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As I was brainstorming this list of 101 reasons to love summer in Ohio we’re in the middle of a cold, finicky Ohio winter. Some days it’s freezing-cold and then we get a warm-up only to freeze again.

Mr. Groundhog is saying we’ve got more winter ahead but I’m over it! I keep thinking about warm, hot sunny times headed our way and yet I know how it goes. After a little while I’ll be ready to see the hot days of summer flee in favor of cooler temps and falling leaves.

It’s as if we’re never satisfied and yet, this is life in Ohio. We are truly blessed to see all four seasons every year… just not always excited to see three of them happen in the same week.

Below is just a sample of 101, well, really more than 101 reasons to love summer in Ohio and our family has been blessed to experience many of these reasons first-hand. I hope you’ll find something new to love about Ohio and enjoy reading about some of our adventures.

101 Reasons to Love Summer in Ohio

Ohio has great parks to hike, play and camp.

14 Ohio State Parks within 100 miles of Toledo (here)

Cleveland Metro Parks (here)

24 Ohio State Parks within 100 miles of Cleveland (here)

Summit County Metro Parks (here)

20 Ohio State Parks within 100 miles of Akron (here)

26 Ohio State Parks within 100 miles of Dayton (here)

Stark Parks (here)

Columbus & Franklin County Parks (here)

Find all Ohio State Parks (here)

The Wilderness Center in Wilmot (See our visit.)

This website features different local playgrounds in NE Ohio.

Ohio has fossil parks.

Olendar Park in Sylvania

*** Trammel Fossil Park in Mason (See our visit.)

Ohio has amazing natural formations.

The Crystal Cave on Put-in Bay, South Bass Island (See our visit.)

Perry’s Cave on Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island (See our visit.)

Glacial Grooves on Kelleys Island (See our visit.)

Seneca Caverns in Bellevue (See our visit.)

Hocking Hills in Logan (here)

Ohio has islands and lighthouses.

South Bass Island (famous for Put-in-Bay) (See our visit.)

Middle Bass Island

Kelleys Island (Read about our visit.)

Marblehead Lighthouse and State Park (See our visit.)

Find a list of Ohio lighthouses here.

Ohio has zoos and animal parks.

Toledo Zoo & Aquarium

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton (See our visit.)

Akron Zoo

The Wilds

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

Cincinnati Zoo

*** Read: Finding the best Ohio zoo membership here.

Ohio has butterfly and botanical gardens.

Perry’s Butterfly House on Put-in-Bay, South Bass Island (Our visit.)

Cleveland Botanical Gardens (here)

Beech Creek Butterfly House in Alliance (Our visit.)

Cox Arboretum and Butterflies in Dayton (here.)

Ohio has amusement parks.

*** Cedar Point in Sandusky (Read: 7 tips for taking young children to Cedar Point)

Kings Island in Mason (See our visit.)

Sluggers N Putters in Canal Fulton (See our visit.)

Ohio has waterparks.

Castaway Bay (See our visit.)

Kalahari Indoor Waterpark (See our visit.)

Maui Sands (See our visit.)

Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky (See our visit.)

Great Wolf Lodge in Mason

Coco Keys

*** See a list of all the Ohio indoor waterparks here, that I know of.

Ohio has outdoor plays and festivals.

Tecumseh in Chillicothe (here)

Trumpet in the Land in New Philadelphia (here)

ALIVE Fest

Blossom Music

Point Fest at Cedar Point

There are more music festivals you can do a search for online. Some of the content did not meet my family-friendly guidelines so I don’t want to link to them. There are other festivals and fairs as well. Check your local counties for such listings.

(Hot-air) Balloon Fest in North Canton

Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival in Canton