Weekend road trips to take in Ohio this summer

Ohio touts being "The Heart of It All," and if you're still wondering what "it" is, we suggest traveling the state to find out.

Driving the news: Today is Ohio Tourism Day and all sorts of travel agencies and attractions will celebrate the occasion outside the Ohio Statehouse from 11am-2pm.

Why it matters: Tourism is a $38 billion industry in Ohio that supports hundreds of thousands of hospitality jobs.

State of play: The Buckeye State spends millions each year convincing outsiders to visit and even relocate here.

• If ads and billboards aren't enough, we're also redesigning our highway rest stops to better appeal to out-of-state guests.

Zoom in: Marketing organizations report a busy first quarter for local travel.

• Columbus hosted 84 conventions, trade shows and sporting events in the first three months of 2024, per the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Experience Columbus.
• The U.S. Figure Skating Championships were the most prominent, with 60,000 tickets sold over seven days at Nationwide Arena.
• We've also hosted an international women's soccer tournament, a massive gathering of librarians , and Irish citizens in search of free booze .

💭 Tyler's thought bubble: Here are more picks for weekend trips to take this year.

Bellefontaine : The Logan County seat has the nation's oldest street , the nation's shortest street and the highest point in Ohio .

• Ohio Caverns is just nine miles south of town.

Chagrin Falls: The picturesque Cleveland suburb has one of Ohio's best small downtowns.

• The namesake waterfall is visible from Main Street, which features a popular bookstore and old-fashioned popcorn shop .
• It's the hometown of "Calvin and Hobbes" author Bill Watterson, who once featured the city in the strip.

Xenia: Nearby Great Council State Park is set to open June 7 and will honor the history of Native Americans who lived there as early as 15,000 years ago.

• We suggest making pit stops at Yellow Springs and Clifton Mill .