By Carrie Spencer
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Sure, Ohio has roller coasters, brilliant fall color and historical outdoor dramas. But how many potential travelers know about the stuffed albino animals?

Lima entrepreneur James Grosjean - a taxidermist, undertaker and shoe maker - assembled the collection of nearly 50 species more than a century ago. Now at the Allen County Museum, it's one of the "unusual" offerings in the state's new visitors guide, which encourages travelers to tarry on the road to more familiar sights.

"We have a lot of other things here that are well worth the trip to see," such as Grosjean's narrated, musical, mechanical Noah's Ark, museum director Pat Smith said.

Travel officials statewide welcomed the state's rollout Thursday of a $1.8 million campaign that reinterprets the 3-year-old "So Much To Discover" slogan to emphasize experiences and emotions over destinations.

Besides new television and print ads and Ohio celebrities in radio spots, Ohio for the first time is advertising on Internet sites such as mapquest.com and travelocity.com, said Claudia Vecchio, travel and tourism director.

The state effort adds power to private and regional promotions, said Julie Calvert, vice president of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"We're looking at it as a comprehensive overhaul to what the state's done before," Calvert said.

Ohio is the eighth-most-visited state but doesn't make the top 10 for traveler spending, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.

The state had more than 158 million visits last year, with travelers spending $28 billion, said Bruce Johnson, director of the Department of Development. The visit numbers increased by 3 million from 2001.

Television ads are on a split screen, with the top showing scenes such as the Dayton Air Show and city skylines while the bottom portrays orange-shaded montages such as children waving sparklers.

Radio spots include Ohio-raised celebrities, who also will provide recorded greetings on the state's tourism hot line, (800) BUCKEYE.

Singer Nick Lachey fondly remembers eating Skyline chili and going to Cincinnati Reds games. Television star Patricia Heaton is nostalgic about Cleveland sports and fall colors in Amish country. Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel recalls visiting historical sites with his mother.

Columbus-based Fahlgren Inc. created the ads and runs public relations for the campaign.

• On the Net: www.discoverohio.com.