Recreation

Visiting Alaska as a young person can be a life-changing experience. That’s why Many Skies Inc. has built its organization to provide wilderness experience and education to underprivileged students from around the country by bringing them to some of the most beautiful places in Alaska.

A Kings Island roller coaster has been named Ohio’s best in a new list from Popular Mechanics. The article names the best coaster in each state, and the classic wooden coaster named The Beast was picked for our state.

Beat the heat by hitting the waves of the unique and thrilling water parks in Ohio. That’s how The Crazy Tourist, a travel website, ranked 15 family-friendly water parks around our state.

Recreational trails are extremely popular in Ohio. Communities across the state are planning and building trails to provide residents with more chances to live healthy, active lifestyles. Officials at the state level are helping out with the new Ohio Trails Vision program.

My brother and I grew up in Akron, so our dad always took us to the All-American Soap Box Derby. During its heyday, as many as 70,000 people gathered to cheer on young racers, who came from across the country and the world.

“My goal is to stand naked in a waterfall in every state,” I joked to my fellow hikers. While that isn’t really a goal (too cold, too modest), if it was I’d start with Ash Cave in Hocking Hills, Ohio, where the water cascaded off a massive inverted sandstone cliff into a large shallow pool.

Unlike baby boomers, the millennial generation is not waiting until retirement to buy a travel trailer. They want the adventure now.

It’s not every day that a red-tailed hawk comes flying out of a tree and lands ever so softly on your hand. That is unless you attend one of several classes offered at the Ohio School of Falconry, the only school of its kind in Ohio and one of just a handful across the country.

If you’re an avid equestrian or simply want to try horseback riding, the Buckeye State has plenty of bridle trails. Ohio State parks offer more than 500 miles of bridle trails through all types of landscapes in 24 parks. Eight state parks are adjacent to state forests, providing more than 200 additional trail miles.

The town of Lexington, Ohio, boasts one of the country’s best motor sports facilities, where you can sign up for more than 20 driving courses, some specially for teens.