If you like tennis, the Western & Southern Open is a "US Open warmup" tournament in Cincinnati in August that attracts most of the top tier players who go to the US Open a few weeks later. It's generally pretty easy to get tickets and you can see all the tennis stars play and practice.
Cincinnati is pleasant enough for a day or two, but I wouldn't go there just to be in Cincinnati. If I were in Cincinnati I'd probably duck down into Kentucky to check out the bourbon trail and Mammoth Cave instead. Louisville is a fun, funky city to explore too.
In Ohio, Columbus is probably the place I'd check out - Ohio State is there and I remember a cute older neighborhood with nice restaurants. There's also a couple of giant malls and such. Haven't been to Cleveland in 20 years so I'm not really sure what's there these days. Eastern Ohio will have more hills/mountains/hiking I think. I've never been.
My in laws live in northwest Ohio, south of Toledo. Nothing much going on there unless you like watching corn grow. But if you do find yourself there, a stop at Dietsch Bros in Findlay is a must - it's the best chocolate/candy shop around. Mr Gfunk loves their milkshakes but I think their ice cream is just OK. I can give other recommendations in Findlay if you're going to be there.
Last edited by gfunkdave; May 9, 2022 at 9:26 am