North Central

North Central Ohio covers the Lake Erie shore and the broad agricultural country south of it, the flat-to-gently-rolling stretch running from Toledo east to Sandusky and the Marblehead Peninsula. The terrain is mostly flat — Lake Erie’s southern shore plain, with the Sandusky and Maumee rivers cutting through, broken by the chain of Lake Erie Islands (Kelleys, South Bass, Middle Bass) just offshore. Seven counties cover the region. Lucas holds Toledo (the largest city, with the Toledo Museum of Art and the Toledo Zoo); Erie holds Sandusky and Cedar Point (often called the Roller Coaster Capital of the World); Ottawa holds Port Clinton, the Lake Erie Islands at Put-in-Bay, and Marblehead Lighthouse; Sandusky County holds Fremont and the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum; Wood holds Bowling Green and Bowling Green State University. Most trips here split among three threads. Cedar Point handles the largest single-stream visitor traffic — 17 roller coasters and a peninsula resort; the Lake Erie Islands run summer ferry-and-winery tours and the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial at Put-in-Bay; Toledo runs the urban-cultural itinerary; Fremont’s Hayes Library carries the presidential history.