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The Maumee Bay State Park's boardwalk.

Serene boardwalks

Nature weaves a tapestry of tranquil landscapes and vibrant ecosystems in Ohio, in several spots presented thoughtfully through the winding allure of boardwalk trails.

Summer at Maumee Bay State Park

On the northern cusp of Ohio near the town of Oregon, Maumee Bay State Park is one of Lake Erie’s playful attractions. The park features a 2.3-mile boardwalk that winds through wetlands teeming with diverse wildlife and lush vegetation. I stumbled upon this path a few years ago during a family stay at Maumee Bay Lodge.

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A pontoon boat overlooking a beautiful sunset on Buckeye Lake.

Reviving the lake life

Nestled in the heart of Ohio, Buckeye Lake and Grand Lake St. Marys each faced near-devastating challenges over the last decade or two that brought their once-thriving “lake life” — and all the recreational and economic benefits that come with it — to a standstill. 

Throughout the first half of the 1900s, Buckeye Lake reigned as the premier destination for leisurely outdoor activities in central Ohio. Its amusement park, complete with Ferris wheel and roller coasters, enticed younger visitors, while others boated, sunbathed, or just lounged around the lake. By the 1940s, as many as 50,000 people per day came calling, and show business superstars like Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra played shows in its huge dance halls. Buckeye Lake became the first of Ohio’s canal lakes to be named a state park in 1949.

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The Akron home of Alcoholics Anonymous founder Robert Smith, located in Akron, Ohio.

Pilgrimage for recovery

[Editor’s note: Ohio Cooperative Living honors the tradition in Alcoholics Anonymous in which members are 
granted a level of anonymity in the press.]

Launched in Akron in 1935, AA is a fellowship dedicated to overcoming alcohol addiction, extensively documented in its publications such as Alcoholics Anonymous (known as “The Big Book”), Dr. Bob and the Good Oldtimers, and AA Grapevine.

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Early Resilience

A matter of taste

Tired of losing tomatoes to unwanted garden pests? Worried you’ll need to sacrifice excellent taste for improved yield? Take a deep breath and relax: This year, you can have your tomato and eat it, too.

If you want to grow delicious, homegrown tomatoes this year, simply focus your attention on these three stages of gardening: planning, preparing, and protecting.

Stage 1: Plan

Planning for a successful tomato harvest starts with choosing the right varieties to grow in your garden. 

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Motorcyclists signaling to each other on the road.

Twisty rides

Clevelander and motorcycle aficionado Dan Davis and his biker buddies tackled a 7,000-mile round-trip ride to the West Coast and back in 2022.

Ohio’s Windy 9, promoted by the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is a motorcycling destination that encompasses nine routes — nearly 800 miles of winding roads that twist through southeastern Ohio’s hilly Appalachian region. The abundance of curves and the elevation change along the roads make it a hugely popular draw for motorcyclists.

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The captain of a ferry's view of the lake.

Island connection

Nearly a million people visit the tiny cluster of islands at the western end of Lake Erie each year, and most of them arrive by boat — specifically, on one of three ferry services that tote folks across the water from Port Clinton, Catawba, Sandusky, and Marblehead. 

Ehrbar is one of a half-dozen full-time Kelleys captains, who, along with nine part-timers, keep the service’s five boats running from Marblehead to Kelleys Island nearly year-round. “In season, we’re running a boat every 30 minutes — we just raise the ramp and go,” Ehrbar says. “But in the off-season, we’ll give a couple minutes leeway here or there.” 

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New state holiday honors the former president and hero of the Civil War.

Grant's day

Ohio is known as the “Mother of Presidents” because eight of the nation’s 46 chief executives called it home. The first of them, Ulysses S. Grant, now has a state holiday in his honor.

The idea for Grant Day came from State Sen. Terry Johnson (R-Scioto County), whose 14th District covers Clermont, Brown, Adams, and Scioto counties. “I was attending Grant’s 200th birthday celebration in Georgetown and got to thinking it would be nice to make his birthday a state holiday,” Johnson says. Adam Bird, who represents House District 63 in southern Ohio, wholeheartedly agreed, and in May 2022, the two legislators introduced companion bills proposing Grant Day. They worked together as their bills moved through the legislative process, and Gov.

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Writer Randy Edwards and his wife, Mary, toured Croatia’s Dalmatian Islands on e-bikes.

Power to the pedals

Anyone who recalls the thrill of getting a good push while learning to ride a bicycle can appreciate the growing popularity of electric bikes — bicycles outfitted with electric motors that lend extra oomph to your pedaling.

E-bike” sales are booming, adding ease to urban commutes and adventure to global travel.
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John Graves and Jim Gibson, both avid kite flyers, have built quite a collection of kites of all sizes and shapes.

Go fly a kite!

When spring’s first warm breezes blow over Ohio’s landscapes, there are plenty of folks — children and adults alike — who think, “It’s a great day to fly a kite!” 

The group’s name is a clever allusion to Cincinnati’s history as well as the group’s reason for existence. “Cincinnati used to be the pork-processing capital of the U.S.,” says longtime member John Graves of Fairfield, a retired registered nurse, who also explains that “P.I.G.S. Aloft” stands for “People Interested in Getting Stuff Aloft.”

“We don’t collect dues or elect officers,” Graves says. “We just get together to fly our kites and have fun. Anyone is welcome to join us.” 

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