My family has explored every region of the continental United States — but none has wowed us quite like the Midwest

• My family has spent time in every region of the United States, and the Midwest is our favorite.
• We found a lot of natural beauty, historic sites, and epic hotels in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.
• We did so much in our short trip and can't wait to return to the Midwest.

My wife and I have traveled with our four young children across every region of the continental United States.

Our family has had fun throughout the Northeast, Southwest, and many places between — but the last region we visited was also our favorite: the Midwest.

We recently spent a week traveling throughout Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio and were wowed by epic scenery, fascinating sites, and great hotels in each state. Although we still have so much left to see in the region, we're already in love.

Here's what we saw and did, where we stayed, and why we're already planning to head back to the Midwest next year.

We saw a lot of natural beauty and experienced our favorite state park to date

When our family travels, we love exploring rivers, lakes, beaches, mountains, and islands — things Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana have in abundance.

Our kids squealed in delight watching salmon go from one level to another at Fish Ladder Park on the Grand River in Michigan.

In Ohio, we enjoyed hiking through the rolling hills and expansive forests of Cuyahoga Valley National Park and seeing its waterfalls and unique geological formations.

We also loved ferrying across Lake Erie out to Kelleys Island to go fishing and see its massive glacial grooves that were carved millions of years ago.

Still, Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park was our favorite nature stop. It provided deep, hemlock-shaded gorges, towering cliffs, an incredible bat cave, and picturesque waterfalls.

The bridges and pathways of its many hikes were well kept and offered plenty of variety — including a floating stepping-stone bridge our kids loved crossing on the Whispering Cave trail loop.

Plus, we got to visit many historic, academic, and entertainment sites

Our family got to experience historical offerings throughout our trip to the Midwest, including visits to multiple museums and the previous homes of seven US presidents.

We were also able to see the studio where Motown music was first recorded, the Ford Company's first manufacturing plant (which houses dozens of first-generation vehicles), and the childhood home and first bicycle shop of the Wright brothers.

On top of that, we stopped by notable academic institutions like Purdue, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State.

We also couldn't resist spending time at Cedar Point amusement park (nicknamed "Roller-coaster Capital of the World"), the historic state prison where "Shawshank Redemption" was filmed, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

I couldn't believe how many iconic sites our family was able to experience in such a short time.

Lastly, we were impressed by the hotels we stayed in and what they had to offer

Staying in fun and historic hotels is one of our family's favorite parts of a vacation — and the Midwest had some of our top picks so far.

The Kensington Hotel in Ann Arbor, Michigan, welcomed us with a complimentary toast at check-in. We enjoyed our tasty meals at its on-site Relish Restaurant, and our kids appreciated that it had the largest indoor pool of the whole vacation.

We also loved Cinncinati's historic Lytle Park. Its luxurious-feeling rooms had the most comfortable beds we've ever slept in and a great view of the Ohio River. The hotel had interesting touches throughout, including a century-year-old fountain in the lobby.

Indianapolis' Crowne Plaza was also memorable because it's housed within structures of the world's first Union train station. We slept in (renovated versions of) the very same train cars that once passed through it.

By the time our week had ended, we were excited to go back and see even more of each state we visited and the Midwest as a whole.