Columbus, Ohio

The capital of Ohio may be the largest city in the state, but there is something about this Midwestern city that seems wholesome.

For instance, take the city's major attractions: the yearly Ohio State Fair, the original Wendy's fast-food restaurant, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and the German Village.

The Ohio State Fair celebrated its 150th year in 2003 and is a throwback to a more innocent time. The family fun includes midway games; rides; rodeos; and horse, dog, and sheep shows.

And Dave Thomas's success with Wendy's, which he opened in Columbus in 1969, is the epitome of the American dream, and the original Wendy's still operates and even has its own mini museum.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium covers 588 acres (237 hectares) along the banks of the Scioto River in northwest Columbus and is home to more than 700 species and more than 6,000 specimens. It's famed for having many firsts, including producing the first captive-born gorilla, in 1956, and gained widespread attention because of TV celebrity Jack Hanna, the zoo's Director Emeritus, who revived the zoo in the late '70s and early '80s.

Filled with shops and restaurants, the German Village, a popular neighborhood that was restored in the '60s, is the place to get sausage, sauerkraut, pastries, and beer. While visitors come to see the quaint neighborhood's attractive red brick houses, locals want to live in them.

Columbus: a big city with small-town aspirations.

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