Road Trip!

When we first created our “Days and Nights of Summer” annual cover story years ago, we meant it to serve as something of a suggested menu of ideas. The thought was that you would choose a date (or two or three) over the course of the summer, check the calendar, and make your plans.

Over the years, you have been kind enough to let us know that the approach has worked well in three great ways. They are, in fact, our favorite three ways: beauty, adventure and fun.

The calendar is a terrific way for you to discover new places and explore popular fixtures on any Ohio traveler’s must-visit list. And because most of the events cover multiple dates, you are free to mix and match dates and places as you wish.

But lately our editors have been thinking that it would be interesting to follow the calendar on an actual day-to-day schedule for a week. Interesting and fun. Adventurous, too. And that’s a beautiful concept, isn’t it?

Let’s pull out a summer week and give it a try. Mid-June will work. Looking at the week of June 14, here is what a fun and adventurous (not to mention beautiful) Ohio traveler would experience:

Sunday: Start in central Ohio with a picnic on the lawn at Bryn Du Mansion in Granville. Not just any picnic, however. Enjoy your perfect lunch as you watch the horses run across the fields for Polo on the Great Lawn.

Monday: Head south and watch more horses — galloping horses, accompanied by live cannons — as you observe the “Tecumseh!” outdoor drama at the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre in Chillicothe.

Tuesday: Swing over to northeast Ohio — and we do mean swing — for the Broken Wheel Summer Square Dance at the Community of Christ Church in Kirtland.

Wednesday: Invigorated by all that dancing, shout “road trip!” and make your way to southwest Ohio. But don’t have your blonde moment till you reach your destination. Have a night of laughs as you enjoy “Legally Blonde: The Musical” at the Victoria Theatre in Dayton.

Thursday: Haven’t seen enough of Ohio’s highways? What Ohio experience would be complete without a trip to northwest Ohio for the Dutchtown Hatchery Festival in New Washington? It’s an everything-in-one-place event: Cow-patty bingo, a chicken legs contest, a tractor pull, a Texas Hold’em tournament and fireworks. Come on, does it get any better than that?

Friday: Head east again for bingo of another sort. Play Basket I-N-G-O at Longaberger’s American Summer Celebration in Frazeysburg. Win a basket or make your own. And take it with you as you complete your week in the capital city...

Saturday: Zoofari! It’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. And the perfect way to complete your fun-filled (and adventurous and beautiful) summer week in Ohio.

And send us a postcard, will you? Better yet, make it seven. Road Trip!