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For families whose households have begun to ring with the cry of "I'm bored!" and "There's nothing to do!" affordable options for getting out of the house are important. The time-honored tradition of the family road trip is difficult to beat during the summer. And, according to WalletHub's "2023's Best and Worst States for Summer Road Trips" Ohio is difficult to beat for a road trip.
In fact, the Buckeye State ranked fourth in the nation on the company's list -- 18th for costs, 21st for safety and 12th for activities. WalletHub says Ohio is 2nd in the country for lowest cost of car repairs. And while it is nice to know Ohio is 19th for the number of attractions along the way, residents will not be surprised to learn our state is ranked 10th for access to scenic byways. Other positives include being ranked 21st for the lowest price of a three-star hotel room, 12th for nightlife options per capita, 16th for car thefts per capita, and 19th in vehicle miles traveled per capita.
"Yes, research supports that people want to travel and to travel domestically more than ever. Households want and strongly desire a return to 'normal' and 'authentic' travel planning and vacations in Summer 2023," said Rod Warnick, a professor at University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
According to the list, only Texas, New York and North Carolina are better places to do it than right here in Ohio. When you work hard to create the kind of state in which people want to live and work, you become the kind of state to which people want to travel and explore, too. Maybe a few of those visitors will fall in love with the state and stay.
Meanwhile, if you are looking for ideas, exploring and getting to know your own state is a fun -- and important -- way to fall a little more in love with home, too. We may be "The Heart of it All," but with the right road trip, visitors and Ohioans alike can find out what makes that heart beat.