Damaine Vonada

Location: Downtown Tiffin, south of the Sandusky River.

Manufacturers throughout the state open their doors to the public, offering tours to demonstrate how they produce everything from modern vehicles to old-school items and providing prime examples of the Buckeye work ethic.

Plan ahead: Since production schedules can affect factory tour availability, always call to confirm dates and times.

Location: On the famous “Strip” (a.k.a. State Route 531) of attractions, eateries, and entertainment venues clustered near Geneva-on-the-Lake’s lengthy Lake Erie shoreline.

When Scott Hagan remodeled his home, he and his wife, Amanda, picked reclaimed barn wood for the staircase and fireplace mantle. It was an obvious choice, given Hagan’s history.

Location: Lorain Avenue and West 25th Street in Cleveland’s historic Ohio City neighborhood.

It was 25 minutes past noon when I scored the last serving of the Friday lunch special — scalloped potatoes and ham — at the Auction Restaurant in Shipshewana, Indiana. Just seconds after I ordered, a young man sat down and asked for the special too. “It’s all gone,” said the waitress, a pleasant, middle-aged woman wearing an apron, plain blue dress, and white bonnet. “Well, I was wanting it all morning,” he complained, then settled for a prime rib sandwich.

Location: Second and Washington streets in Marietta, near the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers.

The horse is Kentucky’s icon, and no place celebrates all things equine better than Kentucky Horse Park.

Located just outside Lexington, the park is like Disneyland with horses. Pristine grounds and specially designed buildings echo the beauty of the surrounding Bluegrass horse country, while programming and activities harness humanity’s relationship with horse breeds throughout the globe.

Location: Cincinnati’s Eden Park, a hilltop oasis that’s also home to the Cincinnati Art Museum; the Presidents’ Grove of trees honoring U.S. chief executives; and the Eden Park Overlook, which offers panoramic views of the Ohio River.

Along a narrow road that snakes through the woodsy hills north of Zanesville, Ripple Rock Farms sits on 15 country acres where Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative members Craig and Traci Bell have lived for several years.