Which ONE city in Ohio would you visit? Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati?
 

I want to spend one weekend in one of these three cities in Ohio: Cincinnati, Columbus or Cleveland. Never been to any of them. I'd be flying in and out. If you had never been to the state, and this was your one and only trip and you could choose only one of the three cities, which one would you choose?

Also, where would you stay (if you didn't know anyone in the city), and what would be your favorite activities to do over the weekend (assuming no "special events" such as a sporting event), and where would you recommend eating?

hmm, that depends on time of year and your own interests, probably. I'm from central Ohio so have been to all of them.

I"d probably choose Cleveland, not that it is so glamorous, but they have several excellent things to do which are varied. YOu have the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame and then the Cleveland Art Museum, which is excellent. There is some old ship on the harbor near the rock museum, also, I forget what that's about as I didn't tour it. But they do have some lake boat trips a the right time of year. I realize some people wouldn't care about the Rock museum, though. And they have a great cemetery, actually, which famous people and beautiful sculptures. Lake View. see https://clevelandtraveler.com/lake-view-cemetery-guide/ The park area near the Cleveland Art Museum is really nice, also.

Cincinnati has an excellent Art Museum, also, and a good zoo. I'm not that familiar with the cute parts of town people may visit.

Columbus has a good zoo, obviously, a good science/industry museum and a "quaint' old historical German area (German village). They have an arty museum also which isn't as top notch as Cincinnati (or Toledo or Cleveland, I'd say). Right now they are doing a superb special exhibition of Van Gogh and contemporaries, though, and it's only in a few cities. So if you like art and are going shortly, that would tip towards that city. They did a good article on that exhibit in WAPO last week. It's only through 2/6, though.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-...lumbus-museum/

I can't get into eating as I don't care about that much, to be honest, I don't make lists of special places and have only visited these places, not enough to have a restaurant list. Probably any good online review list you can get would be ok.

Just 40 minutes southwest of Cleveland is Oberlin. This college town has historical architecture, quaint shopping and galleries, and entertainment. World-renowned Oberlin College is famous for its music Conservatory. The town is home to coffeehouses, thrift shops, bookstores, galleries, health food markets, a public library, a movie theater, and a yoga studio—all within walking distance. Local restaurants offer a wide cuisines.

In another thread there is a nice list of things to do around Cincinnati. Just north of Cincy is Lebanon, a Revolutionary War era town that is pretty sure George Washington slept there.

And if you go in the right season you can see football or baseball.

Ohio is a great state, but it is not known for its tourism. The state has one city that stands out in terms of tourism, and that is Columbus. The city is a great tourist destination and offers a lot of fun. Historic landmarks, great entertainment facilities and a lot of other things are all in Columbus.

My husband LOVED the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was sorry he couldn't spend more time there (he was at a conference.) He was pleasantly surprised with how much he enjoyed Cleveland.

Closing the loop on this thread, we'll be going to Cleveland this weekend. If we go back to Ohio we'll check out the other cities. Thanks everyone for your kind and helpful responses.

There's always A Christmas Story House -
https://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/

Just 40 minutes west of Columbus is Yellow Springs (pop. 4,000) which is home to the famous progressive college of Antioch College. It is a very progressive town and an arts community. The downtown has an eclective assortment of shops, galleries and restaurants.Yellow Springs has become known as a the Hippie town of Ohio, primarily because of its open-minded culture and down-to-earth lifestyle. It has many nature preserves and trails. .

[QUOTE=Gretchen;17326467]In another thread there is a nice list of things to do around Cincinnati. Just north of Cincy is Lebanon, a Revolutionary War era town that is pretty sure George Washington slept there.


Whatever its interest, Lebanon is not a Revolutionary War town. From Wikipedia:

Lebanon is in the Symmes Purchase. The first European settler in what is now Lebanon was Ichabod Corwin, uncle of Ohio Governor Thomas Corwin, who came to Ohio from Bourbon County, Kentucky, and settled on the north branch of Turtle Creek in March 1796.

my bad .