Amish Country & Cuyahoga Valley: Ohio's Rural Heritage

An hour south of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park preserves the 33-mile river valley between Akron and Cleveland — the only national park in Ohio, and one of the most visited in the country despite its urban setting. The Towpath Trail (following the Ohio and Erie Canal towpath) and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad run through the valley; Brandywine Falls is the park's signature natural feature. Continuing east from the valley brings you into Holmes County's Amish settlement, the largest in the world — the transition from the national park's manicured nature trails to the horse-and-buggy roads of the Amish farmland is one of the most dramatic cultural contrasts in the Midwest.