Ohio

TAKE WING – Draw inspiration from the small bicycle shop Orville and Wilbur Wright operated in Dayton, where they created the first Wright Flyer airplane. The shop is now part of an interpretive history center about the Wrights’ achievement and powered flight. Learn more at www.nps.gov/daav/index.htm.

WHOAAA THERE – Get a glimpse of Amish life and farming in Sugarcreek and Berlin. The McDonald’s in Sugarcreek not only is decorated in Swiss chalet style, it has a buggy hitching post outside that’s often occupied. Quilts and Swiss cheese are the specialties to look for in these parts.

HIS WORLD – Knock around the house humorist James Thurber grew up in. Sit on the chairs, play the piano, it’s OK! It’s a “living museum” in Columbus. Oh, and keep an eye out for the ghosts visitors have described, some of which Thurber himself told stories about. Find out more at www.thurberhouse.org.

HIGH ART – Sitting on a hill above the city, the Dayton Art Institute looks like a transplanted piece of Europe, and that’s not far off. Modeled after Italian Renaissance villas, the museum is worth seeing for its own sake. The DAI is known for both its contemporary American art and its collection of ancient art and artifacts. Visit www.daytonartinstitute.org first for information.