NORTHEAST OHIO TRAVEL NEWS

Latest Local & International Travel News, Guides, Information & Planning Tips

Sister Gibbons has big blue eyes, apple cheeks and a sweet disposition. I met the 21-year-old Mormon missionary at Temple Square on my first day in Salt Lake City.

Damien Drake wears a lip ring, a dragon tattoo and an expression halfway between a snarl and a smile. I bumped into the 20-year-old mechanic at a hard-edged nightclub after hours.

Most likely, Gibbons and Drake will never share a dance. Both inhabit the same city, yet they represent two starkly different sides of the Utah capital: one that shines by day, the other that thrives in the dark.

To many, Salt Lake City is an enigma. A large number of visitors use the city as a jumping-off point to the area's top-notch ski resorts and national parks. The mystery also stems from the Mormon society, whose members make up an estimated 45 percent of the area's nearly 1 million residents.

Adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refrain from drinking, for starters, and some of these practices pervade the state's politics and recreation -- especially the cocktail culture. Among the biggest bafflements for visitors are Utah's Byzantine drinking laws. (So, I have to eat in order to drink alcohol at a restaurant, but I can imbibe sans nachos at a private club?)

But these days, fewer out-of-towners are skipping town. "We have seen tourism grow for at least the last two years," said Shawn Stinson, director of communications at the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It's not by leaps and bounds, but it's gradual."

The reason for the uptick: In Salt Lake City, urban attractions and the great outdoors flow together as naturally as the valley and the mountains.

Continue reading "Discovering the two sides of Salt Lake City" »

Perhaps you're not ready to celebrate winter because it has arrived only meteorologically and not chronologically. But how can you not be intrigued by an extravaganza called RezzyFest? It's an annual event in Massillon that the whole family can enjoy. This year's is from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 and Saturday, Dec. 6 in Reservoir Park, at Hankins and Phillips roads northeast. Among other things, the festival features chainsaw-woodcarving and ice-sculpting demonstrations, a continuous children's storytime in an igloo, winter-themed games and crafts for kids and rides in a miniature train. And, of course, there will be music and food. Admission is free. Call 330-832-8469, or go to www.massillongateway.com.

If you'd rather do something indoors, consider checking out Winterfair, an annual juried fair of fine arts and crafts by more than 400 artists from across the country. It runs Thursday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 7 at the Ohio Expo Center, 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus. The fair will feature glass, jewelry, sculpture, painting, photography and wearable art.

Hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 4, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6, and noon-5 p.m. Dec. 7. Admission is $7; free for children 12 and younger. Call 614-486-7119 or go to www.ohiocraft.org.

If you have vacation time that you have to use by year's end, plan now to impress your friends by telling them you spent Christmas in Bethlehem. But you don't have to go as far as you think -- about 410 miles to eastern Pennsylvania to the "Christmas City," founded by Moravians on Christmas Eve in 1741. It has an ongoing celebration through Wednesday, Dec. 31 with numerous activities and attractions, including theatrical programs, the Christkindlmarkt featuring handmade crafts and walking tours of the decorated Colonial Industrial Quarter. For a schedule and details, go to www.christmascity.org.

There was no escaping the little ones this summer at Zoombezi Bay, the new outdoor water park owned by the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

The park was so popular that zoo officials had to open the adults-only area -- Croctail Creek -- to youngsters midway through the summer.

"We were a victim of our own success," said Dale Schmidt, chief operating officer of the zoo. "It exceeded all expectations."

The Columbus-area water park wasn't the state's only new tourist attraction to draw more visitors than anticipated this year.

Hocking Hills Canopy Tours, which zips guests from treetop to treetop in southern Ohio, extended its season into November to accommodate hundreds of extra thrill-seekers.

So much for the dire predictions earlier this year that high gas prices and the nation's economic turmoil would keep would-be wandering Americans from leaving their homes.

Instead, they've chosen to wander closer to home.

Continue reading "Ohio tourism holds its own in slow economy" »

While everybody else goes to the mall on the day after Thanksgiving to start shopping for the holidays, why not avoid the crowds and do something different? (We bet you will be able to find bargains the following week and beyond.)

Instead, consider taking the family to the William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum in Canton, where there will be planetarium and science shows, open-hearth cooking demonstrations and other activities. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The museum is at 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW. Admission is $7 ($6 for those 60 and older, $5 for children 3-18 and free for children 2 and younger). Call 330-455-7043, or go to www.mckinleymuseum.org.

If you do want to shop, try checking out the National Holiday Gift Show, a Thanksgiving weekend tradition in Dayton for 27 years. It features more than 300 vendors offering handmade gifts, crafts and other goodies. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28 and Saturday, Nov. 29 and noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30 at Hara Arena, 1001 Shiloh Springs Road. Admission is $5 and is good for all three days. Children 15 and younger are free. Call 937-278-4776, or go to haracomplex.com. (Click on "Our Events.")

Continue reading "Forget the malls: After Thanksgiving, try a Ohio presidential retreat" »

Boston -- This is the cradle of patriotism, the site of Paul Revere's historic ride and home to the USS Constitution. But it's also home to a new greenway, high fashion at low prices, discount theater tickets, great public transportation and cool places to eat well on a budget.

The combination of old and new, historic and trendy, gives Boston its unique personality -- and provides limitless opportunities for a visit that doesn't require help from one of the city's leaders in venture capital.

There's a lot to choose from, well beyond clam "chowdah," the patriots of 1776 and historic Faneuil Hall.

But first . . .

Pahk your cahr: Here's the secret of why Bostonians "pahk their cahr in Hahvid Yahd" -- because it's too expensive to park it in the city.

If you plan to stay in Boston, there's no need to rent a car. The city's public transit -- known locally as "the T" -- is an easy-to-follow, color-coded system that is safe and inexpensive, just $2 per ride, with kids free.

In good weather, the most affordable and efficient way to navigate Boston is on foot. And the best way to see the most historic sites -- for free -- is along the Freedom Trail.

You can start anywhere along the red-brick pathway that winds and bends through historic Boston -- from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument. There are 16 official sites but plenty of fun, unofficial stops along the way, too.

Historic haunts: Some of the most intriguing figures in the nation are spending their eternal rest in the Boston area. Just one free visit to the Old Granary Burying Ground provides a history lesson for the thousands who come each year to see the graves of noted patriots John Hancock, John Adams and Robert Treat Paine -- who all signed the Declaration of Independence. Also buried here are Paul Revere and victims of the Boston Massacre.

Continue reading "By land or by sea, Boston has history" »

Atlanta -- Home to the world's most famous soda and largest aquarium, Atlanta is also known for its rich Southern history. The sprawling city offers many attractions and museums, but the best of Atlanta is tucked away in neighborhoods that can be enjoyed for little to no cost.

Must-see attractions
Stone Mountain Park, 20 miles east of the city, was voted the city's best public playground. It features a 1,683-foot-high granite rock carved with images of Confederate leaders. Although the mountain was once home to Ku Klux Klan meetings, it now is a family-oriented theme park with traditional outdoor playgrounds and an indoor foam playground.

Parking is $8, but once inside, you can hike to the top of the mountain for a beautiful view of the Atlanta skyline and to watch the sun set or rise. Walk through Crossroads for a trip back to the Antebellum Era. In the winter, take a driving tour of the park to see Christmas lights and 6-foot holiday greeting cards.

Continue reading "Atlanta's heritage is in the neighborhoods" »

Forget about counting calories yourself this holiday season. It's time to put your suitcase on a diet. With all the changes in air travel this year, the fees for flying with checked bags are the most dramatic. If you haven't flown since your annual trip to Grandma's last Thanksgiving, you're in for an expensive surprise at the check-in counter.

In addition to sky-high airfares, airlines are piling on the fees -- for suitcases, snacks, even pillows and blankets on some carriers.

The news, however, isn't all bad. The Air Transport Association predicts a 10 percent decline in the number of passengers on U.S. airlines over Thanksgiving, down from last year's record 26 million air travelers.

Fewer passengers will likely mean shorter security lines, fewer flight delays and fewer lost bags.

But fewer planes in the air also may mean fewer options for travelers whose flights are canceled because of weather or mechanical problems.

And the decline in passengers won't result in planes that are any less packed. The ATA predicts planes will be flying 90 percent full, thanks to industry-wide route reductions across the country.

In November alone, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will see 17 percent fewer departures than last year. (The Akron-Canton Airport, on the other hand, is seeing a slight increase in capacity this month and next, thanks primarily to an extra daily US Airways flight to Philadelphia, according to spokeswoman Kristie Van Auken.)

Continue reading "The pros offer tips for flying from Hopkins or Akron-Canton over the holidays" »