If you love pumpkins, carve out some time this October to visit the Circleville Pumpkin Show in south-central Ohio.

No matter how you cut it, this free 4-day festival is as much fun as the big, brightly colored vegetables it celebrates. First held in 1903, the event sprouted from a tiny jack-o'-lantern exhibit at the home of former Mayor George R. Haswell. Today it's Ohio's oldest and largest festival. Read the rest of this entry »

The National Road-Zane Grey Museum in Norwich is well worth a stop if you're in east-central Ohio.

In the early 1800s, the 600-mile National Road (now U.S. Highway 40) was the granddaddy of federal highways; it stretched between Cumberland, Maryland and Vandalia, Illinois and was the only thoroughfare that linked the eastern United States to the western frontier. Read the rest of this entry »

The Ashtabula County Covered Bridge Festival in Jefferson, Ohio is a great October event. It not only shows off our county's 16 beautiful covered bridges, but includes parades, arts and crafts demonstrations, antique car and engine displays, draft-horse pulls, delicious homemade food and a bustling farmers market.

Intrigued by the sign, my husband, John, and I had to stop at Hunger Paynes Restaurant in Crestline while traveling through north-central Ohio recently. This down-home restaurant and its friendly staff quickly stopped our hunger pangs with its family-style cooking, including soups that are famous throughout the area. I highly recommend the outstanding croissant sandwiches and fried Lake Erie perch. You can also order breakfast anytime.