Every Tuesday (or Wednesday if Twitter crashes, which it did late yesterday as I was compiling this post) until we run out of states, I plan to post about family-friendly vacation ideas, attractions and events in each one of the US states, taking input mostly from Twitter and Facebook.
Yes, I know how to search for travel ideas on a destination or attraction Web site, but a tweet or a Facebook Wall recommendation is a much more engaging and public way to spread the word.
Please don’t email suggestions to me; that’s nice but it is one-to-one communication. Tweet me and/or Facebook me, so that all of our networks can see what’s cool about your state.
We’re going in alphabetical order but started with the end, so our first state for the series was Wyoming, then we investigated Wisconsin , West Virginia , Washington, Virginia, Vermont, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Oklahoma and now we’re moving on to….Ohio!
Their state tourism organization is on Twitter at @DiscoverOhio, plus there’s @OhioStateParks and state tourism e-info coordinator Roger Barker is @Roger_OHTourism. Additionally, they have an Ohio Flickr Group for photo-sharing, an Ohio YouTube channel and here’s the Ohio Tourism Facebook page.
You know what’s really great? The links for all of those social media sites are clearly displayed on their main Ohio tourism Web site. That is rather rare, unfortunately – so many state Web sites give no indication that they’re on social media, or the links are buried somewhere.
When I asked for ideas, here’s what came in….
Twitter Travel Tips for Ohio
*** From deef217 via @deef217 on Twitter – In Oct there is a very cool large farm outside Wooster which has an extreme corn maze and hay rides and fab pumpkins/decorations. [Also] Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum in Wapakoneta. See the moon rocks! Better fam friendly prices…go to a minor leage baseball game in Akron or Columbus. Cheap yet fab seats & kid giveaways often! How about a day of canoeing at Mohican State Park? Many fun memories as a kid!
*** From decillis via @decillis on Twitter — A trip to Ohio is not complete unless you’ve stopped in Columbus for Jeni’s Ice Creams (see @jenisicecreams.)
*** From Hancock County CVB (Convention and Visitor’s Bureau) via @VisitFindlay on Twitter — Mazza Museum at Univ. of #Findlay is world’s first teaching museum for children’s book illustrations. Awesome tours & activities! Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation does weekly and theme train rides on antique trains. Kaleidoscope Xmas Tree Farm boasts sleigh rides, live reindeer and super-fun people late Nov thru Xmas (fun people are available all year round, of course.) @artpartnership (The Arts Partnership) hosts KidsFest in July – draws families from many states for massive quantities of kid fun, freebies and activities. Findlay is visited by 30+ hot air balloons annually for #Balloonfest (w/ car & bike show, outdoor movies & balloon competitions.) How many costumed wiener dogs can you handle? National Dachshund Races in Findlay Sept 26-27. New this year – dog parade. Major cute!
*** From Craig via @Craigorama on Twitter — Take a canal boat ride on the Miami Erie Canal in Piqua, Ohio – Piqua Historical Area.
*** From Travels With Children via @minnemom on Twitter — Columbus Zoo is nice. The Works in Newark is nice museum but not crazy-busy. We liked it. Driving part of the Old National Road and seeing the S bridges and Y bridge was exciting for our family. The Boonshoft Museum in Dayton has one of the most affordable museum memberships I’ve seen, with excellent reciprocity benefits. Columbus COSI (Center of Science and Industry) is great for families. We spent an entire day there. Good for all ages of kids.
