I am going to a business meeting to Columbus, Ohio, in June. That will be my first visit to the US, and while Columbus doesn't seem very interesting itself (please prove me wrong), I will rent a car for a week to travel around a bit. I am not particular interested in crowded mainstream tourist attractions, but rather looking for quiet hikes in nature or descent cultural events. Do you have any travel hints? What are interesting places to visit in Ohio and neighboring states?

Thanks

Oh, and I hope I will finally experience a low ping in VO :)

If you were out west, I'd totally have places to point you too, since I'm a fan of mountains and such. Where are you from?

Well Ohio is pretty big and Columbus is right in the center. I doubt you'll want to travel to any "neighboring states". Once you get to the hotel, a lot of times they'll have pamphlets that contain information on nearby attractions. It's hard to mention anything specific unless you have something specific in mind.

Lessee... Stuff to see in Ohio...

Ashville: World's Oldest Traffic Light
Avon: Duct Tape Capital of the World
Nelsonville: Pencil Sharpener Museum
Cleveland: World's Largest Rubber Stamp

Yeah, Ohio is a bunch of nothing.

You have picked the absolute navel of the U.S.A. You may find some lint.

Ok, I try to get more precise. I don't mind driving a larger distance to get out of this "bunch of nothing" (though I don't really want to take another flight). My preferred travel style is to look for an interesting place in a driving range of up to 4 hours, drive there, check out some place to sleep and eat and then enjoy whatever the location offers. Looking at the map, it seems that going to the Great Lakes in the north or to the Appalachian mountains to the east might be worthwhile to consider. On the other hand, that pencil sharpener museum sounds tempting too...

BTW I am German

go to cedar point, I'm going there this summer to ride the roller coasters!

The Great Lakes might be a good idea. The Appalachian "Mountains" are semi large hills by European standards.

The Appalachian "Mountains" are semi large hills by European standards.

They happen to be a great deal older. As demonstrated by the example of Ecka, old age wears things down. A lot. Besides, being shorter, the Appalachians are also a lot more densely wooded, making them more interesting in their own way.

The driving time from Columbus, OH to Harpers Ferry, WVa is a bit over your ~4 hrs (~6; there may also be an Amtrak rail link, with the Harpers Ferry rail station being literally in the middle of town), but that would be a good place to get in some really nice hiking on and around the Appalachian Trail, maybe play on mild white water (up to class III, depending on river chosen and rain fall), and see some interesting U.S. pre-Civil War/Civil War era sites.

I suggest looking into renting something called Highacre for your stay if you go: the place itself is awesome, and the location is impressive in that it's next to everything, including having part of the Appalachian Trail running next to the 1700's era cemetary that's out behind it. It's an old Victorian house overlooking the entire town, the mountains, and the confluence of two rivers; you can get the entire house to yourself for $65 USD per night Sunday-Wednesday, and for $120 per night Thursday-Saturday... the Patomac Appalachian Trail Club handles rentals there, and requires you buy a $30 annual membership to rent that particular "cabin" (it's fully furnished, has hot/cold running water, shower, toilet, electricity, etc). Check it out at http://potomacappalachian.org/images/stories/cabins/cab_highacre.jpg and http://potomacappalachian.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=194&Itemid=164

Yeah, like Lecter and moldy have pointed out, you will be disappointed by the Appalachian "Mountains." Seriously, you should go out west. The Appalachians are much older than anything you have in Germany, and so have been worn down to hills. Here in the west we laugh at their "mountains." Sounds like Lecter has the best suggestion for you. It's possible you might get some Civil War sites within a four hour drive, I'm not sure.

Gute Reise!

(my German is poor, but I try)

The Appalachians sound interesting; didn't they also get attention from Copland? From Lecter's Description, they sound a bit like the Jura mountains (also not very high and quite densely wooded), although not in terms of age and composition.

dont bring your laptop unless you want it searched on entry to the country

Ugh... I hate the frickin' airport. LOLHEYLETSMAKEUPAMAKEBELIEVETHREATANDMAKEVERYONESTRAVELINGLIVESHARDER.

Ugh..let's not.

I would vote for the Appalachians. I've hiked in the Appalachians and the Rockies, and the Appalachians are more fun, especially if you're just looking for a day trip. Of course, they're both enormous mountain ranges with vastly different conditions spanning, you know, hundreds of miles. And you wouldn't be able to reach the Rockies anyhow. So I'm not sure why I'm still typing. I think I'll stop tha

Yeah, Aaron Copland used the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts" in his "Appalachian Spring." It's a good piece and famous, but I like "Fanfare for the Common Man" and the intro to "Billy the Kid" better. Copland is great.

The Jura Mountains, like the rest of the Alps and also the Himalayas, are still being built today, so are very different from the Appalachians, which are very old and being worn down. They're still very nice to visit, just very different from what I consider to be a "real" mountain. If you ever get to visit the western U.S., JJPro, I recommend it. We have real mountains here. For example, I grew up with this view of the Rockies:

And now I have this view of the Tetons:


If you know any French, the Teton Mountains are extra funny.

I wish I knew more about Ohio area, to help better. I do know this, though. You're going in June, and it will be hot, and very humid. I don't know how humid Germany is, but if it's nice and dry there, you will not be prepared for the evil humidity.

Yeah, Germany can get pretty humid too in summer.

I agree that the Rocky mountains and other regions in the west are really interesting, but I would want to spend more time there than just one week. So hopefully in future someday.

If you break down and go looking for crowded mainstream attractions, I think the Rock 'n Roll hall of fame is in Cleveland. That's about 150 miles northeast of Columbus, probably a 3 hour drive.
(Please do not try to swim in Lake Erie.)

It's about 450 miles to Milwaukee, probably an 8-hour drive or so.
If you come to Milwaukee in the last week of June or first week in July, you can witness the 10-day musical festival known as "Summerfest", which is a damn good time with beer, food, free music on 10 stages. http://www.summerfest.com
Plus you might see 'ol Leebs making an ass of himself near one of the beer tents, probably the Sprecher one.
Does that qualify as a "cultural event"?

Does that qualify as a "cultural event"?

Only in America.