In Northeast Ohio, you don’t need to go far to experience something miles beyond

The Buckeye State offers topnotch museums, island getaways, wineries and much more

A zipline at sunset takes riders along the lake and through Geneva State Park for sunset views in Geneva-on-the-Lake via Lake Erie Canopy Tours. The Kids Adventure Tour has many of the same challenges as the zipline, but they’re closer to the ground. (Courtesy of The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake)

Changing your perspectives of the same old places makes you fall in love with Northeast Ohio all over again.

Possibilities abound in the serendipitous season of summer, with the closeness of everything an advantage when reality gives only a short break from the everyday. The totality of the beauty of Lake Erie sunsets, the parks with their trees and wineries and outdoor concerts on lawns and town squares is hard to match anywhere.

Discover that you don’t need to fly away to become engaged in your surroundings. Plan a day trip, a weekend or even longer to relax and get to know more about the close-by beyond.

Geneva-on-the-Lake

Walk the strip to take in old-time attractions like Skee-Ball, eat cotton candy and hot dogs, hit the beach, play at the oldest mini golf course in the country and take a spin in a go-kart. See the sunset from a zipline or challenge the kids to a pint-sized canopy tour. It all started with friends and automobile pioneers Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and Harvey Firestone, who enjoyed camping there more than a century ago. Their inventions made it possible to get away by car for weekends in the fresh lake breezes. And their descendants still come. Rental cottages and bed and breakfasts abound. Details: visitgenevaonthelake.com and lakeeriecanopytours.com.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad includes dinner trains among the two-hour trips it makes through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio’s only national park, which covers 33,000 acres between Cleveland and Akron. (Courtesy of Ohio the Heart of It All)

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad

Most trips on this historic railway are two hours as the train follows the Ohio & Erie Canal through the 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio’s only national park, along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron. Excursions include breakfast, fine dining, plus wine and ale tastings. Train cars are historic and range from luxurious to straightforward, and fares start at about $50 per person. Details: CVSR.org.

Explore the island by rental golf cart to slow down in Put-in-Bay, where appreciation of Lake Erie is the goal. Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial, in honor of War of 1812 naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry, can be climbed for island views. (Courtesy of Ohio the Heart of It All)

Lake Erie Islands

Catch a ferry at Port Clinton to Kelleys Island and South Bass Island, home to the village of Put-in-Bay. Reservations are needed to take your car. Otherwise, getting around on the islands is by foot, rented golf cart or bicycle. Climb the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial at lively Put-in-Bay, with its bars, restaurants and winery. The monument pays tribute to the naval commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. Sleepier Kelleys Island, with its glacial grooves and natural sights even lets you follow bike paths in the woods. Details: shoresandislands.com.

Wooded trails on Kelleys Island can be explored via bike by those who bring them on the ferry or rent them on the island. (Courtesy of Ohio the Heart of It All)

Cabins

Punderson State Park, in Geauga County, and Geneva State Park, in Ashtabula County, have cabins to rent for an idyllic getaway. Punderson, near Burton, has a lake with rental boats for canoeing and fishing, campgrounds, a golf course and many hiking trails. The lodge is in an old Tudor mansion (said to be haunted) with a swimming pool and restaurant. Those renting cabins, which are furnished and sleep six in two bedrooms, can access lodge facilities. Geneva State Park’s newer cabins are along Lake Erie’s shore and the lodge offers dining, indoor and outdoor pools and winery excursions. Details: ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/cabins.

The Tudor-style lodge at Punderson State Park, which is said to be haunted, overlooks a pretty lake where rental boats are available. (Courtesy of Ohio the Heart of It All)

Burton

With the country’s only municipal sugarbush on its town square, this is where to learn about the production of maple syrup from its earliest days to the present time. Maple sap, which is boiled into syrup, is gathered in the winter, but there’s someone on hand to talk about the process all year round. Several nice restaurants and an ornate Victorian tea room are on the square, and the area around the town is Amish Country, with horses and buggies providing the transportation for people who live the old-fashioned lives of their ancestors. Details: destinationgeauga.com.

Wine country

Wine country spans eastern Lake County and Ashtabula County, with dozens of wineries offering tastings, food and tours. There’s also a distillery and fine dining to be found. Several are just a few minutes’ drive from each other. For sipping and dining try Laurentia Vineyard and Winery, Grand River Cellars and The Black Door Tavern. Details: ohiowines.org.

West Side Market

The West Side Market, built in 1912 on Cleveland’s West 25th Street, has origins in 1840. Its landmark clock tower can be seen from downtown. It’s the city’s largest and oldest public market, boasting more than 100 vendors, indoors and out, with a sit-down restaurant and several places to grab lunch on the go. Details: westsidemarket.org.

University Circle

East of downtown Cleveland is the largest concentration of arts-and-culture institutions in the country amid the campuses of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Art, Severance Music Center and Cleveland Institute of Music. A free bus takes visitors among the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Botanical Garden and Cleveland History Center. Fine restaurants include Provenance, at the art museum, and L’Albatros. Summers spell Wade Oval Wednesdays, an outdoor festival of music and fun set on lawns surrounded by museums. Details: UniversityCircle.org.

Holden Arboretum

With 3,300 acres spanning Lake and Geauga counties, the arboretum is all about nature, with programming, special events and trails for strolls among ponds, wildflowers and trees in its many gardens. Music and food trucks are part of the fun summer evenings. Speaking of music, Apollo’s Fire, a notable baroque orchestra, will present six performances of “Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Rediscovered” at the Arboretum in July. Plus, “Pollinator Express,” a summer-long garden railroad display showcasing larger-than-life pollinators, captivates young and old. Details: HoldenFG.org.

Goodtime III

This four-deck ship hosts a two-hour narrated cruise along the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie with in-depth Cleveland’s history and spectacular views of downtown and the Flats. Dinner cruises also are available. Passengers can stroll between open decks or stay in place on an enclosed air-conditioned deck that’s easy for those in walkers and wheelchairs. The Goodtime III operates from Cleveland’s North Coast Inner Harbor at E. 9th Street Pier, behind the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: goodtimeiii.com.

Terminal Tower

Get a 360-degree view of downtown Cleveland from the 42nd floor of the Terminal Tower, 668 feet above Public Square. The observation deck is open on Saturdays spring through fall with $5 timed tickets, purchased in advance, for self-guided tours. Tickets must be purchased Through Eventbrite.

The Garage at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame makes it possible for visitors to use instruments and make their own music. (Courtesy of Ohio the Heart of It All)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Explore rock’s roots on the ground floor with Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry and exhibitions “Revolutionary Women in Music: Left of Center” and “Holla If Ya Hear Me: Hip Hop at 50,” then travel upward to make your own music in The Garage and see historic instruments, as well. The third floor explores artifacts from 2023 inductees, while Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” is replicated on the fourth floor. On levels five and six, get up close and personal with artifacts from inductees including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks and Led Zeppelin. Details: RockHall.com.