Practical information for visiting Ohio

Coverage is continuous across the glacial plain, the three cities and the interstates, and thins in the Appalachian south-east -- the Hocking Hills gorges, the Wayne National Forest and the river hollows -- and out on the Lake Erie islands, where a paper map and a downloaded one both help. Cincinnati's buses are paid by tapping a phone app or smart card and Cleveland's and Columbus's take app passes, so a working phone with data is the transit ticket; the airports, Union Terminal, the museums and the libraries have free WiFi. In a lake-effect blizzard or a summer derecho, power and coverage fail together for hours -- the 2003 blackout that darkened the north-east began at an Ohio plant -- which is why the advisories want the airline checked before travelling and local media monitored during tornado warnings.

Both advisories rate the United States as needing normal precautions. Violent and gun crime rarely touch tourists, but Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and the smaller industrial cities have neighbourhoods to avoid, especially from dusk to dawn, where the Canadian advisory says violent crime concentrates and is mostly gang-related; petty theft is common in urban centres and tourist spots; rental cars are the target, so never leave bags, passports or valuables in a parked car, even in the boot. Firearms are widely and legally carried, mass shootings occur, and the advisories ask visitors to know how to respond to an active shooter. Protests are common in the university cities and the capital and can turn violent; move away early.

Weather is the other hazard. Tornadoes pose a risk across the central states and may come with little warning -- Ohio has fewer than Tornado Alley but the 1974 outbreak struck it hard -- so monitor local news and follow local authorities' instructions. Snowstorms shut roads, cut power and cancel flights, worst in the snowbelt east of Cleveland, and the airline should be contacted before travelling in winter; flash and river floods disrupt travel, as the 1913 flood showed; heat and humidity from June to September can be fatal. Lake Erie is shallow and quick to anger, and its rip currents and sudden waves take swimmers and small boats every summer.

Dial 911 for an ambulance. Health care is excellent -- the Cleveland Clinic is ranked among the best hospitals in the country and the best in the world for heart surgery -- and very expensive: insurance covering treatment and evacuation is essential for non-residents, foreign prescriptions are not valid, and some medicines cannot be brought in, so check the FDA's rules and expect to see a US provider for a refill. The advisories list Zika and West Nile virus as risks, rabies possibly present in wildlife including bats, and heat and humidity from June to September as the season's danger, with dehydration and heatstroke fatal. Tap water is safe; ticks in the southern woods in summer; the winter wind off the lake makes frostbite a real risk on a long wait, and the algal blooms of Lake Erie's western basin close beaches in late summer.

Two sets of laws apply, the state's and the federal, and breaking either can cost a visa. ID: carry a passport showing permission to be in the country; authorities may ask for proof of status at any time. Alcohol is 21 nationwide and checked; many small towns and townships are dry. Cannabis is legal to buy in Ohio and illegal under federal law: carrying it across a state line, onto federal land or through an airport is a federal offence, previous use can bar entry, and drug paraphernalia is prohibited at the border. Firearms are carried legally by citizens. Earthworks and parks: the Serpent Mound admits no one outside its posted hours, the Hocking Hills' trails close at dusk, and climbing on or cutting into the mounds is prosecuted. Driving: right turn on red after stopping unless signed; proof of insurance required; unpaid electronic tolls follow the hire car.

Manners are Midwestern and tipped: tipping is expected in restaurants, bars and taxis and to hotel staff, and is how service workers are paid; strangers say hello; football allegiance is asked early. In Amish country do not photograph people, do not honk at buggies, and expect Sunday closures. The UK notes that LGBT+ attitudes vary hugely by state; Ohio's cities are open, its small towns less predictably so. Ask before photographing on private land.

Emergency numbers: 911 for police, fire and ambulance anywhere in the state.

Consular: Canadian Citizen Services on 1-844-880-6519 or the emergency line 1-888-949-9993, through the embassy in the federal capital; the UK's help and services for the US are listed on its advisory. Natural hazards: tornadoes with little warning in spring, lake-effect blizzards from November to March in the snowbelt, river and flash floods, summer heat and, on Lake Erie, sudden waves and rip currents; monitor local media and the National Weather Service and follow local authorities' instructions including shelter and evacuation orders. The Cleveland Clinic and the university hospitals of Columbus and Cincinnati are the major trauma centres.