Regional travel briefs: Columbus Travel EXPO, Hocking Hills Comfort Food …

Columbus – Need some new vacation ideas? Start your planning in Columbus, which next weekend hosts the 2015 Great Vacations Travel EXPO, with travel experts, suppliers and deals on everything from close-to-home escapes to exotic cruises.

The EXPO, presented by AAA, runs Friday, Jan. 16, through Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St.

Among the attractions:

* Vacation Marketplace, featuring information from hundreds of the world’s top destinations.

* AAA Explore Store, with free guidebooks, maps and brochures, along with expert advice on planning the perfect vacation.

* AAA Travel Stage, featuring, among others, high-wire daredevil Nik Wallenda on Sunday; Patricia Schultz, author of “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” on Friday; and food writer Josh Ozersky, the restaurant editor for Esquire magazine, on Saturday.

Tickets are $8 ($4 for members of AAA). For hours and a complete lineup of activities: AAAGreatVacations.com

Hocking Hills Comfort Food Cruise

Combine great food with great scenery on the second annual Hocking Hills Comfort Food Cruise.

Buy a ticket for $15 — $5 goes to local food pantries – and then stop at as many as 10 local eateries for fare including biscuits and gravy (Pearl’s in Logan)); baked steak sliders (at the Boot Factory Grill in Nelsonville); and three-berry cobbler (at the Inn Spa at Cedar Falls in Logan).

The event runs six days – Jan. 24, 25 and 31, and Feb. 1, 7 and 8. Take one day – or six – to finish your tour. For hours and ticket information: explorehockinghills.com

Hocking Hills Winter Hike

Shed (some of) that holiday weight gain on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the 50th anniversary of the Winter Hike at Hocking Hills State Park, which travels 6 miles through some of Ohio’s prettiest scenery, from Old Man’s Cave to Cedar Falls to Ash Cave.

Hikers should meet in the park campground, 19852 Ohio 664, between 9 and 11 a.m. A bean-soup lunch is served at Cedar Falls, and a shuttle bus returns hikers to Old Man’s Cave. For information: explorehockinghills.com/calendar/bymonth/hocking-hills-winter-hike

Murder mystery in Geneva-on-the-Lake

The Lodge at Geneva-on-the-Lake will host a ” ‘Til Death Do Us Part” murder mystery getaway on Saturday, Jan. 31. Overnight packages start at $369 and include a room for one night, opening reception, dinner and breakfast, plus participation in the fun. For more information: thelodgeatgeneva.com or 1-866-442-9765.