I'm doing a lot of travelling from Cincinnati to Detroit for work at the moment. I usually fly, but I' thinking of spending one Sunday making the drive and stopping a few places along the way to take photos.

 

So, I ask you all: where are the few best spots that I should stop to take photos? I'm thinking anything from unique skyline perspectives, to small towns with historic downtown areas, to whatever. Hopefully these spots won't be too far from I-75 so it doesn't turn the trip into a 10 hour drive.

 

Interested to see what you all think!

Bowling Green is one of my favorite college towns with an attractive, historic downtown. The Slippery Elm bike trail that starts in Bowling Green and heads south through some of the old Black Swamp land and farm fields is also really interesting.

Toledo!  In addition to downtown, there are some cool areas to the north and west of it, and to the immediate south.

Toledo!  In addition to downtown, there are some cool areas to the north and west of it, and to the immediate south.

By neighborhood to the North would include Vistula, Lagrange.

South: Southside

West: Old West End is a Gem and the village of Ottawa and Toledo neighborhood North of UT (main campus) have a lot of nice old mansions

East: Eas Toldeo is probably worth a visit

 

The Warehouse district just south of downtown Toledo is very impressive.

Also definitively check out Finley. Really nice town. And Lima is you enjoy more grittyness

Also definitively check out Finley. Really nice town. And Lima is you enjoy more grittyness

 

Findlay?

Aside from the obvious suggestions of Toledo, Findlay, and Bowling Green, you could try Lima for Kewpee's downtown or the whole Sidney/Troy/Piqua corridor but that's a little too close to home for you.  Monroe, Michigan is also worth a stop for historic small towns off I-75.

I'd recommend photographs of the Oregon District in Dayton (probably the city's best historic neighborhood), and if possible (though its probably a bit far off the beaten path) Urbana and Bellefontaine both are excellent small towns - Urbana even has a really cool traffic circle in the middle of its downtown.

ColDayMan beat me to Monroe, Michigan.

About 5 miles west of I-75 is the small town of Grand Rapids OH on the Maumee River. A very nice, small downtown, and beautiful views of the river. You can drive up SR 65 from there along the Maumee through Perrysburg to downtown Toledo.

 

US 24 (or the parallel state road) from Toledo to Detroit will take you through some nice countryside and downtown Monroe.

For Toledo, I recommend the following:

 

Downtown

Warehouse District

East Toledo (Main Street and Starr Avenue are the two best streets, also hit the Eastern European churches and Waite High School)

Vistula (North Summit, Lagrange, and streets with rowhouses connected to them)

Old West End (art museum, Scott High School, and Rosary Cathedral are must-sees, as well as the Victorian mansions and grand apartment buildings)

Lagrange (hit the Polish Village centered near Dexter Street)

Old South End (the barrio centered on the intersection of Browdway and Western, also hit the Catholic churches and San Marco Super Marketo)

Beverly (Walbridge Park/zoo area, Harvard Elementary, and pick something up at Wixey Bakery)

Five Points (Sylvania Avenue near Lewis/Phillips/Rudy's Hot Dog)

 

For some gritty industry/abandoned buildings/slum neighborhoods, I recommend traveling along North Detroit Avenue (you can actually take this all the way to Dearborn if you follow the signs for US 24). Detroit Avenue puts you near a lot of Toledo's manufacturing. Most of the other industry is near the Maumee.

 

Other things to see if you have time include St. Anthony's Catholic Church (I actually never got pictures of that church and it's one of the tallest in Ohio!), Beirut (best Lebanese restaurant in the country), Tony Packo's (though famous for its Hungarian coney dogs, the open face roast beef sandwich is the best I've ever had), Rudy's Hot Dog (the Greek counterpart to Toledo's Hungarian coneys), Toledo Market (great Arab market on Dorr near UT), Cullen Park (great views of freighters and loading docks), Green Lantern Hamburger (one of the best hamburger joints in the country and "true Toledo," but it closes early), Libbey Glass Factory Outlet, and St. Martin De Porres Church (one of Ohio's best).

 

Toledo is loaded with one of the nation's best collections of Catholic churches and cathedrals. You could do a trip just covering that!

 

*Make sure to stop in Monroe if you have time. It's one of the best ports on Lake Erie and has a lot of historic buildings. It kind of sucks you're hitting at this time of year though. This is when Western Lake Erie starts to get cold and gloomy. :-( Be prepared to be depressed! I'd say hit the beach at Sterling State Park (popular spot for people from Detroit and Toledo), but that's only worth it in the summer and winter if Lake Erie freezes (great ice piles form at the beach). But who knows, sometimes November can be sunny and 60's! If you have any control on the timing, hit when the weather is nice.

About 5 miles west of I-75 is the small town of Grand Rapids OH on the Maumee River. A very nice, small downtown, and beautiful views of the river. You can drive up SR 65 from there along the Maumee through Perrysburg to downtown Toledo.

 

US 24 (or the parallel state road) from Toledo to Detroit will take you through some nice countryside and downtown Monroe.

 

Second Grand Rapids. It's one of the most bucolic small towns in Ohio. It's like a time warp.

And if you want to get out and enjoy nature....Oak Openings.  Although it's much nicer in Summer & early Fall.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I may not actually get a chance to make this drive for awhile, but I'll post a photo thread when I do.