Tickets are required for the Canton Museum of Art.

• Open: Tuesday –  Thursday from 10am – 8pm; Friday & Saturday from 10am – 5 pm; Sunday from 1pm – 5pm
• Location: (Map It) 1001 N. Market Avenue in Canton, Ohio
• Phone: 330-453-7666
• Web: click here

The Canton Museum of Art is located inside the Cultural Center for the Arts, just north of downtown Canton, OH.  The museum’s permanent collection is extensive and focuses on American watercolor and contemporary ceramics.  Traveling national and regional exhibits are frequently featured.  Past exhibitions have included  Art of the Rainforest, Andrew Wyeth’s Helga Paintings, Bing Davis: On the Shoulders of Ancestors, Clyde Singer’s America, and Kimono As Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota.  The Canton Museum of Art presents several different programs and art classes for all ages, as well as special events.

Tickets are required for the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center.

• Open: Wednesday – Friday from 10am – 7pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 10am – 4pm
• Location: (Map It) 44 East 6th St. in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Phone: 513-345-8400
• Web: click here

Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center:  Founded in 1939, the CAC was one of the first institutions in the United States dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art.  True to its roots, the museum showcases “the art of the last five minutes.”  As the R&D arm of the art industry, this is where you can explore and discover new frontiers, be challenged by provocateurs, and feed your creativity.  The museum’s Zaha Hadid-designed building sets the stage for the next generation of taste-makers.  Come to the CAC to be a witness to history in the making. The CAC provides many different ways to encounter contemporary art. Consistently voted a favorite by Cincinnati Magazine readers, the famous UnMuseum is an entire floor dedicated to playing and interactive learning with the most innovative art of our time.

Tickets are required for the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

• Open: Tuesday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 – 5pm
• Location: (Map It) 11030 E. Blvd. in Cleveland, Ohio
• Phone: 216-721-1600
• Web: click here

Cleveland Botanical Garden:  Step into a world of beauty and wonder.  Cleveland Botanical Garden boasts some of the finest Gardens in the entire Midwest.  Here are 10 beautifully landscaped acres of formal and natural gardens – each one a gem, each with its distinct personality.  The Rose Garden is a delight.  The Japanese Garden is enchanting.  The Children’s Garden is fun.  The terrace – with its fountain and lily pond – is an inspiring location for al fresco dining during the warm months.

The botanical garden’s Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse is an 18,000-square-foot crystalline conservatory – the only one of its kind.  Open year-round, the Glasshouse is home to two of the world’s most exotic, fragile, and unique environments:  the spiny desert of Madagascar and the lush, butterfly-filled cloud forest of Costa Rica. The Glasshouse may be the best butterfly house in Ohio!  It features hundreds of exotic, beautiful butterflies flown in directly from Costa Rica every week of the year. The butterflies will make you and your friends of all ages smile with delight. With more than 350 plant species and 50 animal species, the Glasshouse is a dazzling journey across continents and an immersion in the unusual.

Tickets are required for the Columbus Museum of Art.

• Open Tuesday – Sunday from 10am – 5pm.
• Location: (Map It) 480 E. Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio
• Phone: 614-221-6801
• Web: click here

The Columbus Museum of Art features works from its excellent collection of Impressionists, German Expressionists, Cubists, American Modernists, and contemporary art. The museum also includes works by Degas, Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Cassatt, Bellows, Demuth, Hopper, Marin, and O’Keeffe. Visitors may also take a stroll through the Russell Page Sculpture Garden or explore the world of photography in the Ross Photography Center. Families with children may also want to visit the interactive exhibit Eye Spy: Adventures in Art. In addition, the museum hosts a continuous program of national and international traveling exhibitions.

Tickets are required for the Dawes Arboretum in Newark.

• Open: Daily (hours vary per season)
• Location: (Map It) 7770 Jacksontown Rd. SE in Newark, Ohio
• Phone: 740-323-2355
• Web: click here

Dawes Arboretum covers over 1,800 acres of trees, history, and nature. What Beman and Bertie Dawes began in 1929 was to demonstrate the value of woody plants grown in epic proportions, becoming a showcase for plant collections and a plethora of educational experiences. Some of the collections visitors will find are crab apples, conifers, oaks, azaleas, and hollies. The grounds are accessible via an almost 5-mile autoroute and more than 8 miles of hiking trails. Some feature attractions and visitor favorites include the remarkable cypress swamp, the renowned Japanese Bonsai Garden, and hedge lettering that spells out “Dawes Arboretum.”

Tickets are required for the Dayton Art Institute.

• Open: Wednesday – Saturday from 11am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 – 5pm.
• Location: (Map It) 456 Belmonte Park N. in Dayton, Ohio
• Phone: 937-223-4278
• Web: click here

Dayton Art Institute is one of the nation’s finest mid-sized art museums. It features an encyclopedic collection of over 27,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of art history. Highlights include the museum’s outstanding Asian collection, 17th-century Baroque paintings, 18th-century and 19th-century American art, and a contemporary art collection. In addition to its diverse collection, the museum features world-class special exhibitions, a wide variety of educational programs, and an interactive, family-oriented Experiencenter gallery.

Tickets are required for the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus.

• Open: Daily, usually from 10 am – 5 pm
• Location: (Map It) 1777 E. Broad St. in Columbus, Ohio
• Phone: 614-715-8000
• Web: click here

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus blooms with beauty at every turn. Indoors and out, the vast biomes, nooks, and crannies are a delight to explore. The worldwide plants and intricate Chihuly glasswork bring nature and art into harmony. Then there’s the Bonsai collection that’ll drop your jaw, a light show beginning at dusk that’ll pop your eyes, an outdoor model railway that chugs a long way, butterflies galore that’ll make any heart flutter, and a children’s garden grown with fun.

This premier horticultural and educational institution showcases over 400 plant species and special exhibitions. The Conservatory offers beautiful and diverse climates, including an arid desert, a tropical Rainforest, a cool Himalayan Mountain, and a lush Pacific Island Water Garden. Franklin Park surrounds the Conservatory and provides 88 acres of landscaped gardens and green space.  The Conservatory owns a signature collection of Dale Chihuly glass artwork, and its annual exhibits include Blooms and Butterflies, the Orchid Forest, and Holidays at the Conservatory. The Conservatory also offers a gift shop and café.

Tickets are required for the Holden Arboretum in Kirtland.

• Open: Tuesday – Sunday from 9am – 5pm,
• Location: (Map It) 9500 Sperry Rd. in Kirtland, Ohio
• Phone: 440-946-4400
• Web: click here

Holden Arboretum houses a variety of themed gardens both for display and research.  The Butterfly garden is stocked with many colorful flowers, such as purple coneflower, bee balm, and catmint, which will attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  The park offers many guided tours that allow visitors to follow trained horticulturists through unique gardens, special collections, and natural areas.  The arboretum also offers a variety of historical tours throughout the grounds.

Tickets are required for the Kingwood Center Gardens in Mansfield.

• Open: Year-round, hours vary by season
• Location: (Map It) 50 N. Trimble Rd. in Mansfield, Ohio
• Phone: 419-522-0211
• Web: kingwoodcenter.org

Kingwood Center Gardens visitors will enjoy the elegant gardens, grounds, and historic buildings of this former estate of industrialist Charles Kelley King. A massive spring flower display begins the season with tulips, daffodils, flowering trees, and much more. Gardens of all sorts entertain visitors throughout the growing season, and a large display of annuals brings abundant color to the gardens throughout the summer. A greenhouse offers unique displays and a special plant-buying opportunity. The gardens are intertwined by woodlands with relaxing walking trails throughout the 47-acre estate. Kids love feeding the ducks in the duck pond and watching the peacocks roam the property. Kingwood Hall, the 20,000 sq. ft. French provincial mansion, is open for self-guided tours daily. Kingwood offers several events throughout the year, as well as educational workshops, weddings, and rentals. Christmas at Kingwood is a must-see event.

Tickets are required for the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati.

• Open: Daily from 10am – 8pm (Winter Monday’s 3-8pm)
• Location: (Map It) 1501 Eden Park Dr. in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Phone: 513-421-4086
• Web: click here

Krohn Conservatory is one of Cincinnati’s treasures. It features Bonsai, Conservatory, Orchid, Tropical, and Perennial gardens, as well as nature collections. The collection represents more than 1,000 plant species from rainforests to deserts.  Floral shows are free of charge except for the butterfly show.   Every spring, over 10,000 butterflies are invited to invade the Conservatory and fly freely around for visitors to get an up-close and personal look at a remarkable collection of butterflies. The Butterfly Show has a different theme yearly, such as “Flowers with Wings, The Butterflies of India,” featuring butterflies worldwide.  Click here for the annual Butterfly Show information.

Tickets are required for the Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum in Hamilton.

• Open: Daily (hours vary by season).
• Location: (Map It) 1763 Hamilton Cleves Rd. in Hamilton, Ohio
• Phone: 513-868-1234
• Web: click here

The Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum combines the lure of nature with the dynamic presence of monumental art. Located on over 300 acres of woodlands, gardens, and lakes near Hamilton, Ohio, Pyramid Hill is a unique experience where you explore the countryside and marvel at over 75 pieces of outdoor art. You can also return to the indoor Ancient Sculpture Museum, which houses Greek, Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian pieces. Drive through the rolling landscape, walk up to experience the sculpture, find a secluded picnic spot, or hike a quiet trail through the forests. Pyramid Hill is a relaxing way to spend a day with art and nature.

Tickets are required for the Springfield Art Museum. 

• Open: Wednesday – Saturday from 9am – 5pm and Sunday from 12:30pm – 4:30pm.
• Location: (Map It) 107 Cliff Park Road in Springfield, Ohio
• Phone: 937-325-4673
• Web: click here

The Springfield Museum of Art has seven galleries. Its permanent collection includes paintings, drawings, and sculptures featuring 19^th and 20th-century American, European, and Ohio artists. The museum also has about 12 changing exhibits annually. These exhibits address contemporary and historical issues and encourage a critical understanding of the visual arts.