One-Tank Trips from the Cleveland Area

In 1979 when gas prices were high, Cleveland TV reporter Neil Zurcher started a travel series called “One-Tank Trips,” featuring travel destinations that Northeast Ohioans could take on a single tank of gas.

Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

That Great Lake in our Backyard

The Lake Erie shoreline offers lots of public access: From west to east, Marblehead Lighthouse State Park in Marblehead, Main Street Beach in Vermilion (with a stop afterwards at Romp’s Dairy Dock), Lakeview Park in Lorain, Huntington Beach in Bay Village and Edgewater Park in Cleveland. It’s often too cold to dip your feet in the water, but maybe warm enough for a picnic.

Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve in Huron features nearly 300 bird species, along with wildflowers and coastal wetlands. Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve in Huron is another popular birding destination – and not far from Pied Piper Drive In.  Magee Marsh, east of Toledo, has historically been inhabited by large numbers of waterfowl, waterbirds, shorebirds, and songbirds. An accessible boardwalk meanders through the marsh and provides some of the best bird-watching opportunities in the Midwest. 

Much More Than a Cemetery

Lake View Cemetery is a peaceful urban oasis founded in 1869 and is one of the country's largest and most beautiful garden cemeteries.

The cemetery grounds cover 285 acres and are home to collections of daffodils, wildflowers, and plants - and a tree canopy comprised of more than 10,000 trees, including seven Moses Cleaveland trees said to have been there when the city’s founder landed on the shore of the Cuyahoga River in 1796.

You can bring your leashed dog but cannot bike through the grounds.

If You’re Looking for a Bike Outing

Load up your bicycles and drive to Millersburg. The Holmes County Trail is a paved fairly flat bike ride that runs through scenic wetland areas, with birds, frogs, turtles and a few spots where you’ll see trees gnawed by beaver. The trail is shared by horse and buggy traffic, which is pleasant to see and hear – but you do need to be aware that that the side traveled by horses will have “road apples.” 

After your bike ride, you can order carryout from Boyd-Wurthmann Restaurant in Berlin (order before you leave Millersburg and it will be ready for pickup by the time you get to Berlin). They have awesome waffle-cut sweet potato fries and assorted homemade pies - hey after a bike ride you desire a treat. 

Recommended rest stops are BellStores Convenience Stores in Millersburg, Apple Creek and Berlin. The stores and restrooms are clean and modern. 

The May 4 Memorial at Kent State University

Events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the day that four students were killed and nine wounded in an anti-war protest were canceled back in 2020, but you can visit the 2 ½-acre outdoor memorial overlooking the KSU commons where the protest took place. 

Constructed of carnelian granite, a stone associated with strength and time, the memorial is surrounded by 58,175 daffodils, the number of the country's losses in Vietnam. Engraved in the 70-ft wide plaza's stone threshold are the words: Inquire, Learn, Reflect.

This blog was originally published in 2020 and was updated in 2024.