Can anyone help? We are travelling from Australia to the US in May.

On one of our legs, we will be driving from Ann Arbor south to Cincinnati. We don't want to drive on main highway I75 - we prefer back roads - or even a scenic route.

Any tips would be appreciated.

just take secondary roads and hope they are scenic. www,michelin.com might be useful.

You might try to follow the old dixie highway as it parallels I75 most of the way, but gets you off the beaten path. Dixie highway was the main route from Michigan to Florida before the interstates were built. It is not always well marked, but this looks to be a good guide: http://www.lincolnhighwayoh.com/v1/Dixie.html

From Ann Arbor to the Ohio state line isn't terribly far (an hour?). You could meander the county roads if you could get a detailed map.

For the Ohio part, maybe you can stitch a route together using info from this source:

Ohio Dept. of Transportation designated scenic byways
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/OhioByway...yways-Map.aspx

Thank you, all three of you.

That is PERFECT!!

We're on our way.

Jane

Here's a tip: Drive on the right side of the road.

In Dayton you might enjoy a tour of Wright Patterson Air field. And south a bit further near Cincinnati is Lebanon, a very old little town. Have lunch at the Golden Lamb--an inn that dates from Revolutionary War times.
The idea of travelling the Dixie Highway is good--it is Route 25. Just north of Dayton (and actually just off I75 is Tipp City, also a cute little town with cute eateries.

Archie: Just teasing. Drive wherever, however you like.
I do agree with Gretchen, and have found the Air Force museum near Wright-Patterson amazing. You should plan on spending at least a couple of hours there. I believe the admission is free.
Lebanon has a quaintness about it as well. However, the scenic route is basically a slice of Americana. Don't expect to see much jaw-dropping scenery along the way.

Thank you Dave and Gretchen!!

Hey - who said Americans don't have a sense of humor?!!! (I was actually born in Detroit, but have lived in Australia for 40 yrs now. My husband, however, is Australian, and I always get a bit nervous when he 'takes the wheel' over there!!!)

Those are great tips - just what we were looking for. The Air Force museum looks good! Yes - it's the small town America we're after. (And when we get to the Cincinnati area - we're not going into Cincinnati proper - we're going to pick up the Ohio River Scenic Route (Rte 50) to the west. How does that sound?

Thank you both, again.

Jane