I'm looking for a nice place to visit with thoughts on what to see. Trying to plan a surprise mini vacation and don't know where to start. Were near Columbus Ohio. I would like to stay within 300 miles appx. Something nice to see by car or short walks/hikes. We like Nature, Fishing, Boating, City life. Would prefer to not be in an area that's dominated by 18 to 30 crowd.

D.C.
Traverse City, MI: Mackinac, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs...
Smokey Mountains
Lake Cumberland Houseboat rental
Nashville/Mammoth Cave

Mackinaw Island and Traverse City are a bit more than 300 miles but very worthwhile. At the Island, there's a lot of history, a car-free environment, fudge, decent lodging and food.
Traverse City offers Michigan's best wine region, Lake Michigan and the nearby Sleeping Bear Dune National Lakeshore.

Other possibles, the Amish area of PA, Whiter Sulpher Spring, WVA and the Springfield, IL area for all things Lincoln.

Two places that readily come to mind in Ohio are - http://www.hockinghills.com/ & www.kelleysisland.com. In Kentucky - http://www.lbl.org/Home.html

Thank you all! This is a great site!

I used to live in Columbus, where are you starting from ?

Smoky Mountain National Park is about 400 miles away from Columbus.

Lots of nice parks in Pennsylvania, New York and W. Virginia

Ontario Canada (Niagara Falls, Niagara on the Lake, Toronto)

Interesting large cities within semi-reasonable striking distance would include Chicago, Philadelphia, and Nashville. Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis are also possibilities, especially is you want to see a baseball or football game as part of the trip.

Will second Springfield, IL as a good moderate-sized state capital to visit. Also enjoyed Frankfort, KY.

Many great ideas here, but a weekend on Put-in-Bay and/or Kelley's Island and a weekend camping and/or hiking in the beautiful Hocking Hills (especially in the fall) should be DON'T MISS for anyone living in Central Ohio and not wanting to spend half the weekend traveling.

You could go to Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, if you are interested in architecture. There are other things to do around there, like river rafting, and it's not far from Pittsburgh. Tennessee is a beautiful state.