Guide to Ohio

Water is the foundation of the inland state of Ohio. As ice it shaped the land; as rain and snow it nurtured dense forests. A primary tributary of the Mississippi, the Ohio River made the region strategic in the nation's evolution. It served as the highway for exploration and trade and furnished power for industrial development. Lake Erie provided the deep-water harbors that, with the St. Lawrence Seaway, have made Ohio significant in world commerce.

Ohio's cultural, ethnic, and demographic makeup is so representative of the U.S. melting pot that Ohio citizens are often used to test educational, industrial, and politicla attitudes, ideas and programs as a sampling of the nation as a a whole. This cultural diversity is saluted throughout the state at various ethnic festivals.

Water is the basis for much of Ohio's recreation. Swimming, fishing, and boating on Lake Erie and the interior lakes attract tens of thousands during the summer. The main resorts on Lake Erie center on Sandusky Bay -- the Marblehead Peninsula, Cedar Point, and Kellys and South Bass Islands -- and along the shore northeast of Cleveland to the Pennsylvania line. Lake Erie and the Ohio and Scioto rivers, as well as other good-sized lakes, are the scene of powerboat races and sailboat regattas.

The numerous inland lakes are developed in varying degrees, ranging from full facilities at Grand Lake St. Marys, the largest artificial lake in the state, to a few picnic sites at countless unnamed ponds. The 360-square-mile Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District administers 10 well-stocked reservoirs along the Muskingum River system in central and eastern Ohio. The District offers public facilities at five locations. Boating and fishing are allowed at most lakes, as are camping, hiking, and nature study.

Hunting is permitted in Wayne National Forest and in Ohio's state forests, most of which are in the southeast. Wayne National Forest and Hocking State Forest harbor deer, squirrels and certain game birds. Winter sports facilities are available at skiing areas near Akron, Bellefontaine and Mansfield.

Ohio state parks are open all year. Many allow camping all year, although some facilities are closed during the winter. Buck Creek, Burr Oak, Cowan Lake, Deer Creek, Dillon, Hocking Hills, Hueston Woods, Lake Hope, Maumee Bay, Mohican, Pike Lake, Punderson, Pymatuning, Salt Fork, and Shawnee offer cabin accommodations all year.

In addition, Burr Oak, Deer Creek, HuestonWoods, Mohican, Punderson, Salt Fork, and Shawnee have luxury lodges. Several parks provide sports facilities from golf courses to riding trails. User fees are charged at developed campsites; primitive ones are usually free.

Golf is a popular sport in Ohio; both nine and 18 hole courses of varying degrees of difficulty are found statewide. The most challenging include the courses at Hueston Woods State Park near Oxford, Jack Nicklaus Golf Center near Newbury and Qual Hollow Golf Club near Painesville.

Horse racing is popular Ohio spectator sport, and harness racing is the king. Rangy trotters and pacers pound around county fair tracks in the traditional three heats. Important harness events include the Little Brown Jug at Delaware and the Ohio Sires Stakes at Lebanon. Running races predominate at the tracks near Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. Auto Racing comes in all sizes, from stock cars to go-carts.

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