[DeltAlum]

Ok, seriously we actually liked Michigan while we lived in Detroit.

We moved away from Ohio in 1974, but here are some things to do there off the top of my head...

First of all, Mansfield isn't the garden spot of the midwest, but the good news is that, even though it has a huge population, Ohio is not very big area wise. There really isn't anything you can't drive to in a couple of hours.

Besides the stuff mentioned above in Cleveland, there's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which is pretty neat. There's a concert location -- I think it's called Blossom there also.

The Lake Erie shoreline offers a lot of fun stuff -- especially if you like watersports. There's also camping right on the lake at Gem Beach and East Harbor. There are also lots of neat little towns to visit like Marblehead.

Like amusement parks? Cedar Point at Sandusky is considered THE roller coaster park. They have something like 18 of them. It's listed as one of the top fifteen parks in the country. They also have entertainment like the other major parks (Disney, etc.) It's a very clean park right on the lakefront at Sandusky. They also have a Seaworld type dolphin and seal show right at the park. Kings Island near Cincinnati is another good amusement park.

Camping? Ohio has an excellent state park system. If you're past the tent stage, most of them have nice cabins and lodges at moderate prices.

Columbus offers a lot of benefits on the Ohio State campus like the Wexner Art Gallery. Or try The Center of Science and Industry (COSI) downtown. Catch a Broadway touring company at Veterans Memorial Auditorium. How about a rock concert at Polaris Amphetheatre or shopping at the new mall near it with all the major department stores (I don't know the name). Take a walk around German Village with all of it's restaurants and shops. Columbus also has professional soccer and hockey teams as well as OSU sports.

Cincinnati, a little farther away also offers professional sports (I think the Bengals are still considered professional). It also offers some excellent cultural opportunities.

North Central Ohio, where you are is pretty flat, but there are some beautiful driving trips -- especially in Spring and Fall -- down through Southeast Ohio in the Hocking River Valley. Take a walk around my Alma Mater, Ohio University. It's the oldest university in the original Northwest Territory, chartered in 1787 and founded in 1804. The Georgian buildings are beautiful, as is the campus. Athens is the prototypical town. The Fall colors are spectacular.

If you're into smaller, but still competitive college sports, Ohio has several Mid American Conference teams, including Ohio U., Miami of Ohio, Kent State, Bowling Green State Unviersity, Akron University and the University of Toledo. There are also a ton of small, highly regarded liberal arts colleges such as Otterbein, Oberlin and Wittenberg with all of the opportunities they offer.

The US Air Force has a major museum open to the public at Wright Patterson AFB at Dayton.

You are within a half hours drive of one of the finest road tracks for sportscar and motorcycle racing in the country -- the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course outside Mansfield.

Again, that's off the top of my head, and there must be a lot of other stuff since I've lived there.

Good luck. Have a good time.