Northeast

Northeast Ohio covers the densely populated Cleveland–Akron–Youngstown industrial belt and the surrounding country east to the Pennsylvania line. The terrain is gently rolling — the lake plain near Lake Erie giving way to the foothills of the Allegheny Plateau in the southern counties — with the Cuyahoga River cutting north through Cleveland and Akron and the Lake Erie shore running along the entire northern edge. Ten counties cover the region. Cuyahoga holds Cleveland (the second-largest city in Ohio); Summit holds Akron; Mahoning holds Youngstown; Lorain holds Lorain and Oberlin; Lake holds Mentor and the James A. Garfield National Historic Site; Ashtabula holds Ashtabula and the historic covered bridges; Portage holds Kent (with Kent State University). Major attractions include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park (the only national park in Ohio). Most trips here center on Cleveland. Cleveland handles the urban itinerary — the Rock Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art, University Circle, the West Side Market, the lakefront. Cuyahoga Valley National Park draws hikers and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad; Akron runs the Stan Hywet Hall and Goodyear Airdock; Ashtabula’s covered bridges fill scenic-driving days.