What’s new in Ohio tourism for 2024: record-breaking Cedar Point coaster, Great Council State Park, MLS All-Stars and more
Next week’s solar eclipse is expected to draw as many as half a million visitors to Ohio, a kickoff to what could be a blockbuster year of tourism in Cleveland and across the state. The state of Ohio is set to host a significant year of tourism in 2024, with the potential for up to half a million visitors to Ohio expected. Major events include the Solar Eclipse, the NCAA women’s basketball Final Four, and the MLS All-Star Game in Columbus and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cleveland. Major destinations in Ohio are also hoping to increase visitor enthusiasm by debuting new features and attractions. Cedar Point's new roller coaster, Top Thrill 2, is among the most anticipated new rides at any amusement park anywhere in 2024. Kings Island's sister park Kings Island is also set to debut a new coaster, Snoopy's Soap Box Racers, part of the park's expansion. The Ohio State Parks system is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024 with the debut of Ohio’�s 76th park, Great Council State Park, which will pay tribute to Native Americans. The state also plans to host the Pan-American Masters Games in Cleveland in July, with 7,500 athletes competing in 30 sports events.
Published : a month ago by Susan Glaser, sglaser, Susan Glaser | [email protected] in Travel
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Next week’s solar eclipse is expected to draw as many as half a million visitors to Ohio, a kickoff to what could be a blockbuster year of tourism in Cleveland and across the state.
In addition to the eclipse and this weekend’s NCAA women’s basketball Final Four, the state is hosting several other major events this year – including the MLS All-Star Game in Columbus in July and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cleveland in November.
Major destinations in Ohio also are hoping to rev up visitor enthusiasm, debuting new features and attractions to draw visitors – from a record-breaking new coaster at Cedar Point to a new state park in Southwest Ohio.
Ready to start planning for a summer of fun?
Here’s what’s new around the state:
Cedar Point’s new roller coaster is among the most highly anticipated new rides at any amusement park anywhere in 2024. The coaster – a remake of Top Thrill Dragster – features a new 420-foot spike to accompany the ride’s original 420-foot hill and will launch riders three times – forward, backward and forward again – at speeds of up to 120 mph. It opens to the public May 4. Details: cedarpoint.com
Read more: Want to be among the first to ride Cedar Point’s new Top Thrill 2 roller coaster? Here’s how
Sister park Kings Island in Mason, just north of Cincinnati, is also debuting a new coaster – family-friendly Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers, part of the park’s new Camp Snoopy expansion. In addition to the coaster, which will have a top speed of 36 mph, Camp Snoopy will also feature Beagle Scout Acres, an interactive play zone for kids. Kings Island opens for the season on April 20, though the new attractions have a “late spring” opening date. Information: visitkingsisland.com
The Ohio State Parks system is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, with the debut of Ohio’s 76th park – Great Council State Park, located in Oldtown between Xenia and Yellow Springs in Southwest Ohio. The park, located on 14 acres, will pay tribute to the Native Americans who once inhabited this land. The state has been working with three federally-recognized Shawnee Tribes to develop the property. The centerpiece of the park will be a 12,000-square-foot cultural interpretive center, designed to recall the Shawnee longhouse, the traditional dwelling of the Shawnee people.
The park is scheduled to open in late spring.
Meanwhile, other park anniversary events are scheduled for this year, including guided hikes, tree-planting activities and more. For more information: ohiodnr.gov
The Greater Columbus Sports Commission has dubbed this summer the “Summer of Soccer” in the state capital, with Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game scheduled for July 24 at Lower.com Field in downtown Columbus. Also this summer in Columbus: Premier League powerhouses Manchester City and Chelsea will face off at Ohio Stadium on August 3, part of the 2024 FC Series. Information: columbuscrew.com, mlssoccer.com, schottensteincenter.com
* The star-studded Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony returns to downtown Cleveland this year, after taking place in New York City last year and Los Angeles in 2022. This year’s ceremony will be in November – exact date and ticket information TBD. Inductees will be announced later this month. Information: rockhall.com
* Cleveland is also hosting the Pan-American Masters Games in July, with 7,500 athletes, ages 30 and up, competing in 30 sports, including track and field, tennis, basketball and cycling. For information: clevelandmasters2024.com
Ohio is home to the newest UNESCO World Heritage sites in the United States – a series of eight locations in southern Ohio that showcase the culture of ancient Native American tribes, who built massive, sophisticated creations out of the earth nearly 2,000 years ago. Known collectively as the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, the sites were approved last September by a United Nations committee as Ohio’s first World Heritage site, and just the 25th in the United States.
The eight sites are clustered in three southern Ohio locations: Newark Earthworks, about 30 miles east of Columbus; Hopewell Culture National Historical Park near Chillicothe, about 50 miles south of Columbus; and Fort Ancient, near Oregonia, about 75 miles southwest of Columbus. Information: hopewellearthworks.org
The sites will celebrate World Heritage Week in April with special tours, demonstrations and other events, starting April 13. For information: ohiohistory.org/events-experiences/calendar-of-activities/world-heritage-week
Read more: Touring the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks: How to visit Ohio’s new UNESCO World Heritage sites
In a related development, the Ohio History Center in Columbus recently debuted a new exhibit, “Indigenous Wonders of Our World,” celebrating the Hopewell culture and the UNESCO sites. Consider a stop in Columbus before heading south to tour the World Heritage sites. Information: ohiohistory.org/visit/ohio-history-center
Also at the Ohio History Center: Ohio Village, the museum’s interactive 19th-century living-history exhibit, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. The village will open for the season on May 24, with an anniversary celebration scheduled for July 27. The village will then close in early August for a major renovation, reopening in 2026. “It’s time to make the village relevant for the next 50 years,” said Ohio History Connection spokesman Neil Thompson.
A few more items of note in 2024:
* The Columbus Fury, a professional women’s volleyball team, debuted earlier this year in Columbus, part of the inaugural season of the Pro Volleyball Federation. The team, co-owned by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, plays at Nationwide Arena. Information: provolleyball.com/columbus-fury
* The historic Sandusky State Theatre, severely damaged during a storm in June 2020, plans to reopen in late summer following a $35-million restoration. The 1,500-seat theater has been a Sandusky landmark since 1928. Information: sanduskystate.com
* Speaking of historic restorations – Cleveland’s longest-operating hotel, downtown’s Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, is undergoing a major renovation that is expected to finish up this spring. The end result: the new Hotel Cleveland, with 491 rooms and reimagined public spaces, on Public Square. The new name is the same one the property used when it opened in 1918. Details: hotelcleveland.com
Finally: Tourism Ohio recently released its 2024 visitors guide, with sections on free attractions, the waterfront, food and other topics. See ohio.org to view the guide online or to order a print copy.
Where to watch the eclipse in Northeast Ohio: Your guide to dozens of out-of-this-world events in Cleveland, nearby communities