In the northeast of the state, Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, One Key Plaza, 751 Erieside Ave. (tel. 216/515-8420; www.rockhall.com), is a little pricey at $20 per adult (admission for children is $11, seniors $14), but there is no other institution as thoroughly devoted to the best thing to come out of America next to the electric light, peanut butter, and the automobile (or whatever your favorite example of homegrown ingenuity might be). Opened in 1995, the pyramid-like building designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei holds a Smithsonian-worthy treasure trove of musical artifacts and instruments, rock paraphernalia, and swag, like James Brown's tuxedo jacket, Jimi Hendix's handwritten lyrics for "Purple Haze" and his 1968 Sunburst Stratocaster, Neil Young's fringed leather jacket, and an entire exhibit devoted solely to Elvis Presley. The museum also has a chronological history of rock and roll, as well as rotating exhibits in addition to the permanent collection.

Also in Cleveland is the burial site of one of Ohio's eight U.S. presidents, James Garfield, in Lake View Cemetery (tel. 216/421-2665; www.lakeviewcemetery.com), where you can visit the 180-foot Garfield Monument, featuring marble columns, intricate mosaics, stained-glass windows, as well as an observation deck from which you can see Lake Erie. Below is the crypt, which holds Garfield's flag-draped coffin and that of his wife and children.

Holmes County, in the central eastern portion of Ohio, is home to the largest Amish community in the country, where you can tour working Amish farms, browse and buy their crafts, and, if you're lucky, maybe even happen upon a barn-raising or an Amish wedding. Lavonne Debois of Amish Culture Tours (tel. 330/893-3248; www.amishtoursofohio.com) offers a combination of narrated bus tour and interaction with the Amish community, including in-home dinners with an Amish family. Nearby, American antique aficionados should check New Philadelphia's Riverfront Antique Mall (tel. 800/926-9806; www.riverfrontantiquemalls.com), with its 350 venders spread out over an 84,000-square-foot warehouse. Collectors of antique glass and pottery will particularly like the Baker Family Museum, 805 Cumberland St., Caldwell (tel. 740/732-6410), packed with a boggling 300,000 pieces of glass from makers like Fenton, Degenhart, R.S. Prussia, Tiffany, Steuben, Francoma, and Cambridge. Those particularly fond of Cambridge glass can check out the National Museum of Cambridge Glass (tel. 740/432-4245; www.cambridgeglass.org/nccmuseum.php) in Cambridge.

To the south in Adams County, the fascinating Serpent Mound State Memorial, 3850 State Route 73 (tel. 800/752-2757), is a National Historical Landmark and the largest effigy structure in North America (although some say it's the biggest in the world, with similar constructions found in Scotland and Ontario). The 1,330-foot-long snaking mound was likely created by the Hopewell, a culture of early Native Americans indigenous to southern Ohio, and slithers alongside Ohio Brush Creek. In 2006, nearly $300,000 was spent to create an observation deck for the mound, as well as a sheltered picnic area.

The serious hikers out there will want to check out the Buckeye Trail (www.buckeyetrail.org), an ambitious linking of over 1,435 continuous miles of hiking trails that connect the four corners of the semi-squarish state. Campsites are available along the way, although not close enough together in all spots for tent-pitching every night of your walk.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.