Cultural offerings range from Irish dance classes to first-rate art museums
Ancestral roots run deep in Ohio, where groups can explore Amish, German, Irish and English culture while visiting some of the Midwest’s finest attractions.
Ohio is a melting pot, its different regions impacted by waves of immigrants from Ireland, England and Germany as well as by Native Americans who have influenced Buckeye State culture for centuries.
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Northeast Ohio Art and Culture
You can’t travel to Northeast Ohio without visiting some of the state’s best live performances, including the Ohio Star Theater, a 500-seat venue that opened in 2017 in Sugarcreek. The theater is currently presenting the musical RUTH, using the script and score from Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA. The show is being received with much praise.
Those looking to embrace the area’s artistic treasures should head to the Butler Institute of American Art, a Youngstown staple and the first museum dedicated exclusively to American art. Later, venture an hour southeast to Canton, home of the Canton Museum of Art.
The Columbus Museum of Art features some of the finest art in the world. Photo by Christopher Riley
Art and More in Central Ohio
In Central Ohio, you will notice one defining trait: Irish tradition. It is encapsulated by Irish Dance 101 in Dublin, which leads an hour-long class for demonstrations, teaches a brief history of Irish dance and gives participants the opportunity to jump in themselves. Events during the annual three-day Irish Festival in early August produce eruptions of singing, dancing and merry fun.
This geographic area offers restaurants, hotels and venues—many reminiscent of old haunts in Ireland, others not—that keep people coming back, whether they want to learn to step dance (another Irish ritual) in Dublin or visit the Columbus Museum of Art in the Buckeye State’s sparkling capital city.
Art piece “Susan Comforting the Baby” which is found at the Columbus Museum of Art. Photo by Jens Cederskjold.
Southeast Ohio Attractions
Cambridge, Ohio, gets its name from the famed English city, but it takes more than a name to keep tradition alive. In fact, the town is dotted with Victorian-style buildings and hosts the annual Dickens Victorian Village. During this Christmas-season ritual every November and December, Cambridge creates the illusion that guests have been vaulted back into 1850s England, with 94 scenes depicting aspects of old-time life. With life-sized, handmade mannequins wearing period attire and lots of delicious food and drink, visitors always leave Dickens Village with a sense of historical fulfillment.
Another popular attraction in the region is the Zanesville Museum of Art, which ignites imagination through the visual arts, creating the perfect environment for travel groups to be enriched by some of the most exceptional pieces of art that Ohio has to offer.
The Cincinnati Art Museum features 67,000 works. Photo by CincinnatiUSA
Southwest Ohio Museums and More
The Cincinnati Art Museum, which lies in the Queen City’s Eden Park neighborhood, boasts 67,000 works spanning 6,000 years of human history and is one of the nation’s oldest museums. The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum is less than an hour away at Miami University in Oxford. Though not as sprawling as the Cincinnati Art Museum, it is perfect for art enthusiasts yearning for a serene stroll as part of their broader journey around Oxford’s buzzing campus.
Southwest Ohio has deep German roots and you might think you are in Deutschland as you munch on brats at German restaurants and sip beer at one of the brew houses in Cincinnati and environs. Wanting to learn more about all of these German traditions? Look no further than Cincinnati’s German Heritage Museum, which offers carriage and walking tours.
When people talk about Ohio, they usually mention a few hotspots: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cedar Point, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Pro Football Hall of Fame, among others. All of these are worthy additions to your Buckeye State itinerary, but there is much more—and you can find it by exploring Ohio’s rich immigrant roots. From Amish restaurants to German breweries to Irish dance festivals in Dublin, this state boasts some of the finest cultural attractions imaginable.
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