To order Sunny Meadows’ seasonal blossoms for events, visit the website for details. 3555 Watkins Rd., Columbus 43232, 614/361-5102. oursunnymeadows.com

Hidden Treasure
When Patt Bowen, owner of the nautical-themed Sandy Chanty seafood restaurant on the Strip in Geneva-on-the-Lake, tore down a wall during renovations, she never expected to find her own buried treasure. But there it was — a working shooting gallery forgotten since the ’80s. Today, the 1928 gallery — hailing from Coney Island and one of only five in the world still in working order — is back in action as the backdrop to the restaurant’s bar. 5457 Lake Ave, Geneva-on-the-Lake 44041, 440/415-1080. sandychanty.com

Place to say Hooray for Hollywood
Forget Blu-ray and high-def. The only way to see American movie classics is the way they were intended to be seen — on big screens in opulent palaces befitting them. Fortunately, Ohio is home to many historic theaters that pay homage to the silver screen by staging film festivals audiences flock to. Annual film events include the Summer Movie Series (billed as the longest-running classic film series in the country) in Columbus; the Cinema at the Square Series at Cleveland’s PlayhouseSquare; and Dayton’s Summer Film Series. In Toledo, the Valentine Theatre sets the stage year-round with an upcoming playbill that includes “The Philadelphia Story,” (Jan. 20); “Mutiny on the Bounty,” (Feb. 17); and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (April 13). Columbus: 614/469-0939, capa.com; Cleveland: 216/241-6000, playhousesquare.org; Dayton: 937/228-7591, victoriatheatre.com; Toledo: 419/242-2787, valentinetheatre.com

Place for a Smoke
For four generations and more than 125 years, Thurn’s Specialty Meats has been smoking meats and handcrafting charcuterie in an unassuming facility on Columbus’ south side. Only open Thursday–Friday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m., and Saturday, 7 a.m.–1 p.m., Thurn’s sells out quickly. Try the amazing twice-smoked cottage ham, schenken (like prosciutto, with richer flavor) and cervelat (similar to a small salami, with wonderful spice). The prices are mindblowingly cheap for the quality. 530 Greenlawn Ave., Columbus 43223, 614/443-1449.

Shop to Score Some Vinyl
The name of Music Saves is a philosophy, and a darn good one. Carrying new and old vinyl, this Cleveland shop brings back the analog album in a big way. Specializing in the best of the best indie rock, the small store packs a big punch. Plus, they spread the love by advertising local bands, promoting area shops and selling tickets for some of the best concert venues in northeast Ohio. 15801 Waterloo Rd., Cleveland 44110, 216/481-1875. musicsaves.com

Antiques Hunting
Handsome Victorian homes grace the Ohio River town of Marietta, which is known for its antiques shopping scene. Navigate the charming streets to browse through items that include an assortment of vintage toys, jewelry, primitives, pottery and depression kitchenware at FOUND Antiques (113 Maple St., 740/215-4663). River City Antique Emporium (249 2nd St., 740/373-8303) houses 50 dealers selling furniture, glassware and collectibles. A variety of treasures are waiting to be discovered among the 70 dealers at the Antique Mall of Marietta (135 2nd St., 740/376-0038), while Riverview Antiques (102 Front St., 740/373-4068, riverviewantiques.com) boasts American and Continental items including glass, china, furniture, silver and books. 

Place to Stop and Smell the Roses
The 13-acre Columbus Park of Roses is located in Whetstone Park in the city’s Clintonville neighborhood. The outdoor oasis contains three large rose gardens, as well as herb and perennial gardens, annual display beds and a restored Ohio prairie. Walkways and benches make it easy for visitors to enjoy the sights and smells of 11,500 rose plants representing some 400 varieties. The park has been recognized by USA Today and Horticulture magazine as one of North America’s finest rose gardens. Hollenback Rd., Columbus 43214, 614/645-3391. parkofroses.org