Summer planning in Ohio got a whole lot easier this year. TourismOhio has released its 2026 Ohio Travel Guide along with a stack of new and updated resources built around festivals, road trips, sports, outdoor fun, and small-town escapes you can reach in an afternoon.
- A brand-new Ohio Golf Trail spotlights more than 180 public courses across the state.
- The returning Ohio Ice Cream Trail added fresh stops at locally owned scoop shops and creameries.
- The 2026 Summer Events Guide lists 440 events, with five picks highlighted from every single county.
The timing lines up with a big year for the country. Communities across Ohio are gearing up for America’s 250th anniversary, which means historical festivals, parades, fireworks, picnics, and commemorative gatherings will fill town squares all season long. Lydia Mihalik, who directs the Ohio Department of Development that oversees TourismOhio, framed the summer as a chance to find somewhere new, return to an old favorite, and spend time in the communities that give the state its character.
A New Golf Trail Puts 180 Courses on the Map
The headline addition this year is the Ohio Golf Trail, a statewide guide pulling together more than 180 public courses. It leans into Ohio’s deep roots in the game, starting with hometown legend Jack Nicklaus and stretching to landmark spots like Clearview Golf Club, the first course in the country built and owned by a Black man, William Bill Powell. The launch also lands on the 50th anniversary of the Memorial Tournament, played every year in Dublin. Whether you golf a few times a summer or just enjoy a scenic walk with clubs, the trail gives you a reason to explore a corner of the state you might have skipped.
Ice Cream Stops Worth the Detour
Few things say Ohio summer like a cone from a neighborhood creamery. The Ohio Ice Cream Trail is back with new stops for 2026, pointing travelers toward locally owned scoop shops, creameries, and classic dessert spots scattered across the state. It’s the kind of guide that turns a plain drive into an outing, since one good stop tends to lead to another. Pair it with a lake view or a small-town festival, and you’ve got an easy weekend built around very little planning.
Sports Road Trips and Charming Downtowns
TourismOhio also refreshed its Ohio Sports Road Trip, which now folds in football, baseball, soccer, hockey, volleyball, and motorsports, plus nearby food and entertainment picks to round out the day. Northwest Ohio drivers browsing new rides at GMC Toledo can fold a few of these stadium-and-scoop-shop stops into a single loop without straying far from home. Beyond the games, the updated 100 Things To Do This Summer list and the Summer Charming Towns guide steer visitors toward historic downtowns and seasonal celebrations, the kind of places where a Saturday stroll turns into an afternoon.
How the Guides Are Organized
The official Ohio Travel Guide breaks the state into five travel regions, and the recommendations come from real people who live and work there, including residents, business owners, community leaders, and local creators. That local input shows up in the details, from a well-timed festival to a downtown worth an extra hour. State tourism director Sarah Wickham has pointed out that the trips people remember are the ones they keep talking about afterward, and these guides are built to help travelers find those moments more easily.
Start Mapping Your Ohio Summer
With 440 events on the calendar, a golf trail spanning 180-plus courses, and enough ice cream stops to last the season, there’s plenty to pull from no matter where you live. Pick a region, grab a guide, and build a day or two around whatever sounds good, whether that’s a round of golf, a small-town celebration, or a slow drive with a cone in hand. The best part is that many of Ohio’s top warm-weather spots sit just a few hours away, so you don’t need a plane ticket or a long weekend to make the most of it.
