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Journey Through Central Ohio’s Rich History One Historic Home At A Time

I’ve spent most of my life living here in Columbus, but I still find myself discovering new and interesting about Central Ohio every day.

There’s a lot of history here, and even though we don’t always learn about it all in school, that doesn’t mean we can’t keep educating ourselves about our local lore. We also have a bad habit of tearing down historic properties around here.

Luckily, we have some gorgeous and important houses that have stood the test of time. From Presidential sites to the home of one of the most famous US Generals, be prepared to go out and learn a little more about some of Central Ohio’s most iconic homes.

Thurber House

Sherman House

Kelton House

Bryn Du Mansion

The Harding Home

Adena Mansion

Chelsea Wiley

Chelsea Wiley, first of her name, Queen of the Seven Andals... wait. That's not right. Joking aside, Chelsea is a writer and photographer born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She is an avid reader and a lover of animals.

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Everyone In Ohio Should Visit These 13 Homes For Their Incredible History

April is the Ohio staff writer for Only in Your State. She is an Ohio native with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. With more than 10 years of writing experience and a background in news reporting for Ohio newspapers, she's published pieces in multiple print and online publications. When she's not on deadline or chasing after her toddler, she's hunting for hidden gems in Ohio or getting lost in a good book.

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Ohio is home to several historic homes that once housed individuals who significantly influenced the course of history—for both our state and nation. The following homes are worth a day trip for visitors  to tour and temporarily travel back in time.

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Sometimes, we can find history literally down the street from us. Which of these historical homes have you seen?

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Plan Your Visit

The Kelton House is located in the Discovery District of Columbus, just west of I-71.

Our physical address is 586 East Town Street, Columbus, OH 43215.

Museum Hours of Operation

Monday-Wednesday | By Appointment Only

Thursday – Sunday | 12 pm-4 pm.

The month of January | CLOSED

HOLIDAY HOURS

New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve & Christmas Day | CLOSED

Update: Closed November 23-26, 2023

Admission/Tours

Tours will highlight the beautifully restored Museum and tell you about life in early Columbus through the eyes of the Kelton family.

• Tours begin on the hour: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm *
• Please arrive 5 min before tour begins
• $10/adults, $7/seniors (55+), $5/student
• Group rates available over 18 people
• Maximum # of guests per tour: 30
• No registration required

*Audio tours may be offered in lieu of docent

Individual Private Tours are available upon request.  Please contact us to schedule a private tour.

Tea at the Kelton House

In honor of the British Victorian tradition, the Kelton House offers a few tea options for guests. These teas range in price and offerings. Below is a small taste of what a tea at the Kelton House has to offer. Contact James Novotny, Events and Program Coordinator at [email protected] to schedule your tea today!

Cost: $80 per guest

Afternoon Tea includes:

– Assorted teas and luncheon foods provided by 5 Star Catering. Two rounds of tea, an appetizer, 3 kinds of sandwiches, and 2 desserts

-Buffet-style service provided by Kelton House staff

– A 40 minute tour of the historic Kelton House Mansion or prepared presentation. Presentation options include: The Kelton Family, Victorian Etiquette, The Language of flowers, Victorian History.

• Minimum of 5 people for an afternoon tea session. Maximum 32.
• An additional fee of $100 is added for groups of over 20 people due to staffing needs.
• Teas must be booked 30 days in advance.
• Full payment and the guest count are needed a week in advance
• Dietary needs can be met with advance notice

Convenient and free parking is available in the Museum lot, one street north on Franklin Avenue near the corner of Lester Drive. A garden path from Franklin Avenue to the Museum is available. Visitors authorized to use disabled parking may use the Kelton House driveway.

Parking Lot Address:  616 Franklin Ave Columbus, Ohio 43215

Walk from the Parking Lot to the Kelton House

Accessibility.

The first floor of the Kelton House, which includes the parlors, dining room, meeting room and restroom is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair access is available through the Carriage House in the back of the Kelton House, which is also accessible from the Kelton House driveway.

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Museums and History in Columbus

At the heart of Ohio, Columbus was named the state capital in 1812, following previously established capitals in Zanesville and Chillicothe (twice). The Ohio Statehouse , completed in 1861, is one of the oldest working statehouses in the country and offers daily tours as well as an on-site museum.

The city, which has never declined in population, has a rich history showcased throughout the community. Pick a topic in which you’re interested and start exploring!

Native American Roots

Like much of Ohio, Columbus can trace its roots back to early Native American civilizations. Once home to Wyandot Indians, Scioto, the name of the main river that flows through downtown, gets its name from the Wyandot word meaning deer, of which there are many in the city. Three bronze-deer statues captured in human repose along the banks of the river pay homage to this fact.

Many of the indigenous civilizations in the area were also part of the Moundbuilding cultures, from which Downtown’s Mound Street derives its name. Check out the Ohio History Center ’s collection of artifacts from these ancient inhabitants.

Columbus is a very affordable and welcoming city, which has long led it to be a haven for immigrants coming to the U.S. The makeup of these New American populations has changed over time along with immigration trends. Currently, the city has the second-largest Somali population in the U.S., but in its early years, Columbus had a large German population. Today, the city’s German roots can be seen in the idyllic, lovingly preserved streets of German Village , the entirety of which is on the National Registrar of Historic Places.

Military Contributions

Ohio has made major contributions to our nation’s military engagements for many years, in particular the Civil War, during which Ohio contributed more of its population to the Union Army than any other state. Additionally, many of the blue coats worn by the Union soldiers were manufactured in Columbus. In fact, this is how the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets got their team name, and at each home game a veteran or active duty member of the military is honored by the team, and fans and Blue Jackets’ goals are celebrated with the boom of a historic cannon.

Science and Technology

As Columbus continues to gain notoriety as a hub for science and technology research, there are some great opportunities for visitors to get up-close-and-personal with the work. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium  spends more than $4 million annually on conservation projects with global impacts and operates The Wilds, an enormous conservation center and safari park.  COSI , Columbus's dynamic hands-on science center, is a great place for kids and the young-at-heart to get a firsthand look at a wide range of scientific and technological activities. 

Art Experiences

Columbus is an arts haven, with Columbus College of Art and Design producing professionals across expansive disciplines and the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) featuring works from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Pizzuti Collection by CMA offers modern works from the famed Pizzuti family collection.

At Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens , the world’s largest collection of Chihuly Glass in a botanical garden accompanies the vast natural works. The Wexner Center for the Arts on the Ohio State University  campus is an internationally known contemporary arts center that offers a wide variety of exhibitions, performances and educational programs. For a truly unique experience, don’t miss Otherworld , named one of the World’s Coolest Places by TIME Magazine in 2019. Two arts districts showcase the incredible local talent in the city. Home to nearly 20 independent galleries, the Short North Arts District showcases every type of artist. Buildings are decorated with permanent murals that put the area’s creative spirit on display, including “The Journey,” the world’s largest AR mural, featured on the side of the 11-story Graduate Hotel . For a look into the city’s more edgy, industrial art-scene, check out Franklinton . Weave through artists at work at the studios of 400 W. Rich or check out rotating exhibitions at The Vanderelli Room and ROY G BIV Gallery.

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Insights on What to See and Do in Columbus, Plus a Seasonal Calendar of Events

Greater Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau

277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 125

Columbus, OH 43215

(614) 221-6623 I 800-354-2657

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Step Inside 3 Homes in Columbus’ German Village

This neighborhood has long been a place filled with beautifully renovated historic homes. Three homeowners invited us in.

June 2020 BY Teresa Woodard | Photo by Maddie McGarvey

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Historic Home Tours, Columbus Mississippi

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Visiting historic home sites is an experience for all ages and interests. Stimulate your mind while engaging your senses.

Made & Molded by History

Historic Home Tours April 2nd - 13th, 2024

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Get the experience of a lifetime with Historic Home Tours! Visit some of the most iconic homes in America and learn about their fascinating histories. Book your tickets today for an unforgettable experience

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Showcasing History

Historic home sites offer a great way to explore our past while engaging our senses. Each home offers a feel that can only be encountered during an in person visit. Enjoy a mind stimulating experience that is rewarding for all ages.

When you visit these historic home sites, you're guaranteed to get a rush of excitement. You'll be able to explore each site in depth and learn about the fascinating history behind them.

Book a tour with  Historic Home Tours, Columbus Mississippi where you can have an amazing and interactive experience. Our guided tours will show you the historically preserved homes, inform you about their period-specific operation, while gaining an appreciation of how far we've come as a community. Plus, everyone is welcome - men, women, and children alike! 

Featuring Riverview

2024 tours | april.

Book your tour of this US National Historic Landmark  built in 1847. Touring Riverview is an experience that immerses you so deep into American history that you start to feel as though you entered a time machine!

"Magnificent!!!"

This historic home is one of the oldest brick homes in Northeast Mississippi and its architecture is stunning. It is currently under restoration to bring it back to its 1850 glory! Magnificent free standing stairway in the entrance hall and pull down walls in library!

 Southern Standard of November 12, 1852, carried a lengthy description of the mansion and of a "great festive entertainment" which had occurred during the previous week. An architectural evaluation headed the article: . . . Our townsman. Colonel Charles McLaran, recently had erected on one of the most eligible and beautiful situations within the limits of our city, a splendid and costly brick mansion, the crowning architectural structure among the many stately edifices, private and public, that adorn our city, and delight the eye of the stranger en passant, - and which, in dimensions and external grandeur - internal arrangements, style and exquisit [sic] finish is, probably, superior to anything of the kind to be found in the Southern States."

Our guided tours will show you the historically preserved homes and how far we've come as a community.

Our guided tours will show you historically preserved homes and how far we've come as a community.

Join our mission to build a united community and preserve the unique history of Columbus Mississippi.

Are you looking to make a real impact in the Columbus Mississippi community? By supporting  Historic Home Tours, you'll not only be able to engage in learning about the vibrant history around you, but you'll also be helping to preserve it for generations to come. 

Our partnership with local nonprofits ensures that the needs of the community are at the forefront of our preservation efforts. 

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Historic Action is all about preserving key parts of our  history while enriching our shared community. Consider subscribing to keep up to date on events, fundraisers, and community initiatives supported by Historic Home Tours, Columbus Mississippi.

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Historic Ohio Homes, Villages, Farms, and Castles

Enjoy Ohio’s living history and historical reenactments at famous homes, villages, farms, and castles. See how Presidents and inventors lived. Learn about the past from tour guides in the period clothing.

Free historic ohio homes, villages, farms, and castles, amish country in southwest ohio, carriage hill farm, follett house museum, frazee house, freshwater farms of ohio, garfield birth site, monument & historic site, hardin county historical museums, hubbard house, land of the cross tipped churches, lane hooven house, manor house, marmon valley farm, mcguffey museum, millionaires row, old stone house museum, robbins-hunter museum, historic roscoe village, rose hill museum, slate run historical farm, squire’s castle, stearns homestead, the 1810 house, toledo historic old west end, william howard taft national historic site, yesteryear is here, yoder’s amish home, young’s jersey dairy, more things to do this month in ohio, historic ohio homes, villages, farms, and castles worth the price of admission, adena mansion & gardens, blue rock station, carillon historical park, century village museum, edison birthplace museum, frostville museum, grant’s boyhood home & schoolhouse, hale farm & village, hanby house, harding presidential sites, harriet beecher stowe house, hawthorn hill – orville wright’s mansion, hayes presidential library & museums, historic lyme village, historic schoenbrunn village, cathedral basilica of the assumption, jefferson depot village, johnson-humrickhouse museum, john rankin house, john p. parker house, johnston farm & indian agency, lake metroparks farmpark, loveland castle, little cities of black diamonds, maria stein shrine of the holy relics, marietta castle, mccook house civil war museum, moore house museum, niederman family farm, ohio village, piatt castle mac-a-cheek, punderson manor, ravenwood castle, sauder village, staley mill farm & distillery, stan hywet hall & gardens, sunwatch indian village, thurber house, westcott house, zoar village.

• Appalachian Ohio
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• Visit Coshocton
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• Visit Marion Ohio
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• Yoder’s Bakery & Furniture

Admission to Adena Mansion & Gardens Historic Site is approx. $12/person

• Open: April – October Wednesday thru Saturday 9am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 847 Adena Road in Chillicothe, Ohio
• Phone:  740-772-1500 or 800-319-7248
• Web:  click here

Adena Mansion & Gardens Historic Site was the 2000-acre estate of Thomas Worthington (1773-1827), the sixth governor of Ohio and one of the state’s first United States Senators. The mansion house, completed in 1806-1807, has been restored to look much as it did when the Worthington family lived there, including many original Worthington family furnishings. The house is one of only three designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe still standing in the country. Latrobe is considered the first professional American architect and served as the architect of the U.S. Capitol under President Thomas Jefferson.

Five outbuildings and formal gardens are situated on the 300 remaining acres of the original home place. The gardens have undergone a major renovation. Visitors may stroll through three terraces of flowers and vegetables and the shrubs and trees in the grove. Looking east from the north lawn of the mansion, one can see across the Scioto River Valley to the Logan Range. This view inspired the Great Seal of the State of Ohio.

Blue Rock Station in Philo, Ohio requires reservations.

• Call for hours
• Location: ( Map It ) 1190 Virginia Ridge Rd., Philo, Ohio
• Phone: 740-674-4300
• Web: www.bluerockstation.com

Blue Rock Station in Philo, Ohio:  This 38-acre sustainability project is home to Ohio’s first “Earthship”, a unique 2200 sq. ft. “living” home, built from used auto tires, cans, bottles, and strawbales. Farm buildings incorporate time-honored building techniques such as thermal mass (using the earth to help heat the house), passive solar (the sun’s rays), and adobe construction (using mud and straw) to create a comfortable and attractive place to live. In addition, visitors can take a tour of the buildings, sign up for a workshop, walk with the llamas (trekking) or enjoy high tea in a peaceful setting.  Tour themes include sustainable agriculture practices, cooking with the sun, and alternative building techniques.  Call for hours or to set up a tour. Blue Rock Station is located just 20 minutes south of I-70 Zanesville.

Admission to Carillon Historical Park is approx. $14/person (less for kids).

• Open Monday – Saturday from 9:30am to 5pm, Sunday from 12 – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 1000 Carillon Blvd. in Dayton, Ohio
• Phone: 937-293-2841
• Web: click here

Carillon Historical Park in Dayton is a 65-acre campus with dozens of museums and countless artifacts showcasing the power of Dayton’s ingenuity and impact on the world in areas of mechanical flight and other industrial innovations. One of the stops in Carillon Historical Park is the Wright Brothers Aviation Center, where more Wright artifacts are on display than anywhere in the world. It features the 1905 Wright Flyer III —the only airplane designated a National Historic Landmark, the world’s first practical flying machine, and what the Wright brothers considered their most important aircraft. Learn how Dayton earned its reputation as a city of creativity and innovation.

Admission to the Century Village Museum varies.

• Open: Weekends from Mid-April – November
• Location: ( Map It ) 14653 East Park St. in Burton, Ohio
• Phone: 440-834-1492

The Century Village Museum:  An engaging museum depicting a Western Reserve Village with over twenty-two historically authentic buildings that house over 20,000 museum artifacts.  On the museum, grounds are a general store for purchases, a one-room schoolhouse, Marshall’s Office, library, church, train depot, and many more fascinating historical experiences! Open for public and private tours as well as a myriad of festivals and events.

Admission to Edison Birthplace Museum is approx. $17/person (less for kids).  

• Open: Hours and days vary throughout the week and year. Closed January, Mondays, and major holidays
• Location: ( Map It ) 9 Edison Drive in Milan, Ohio (near Exit 118 of the Ohio Turnpike)
• Phone: 419-499-2135

The Edison Birthplace and Museum in Milan, Ohio:  Thomas Alva Edison was one of America’s most famous inventors. He is most renowned for inventing the incandescent light bulb, but his shop is also responsible for creating the phonograph and many other inventions. Edison’s story began with his birth in Milan, Ohio, in 1847. This birthplace/museum has many artifacts, inventions, precious documents, and other mementos. Guided tours may be arranged. The Edison Birthplace Museum provides insight into the historic inventor’s life.

Admission to the Frostville Museum is nominal.

• Open: Usually from Memorial Day – October on Saturday from 9am – 1pm, and special events.
• Location: ( Map It ) 24101 Cedar Point Rd. at Rocky River Reservation in North Olmsted, Ohio
• Phone: 440-734-5231

The Frostville Museum highlights the local 19th Century history and features several landmarks. The Brigg’s Homestead built in 1836, the Jenkin’s Cabin built in the early 1800s, the John Carpenter House built in 1840 and the Prechtel House built in 1874 are some of the featured buildings at this site. Each structure displays museum items that reflect the day and times of pioneer life, rural Victorian American life, and other historic artifacts.

Admission to President Grant’s Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse is $5/person.

• Open: Wednesday – Sunday, May – October, from 12 – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) Boyhood Home is located at 219 East Grant Ave. in Georgetown, Ohio
• Phone: 937-378-3087 or 877-372-8177

President Grant’s Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse:  See the humble beginnings of Ulysses S. Grant. Jesse Grant (Ulysses’ father) built the home in 1823. Ulysses lived in Georgetown longer than anywhere else in his life.  He was born at Point Pleasant, Ohio in 1822 and the family moved to Georgetown when he was less than a year old. The schoolhouse was originally a one-room structure built in 1829. The home is a restored white colonial.

Admission to Hale Farm & Village is approx. $15/person (less for kids).

• Open:  June – October, usually on Wednesday to Sunday from 10am – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 2686 Oak Hill Road in Bath, Ohio (May need to use Peninsula, Ohio for GPS)
• Phone: 877-HALE-FARM or 330-666-3711

Hale Farm & Village, located in the Cuyahoga Valley, is an outdoor living history museum. Mid-19th century life is depicted through 32 historic structures, farm animals, heritage gardens, cooking, and early American craft and trade demonstrations such as blacksmithing, pottery, and glassblowing. Shop for handcrafted at Hale and Ohio-made items in the MarketPlace or online in our Etsy store. Visit for a signature event or workshop, or plan your special event on the property. Take the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to the farm and enjoy a day in the National Park.

Admission to the Hanby House is nominal.

• Open: Usually from May through September on Saturday & Sunday, from 1-4pm.
• Location:( Map It ) 160 W. Main St., Westerville, Ohio
• Phone: 614-891-6289 or 1-800-600-6843

The Hanby House in Westerville:  Benjamin Hanby left Westerville a rich tradition in music. The Hanby House is Ohio’s first memorial to a composer. Hanby wrote over 80 folk songs and hymns, including “Darling Nelly Grey,” a popular song of the Civil War, and “Up on the Housetop,” still sung by children worldwide. The Hanby House contains five rooms of original antiques from the Civil War era, including some of Ben’s original instruments, musical scores, and artifacts. The Hanby House was also a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Admission to Harding Presidential Sites is approx. $16/adult (less for kids).

• Open: Thursday – Saturday, from 9am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 380 Mt. Vernon Ave., Marion, Ohio
• Phone: 800-600-6894

The Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites features the home and Presidential Library of Warren G. Harding. Collections encompass more than 5,000 original items, including 300 from the White House. Because most of what you’ll see in the home is original, you’ll get the feeling that Warren G. and Florence Harding have just stepped into the next room.

The Harding Home, the residence of Warren G. and Florence Harding from 1891 to 1921, has been open continuously as a museum since 1926. The museum opened just three years after President Harding died from a heart attack in 1923. Mrs. Harding died 15 months later from kidney disease. In her will, she made arrangements for the home and the bulk of the contents to go into the hands of the Harding Memorial Association (HMA).

The HMA formed just after President Harding’s death on Aug. 2, 1923 to oversee fundraising to construct the Harding Memorial. They owned the 10-acre Memorial site and the Harding Home until 1978, when both sites were turned over to the State of Ohio. The sites today are administered by the Ohio History Connection with the help of local manager Marion Technical College.

When the museum opened in February 1926, visitors could view just the first four rooms of the residence – the reception hall, parlor, library and dining room. The rooms were not presented as they were when the Hardings lived there; instead, all of the rooms featured glass display cases of objects. Photos and framed documents covered the walls. The on-site caretakers lived upstairs.

In 1965, the HMA completed a restoration of the Home, showcasing it for the first time as a house museum. The group chose 1900 as the year it wanted to depict, choosing wallpapers that reflected that year. The caretakers continued to perform the maintenance and lead tours but now lived off-site.

Admission to the Harriet Beecher Stowe House is approx. $5/person.

• Open:  February – April on Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and Sunday from 12 – 4pm (last entry at 3pm).
• Location: ( Map It ) 2950 Gilbert Avenue (State Route 3, U.S. 22) in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Phone: 513-751-0651

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House:  Harriet Beecher Stowe is the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin . Stowe was inspired to write this historic book when she learned of the evils of slavery.  Built in 1833 by Lane Seminary, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House served as the residence for the institution’s president. In 1832, Harriet Beecher moved to Cincinnati from Connecticut with her father, Dr. Lyman Beecher, who was appointed seminary president.

Admission to Orville Wright’s Hawthorn Hill Mansion is approx. $16/person.

• Open: Call in advance to schedule a tour for Wednesday or Saturday at 10am or 12:30pm

Orville Wright’s Hawthorn Hill Mansion in Dayton, Ohio, has recently been opened for public tours. You’ll see Orville Wright’s various inventions, from his reading chair to his shower. The sprawling grounds once had droves of people chanting outside for Orville’s house guest, Charles Lindbergh. The house was to be a joint residence of Wilbur and Orville, but Wilbur died before its completion. However, Orville’s sister and father lived in the residence. The estate was nicknamed Hawthorn Hill because it has over a hundred Hawthorn trees, and the mansion sits on top of a hill. Tours last approximately one and a half hours long (limit of 10 people per tour).

• Open: Days and hours vary throughout the year, but usually Thursday – Saturday, from 9am – 5pm, and Sunday from 12 – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio
• Phone: 419-332-2081
• Web: https://www.rbhayes.org/

The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums consists of two buildings, the Hayes Home and Hayes Museum/Library. Visitors can opt to tour one building or both. There is a reduced rate for both. The museum was started by the president’s second son, Col. Webb Cook Hayes, and his siblings shortly after the turn of the last century. Major additions in 1922 and 1968 increased the galleries and library to 52,640 square feet. In keeping with the museum’s mission, there are 13,000 artifacts depicting the Hayes family. As president, Hayes contended with the aftermath of Reconstruction in the South, especially as related to Black citizens and the plight of the Native Americans. He fought against the controversial Chinese Immigration Exclusion Act and promoted Civil Service Reform. The Hayes Library at the Center is impressive, offering Hayes’ 12,000-volume personal library along with material from his military and political careers. The Hayes Presidential Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays and holidays from Noon to 5 p.m. (The library is closed on Sundays.)

Admission to the Historic Lyme Village is approx. $12/person (less for kids).

• Open: June – August on Wednesday – Saturday from 11am –  5:00 pm (last tour starts at 4pm).
• Location: ( Map It ) 5001 State Route 4 in Bellevue, Ohio (four miles south of Ohio Turnpike Exit 110)
• Phone: 419-483-4949

Historic Lyme Village In Bellevue:  Relive the past as you tour this 19th-century village.  Historic Lyme Village includes the John Wright Mansion an 1880 Second Empire Victorian Mansion, an 1824 post office, an 1836 family home, log homes, a one-room school, log church, general store, and 10 other 19th century buildings.  The village is also home to the National Postmark Museum and Research Center, which has limited hours.

• Open: Memorial Day – Labor Day on Wednesday-Saturday from 10am – 5pm, Sunday 12 – 5pm. September and October: Saturday 10am – 5pm, Sunday 12 – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 1984 E. High St. in New Philadelphia, Ohio
• Phone: 330-808-4815 or 800-752-2711

Historic Schoenbrunn Village became the first white settlement in Ohio and west of the Ohio River at the start of the American Revolution when Ohio was the Western frontier of the colonies. It was a unique meeting of two cultures: the Moravian Missionaries and the Delaware Native Americans. Today, Schoenbrunn offers 16 reconstructed log cabins, a museum, and a gift shop. 

Southwest Ohio Amish Country’s heart is the Wheat Ridge Amish Community in Adams County.  It features two authentic Amish stores:  Keim Family Market, and Miller’s Furniture, Bakery & Bulk Foods.

Yoder’s Bakery & Furniture (Formerly Keim Family Market) ( Map It ) 2621 Burnt Cabin Road in Seaman, Ohio Phone: 937-386-9995 Web: click here

Miller’s Furniture, Miller’s Bakery & Miller’s Bulk Foods ( Map It ) 960 Wheat Ridge Road in West Union, Ohio Phone: 937-544-4520 Web: www.wheatridgeamish.com

Southwestern Ohio Amish Country was first settled in 1975. Amish families moved from the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country in Holmes County and settled in rural Adams County. Amish began selling baked goods alongside Route 32. From there, the Miller and Yoder/Keim family businesses grew from their humble beginnings to Amish superstores selling baked goods, bulk foods, full line delis with meat and cheese selections, and almost anything you can imagine being made from wood. full line deli with cheese and meat selections, and bulk food selection that includes spices and baking ingredients plus an enormous variety of canned goods, sugar-free foods, and candies. Their indoor and outdoor furniture lines include hutches, bedroom sets, chairs, and gliders. In addition, they hand-build gazebos, children’s playsets, footbridges, and even buildings.

The Amish merchants are very friendly but do not like their pictures to be taken. They provide credit card processing, UPS delivery, catalogs for their products, and superb customer service.

Admission to Carriage Hill Farm and Metropark is usually free.

• Open: Usually April – October on Thursday – Saturday (hours vary), and during special events.
• Location: ( Map It ) 7800 East Shull Road in Dayton, Ohio
• Phone: 937-275-7275

The Historical Farm at Carriage Hill MetroPark is part of the Dayton Metroparks. Visitors will see what working on a farm in the 1880s was like. It has restored buildings that include a blacksmith shop, summer kitchen, woodshop, and barns with various animals. There are also hands-on displays for children. Household chores and farming are demonstrated as they were more than 100 years ago. There are also scenic views of woodlands, meadows, a lake, and a pond.

Admission to Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption is fee for self-guided tours (guided tours at a nominal fee).

• Open: Monday- Friday from 9am – 3pm, Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and Sunday 11:30am – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 1140 Madison Avenue (near downtown Cincinnati, Ohio) in Covington, KY
• Phone: 859-431-2060

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption:  See the largest stained glass window in the world and only one of 31 basilicas in the U.S. The window measures 67 feet by 24 feet. The cathedral also touches the senses with more than 80 additional stained glass windows and its French Gothic design with gargoyles and flying buttresses.

Admission to the Follett House Museum is free.

• Open: Saturday from 1 – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 404 Wayne Street in Sandusky, Ohio
• Phone: 419-625-3834

The Follett House Museum has an extensive collection of archival materials chronicling the Sandusky and Erie County region. It includes several artifacts from the Underground Railroad. The museum is a branch of the Sandusky Library. Oran Follett built the 1827 mansion in Greek-Revival style. Follett was a businessman and one of the founders of the Republican Party. The museum’s Civil War collection includes items from the Confederate officers’ prison on Johnson Island. Other fine artifacts in the museum are diaries, letters, drawings, and photographs from the Johnson Island Prison. It also displays books, maps, and manuscripts. When you visit, take in the panoramic view of Sandusky, Cedar Point and Johnson’s Island from the mansion’s widow’s walk. The Follett House Museum is listed in the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

Admission to the Frazee House is normally free.

• Open: Call for hours
• Location: ( Map It ) 7733 Canal Road in Valley View, Ohio
• Phone: 216-524-2497

The Stephen Frazee House was built in the mid-1820s. This was the time of the construction of the northern portion of the Ohio and Erie Canals. The home exhibits excellent examples of Western Reserve architectural style and construction techniques used at the time.

Admission to Freshwater Farms of Ohio is free except for group tours.

• Open: Monday – Saturday from 10am – 6pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 2624 U.S. 68 in Urbana, Ohio
• Phone: 800-634-7434 or 937-652-3701
• Web: https://fwfarms.com/

Freshwater Farms of Ohio is the state’s largest indoor fish hatchery. The fish farm is open for public self-guided tours and for-fee large group tours and includes family activities such as trout-feeding, displays of native fishes, and a sturgeon petting zoo. The Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival is held at the farm every third Saturday in September. Producer of wholesome rainbow trout fillets and smoked trout, the fish are raised from egg to adult in solar-heated barns using clean water and feeds.  Their products are made with all-natural ingredients and contain no artificial preservatives, specializing in hand-cut boneless fillets and smoked trout products, seasoned trout patties, marinated and pre-seasoned fillets, and bulk seasonings made from scratch.

Admission to the President James A. Garfield Memorial Cabin and Birth Site, Monument, and Historic Site is free.

• Open: Call for days and hours.
• Location: ( Map It ) Moreland Hills, Ohio
• Phone: 440-248-1188

Please note that this is President James A. Garfield’s birth site, not the historic site in Mentor, Ohio. Here, you will see a replica memorial cabin like that, which was built by Garfield’s father in 1829.

James A. Garfield Monument:

• Location: ( Map It ) Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio
• Phone: 216-421-2665

President Garfield is buried in Lake View Cemetery in University Circle, east of downtown Cleveland. As you enter Lake View Cemetery at the Euclid or Mayfield Gate, follow the signs leading to the monument.  Garfield (1831-1881) was the 20th President of the United States and was elected to office in 1880.  He was assassinated in 1881, four months after his inauguration by Charles Guiteau.

James A. Garfield National Historic Site National Park Service:

• Location: ( Map It ) 8095 Mentor Avenue, Mentor, OH 44060
• Phone: 440-255-8722

James A. Garfield National Historic Site commemorates and interprets the life, family, and career of James Abram Garfield, college professor and principal, Civil War general, member of Congress, and 20th President of the United States.  This eight-acre property includes the Garfield home (purchased in 1876; expanded in 1880 and 1885-86), memorial library, 1880 presidential campaign office, and several outbuildings.  The grounds are free; access to museum exhibits, film, and guided house tours is at a nominal fee.  The site regularly hosts several expanded tours, including a “Behind the Scenes” tour and a special tour for kids. Numerous programs and special events throughout the year further interpret James A. Garfield’s legacy and important role in American history.

Admission to the Hardin County Historical Museums is normally free. Donations accepted.

• Open: Tuesday – Thursday from 1 – 4pm or by appointment.
• Location: ( Map It ) 223 N. Main in Kenton, Ohio
• Phone: 419-673-7147

The Hardin County Historical Museums: Also known as the Sullivan-Johnson Museum, exhibits include the world-famous Kenton Cast Iron Toys, Fred Machetanz Gallery, Jacob Parrott, and much more. Kenton Toy Collectors meet at the museum every other month. The Toy Collectors are available for appraisal of toys.  They also buy, sell, and trade. The Hardin Historic Village and Farm are open by appointment only. The Heritage Farm is a turn-of-the-century farmstead featuring many farming instruments and pioneer architecture. The museum/village highlights include the Stadt Log House and Dunkirk Jailhouse.

Admission to the Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum is free (donations accepted).

• Open: Memorial Day – Labor Day on Saturday and Sunday, tours at 1 and 3pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 1603 Walnut Blvd. in Ashtabula, Ohio
• Phone: 440-964-8168

Hubbard House Underground Railroad Museum in Ashtabula:  Once a stop along the Underground Railroad, this 1840s house was built by William and Catherine Hubbard and served as a refuge for escaped slaves. Its displays include old maps and photographs and Civil War items. It is furnished according to the appropriate period and style to reflect the home’s history. The home itself is listed in the Department of Interior’s National Historic Register.

• Open from June – September (Tour guides in period attire on Saturday  &  Sunday from  1 – 4pm ,  Monday  &  Thursday   10am – 4pm  (Interpreters in buildings for 12 or more).
• Location: ( Map It ) Jefferson Depot Village at 147 E. Jefferson St. in Jefferson, Ohio
• Phone: 440-344-0167

Jefferson Depot Village is the best-kept secret in Ashtabula County. This hidden 19th-century preserved “living history” village is in Jefferson, Ohio. Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Ohio, the Jefferson Depot Village volunteers saved and restored the 1872 Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Station (on the National Register of Historic Places) just 2 weeks before its scheduled demolition.  Then, they moved 15 original 19th-century buildings from Ashtabula County to the depot.  Each contains original artifacts and furnishings.

As you tour through the restored buildings, “Live a day in the 1890s”, work at the train station, attend church in the 1848 “Church in the Wildwood,” go to school in the 1838 Spafford One-Room Schoolhouse with its original music staff painted on the blackboard, pick up your mail at the 1845 Sheffield Post Office, get medicines from the 1860 Ashtabula Pharmacy or stroll thru the medicinal herb garden.  Everyone meets at Hohn’s General Store with its marble-topped cabinets full of goods.  The 1888 Victorian House is filled with authentic antiques.  Don’t miss the Church Barn, Blacksmith Shop, Girl’s and Boy’s Outhouses, the Carriage House, Old Tavern, PRR Caboose, and the Library/Welcome Center.

Admission to the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum is approx. $5/person.

• Open: Memorial to Labor Day from 12pm – 4pm , and Tuesday – Sunday the rest of the year except January & February (Fri – Sun)
• Location: ( Map It ) 300 North Whitewoman Street in Coshocton, Ohio  43812 (Located in Historic Roscoe Village)
• Phone: 740-622-8710

Click to Read COLLECTING A LEGACY …AND CONTROVERSY

The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum is nationally accredited. As you behold their remarkable collections, it will dispel notions of a “small town” museum.  Four of their galleries house permanent displays of American Indian (pre-historic Tools and Points and one of the finest collections of Indian basketry in the US), Historic Ohio, Euro-American Decorative Arts(Textiles, lacework, porcelain, glassware, sculpture, china, and dolls) and Asian (Chinese and Japanese artifacts, lacquer, jade, theater masks, and Samurai armor and swords).  A fifth gallery offers temporary exhibits from fine art and craft to local history and world culture. 

Visitors travel from all parts of the world to the JHM to see their collections of national significance, including its Chinese lacquerware, carvings, and ceramics, and American Indian basketry and beadwork.  The museum is also well known for its collection of Ohio prehistoric Indian points and tools. A popular exhibit is the Newark Holy Stones, controversial artifacts uncovered in prehistoric Indian Mounds in the 1860s that are inscribed in Hebrew. 

JHM is handicapped accessible and offers a gift shop with collection-related books, fine crafts, jewelry, and decorative items.

Admission to the John Rankin House is approx. $8/person (less for kids).

• Open: early April through October from Wednesday – Sunday from 10am – 5pm (Sunday 12-5). Tours on the hour.
• Location: ( Map It ) 6152 Rankin Hill Road in Ripley, Ohio
• Phone: 800-752-2705

The John Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio, is a National Historic Landmark and a famous station on the Underground Railroad.

The brick home was built in 1825 by Reverand John Rankin and sits high atop Freedom Hill overlooking the small river town of Ripley, Ohio. It features extraordinary tales of bravery and fantastic views of the Ohio River and its meandering bends between the Appalachian foothills of southern Ohio and northern Kentucky.

Rankin began his 44-year ministry at Ripley’s Presbyterian church in 1822. He and his wife and 13 children were ardent abolitionists. They dedicated their lives to helping their fellow human beings. Reverend John Rankin was one of the most active “conductors” of the Underground Railroad. His family never lost a “passenger” along their trek of the line. Over the years, more than 2,000 “passengers” stayed at the Rankin House. At times, up to a dozen runaway slaves lived in the humble brick home in addition to the 15 family members. It only took one encounter for slave owners and hunters to learn not to try and seize escaped slaves from the Rankins. Family members always stood armed and watchful.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin cites a true story of a lady pushing her child across the thin ice on the Ohio River, desperate to cross to the Rankin House. When a slave hunter met her on the other side, he was so moved by watching her determination that he let her pass through to the home on the hill, shining its candle in the window at night to guide her and so many other escaped slaves to potential freedom.

Merely crossing the Ohio River didn’t bring freedom, even though Ohio was a free state. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 meant runaway slaves could be apprehended in free states and returned to slavery. The Underground Railroad had to get its “passengers” into Canada. Making it to the Rankin House was a milestone, to be sure, but the final trek from southern Ohio to northern Ohio and ultimately out of the United States still had many obstacles to maneuver.

The modest home has received more than $1 million in renovations to return it to an authentic representation of how it was when the Rankin family lived there. It is quite a time capsule.

The floorboards are original and in great shape. Several original family items, such as the family’s Bible, remain. Well-informed guides give tours. They learn vital information to share but are encouraged to do some research to develop additional points of interest to further make the Rankin House story come alive for its visitors. In her research, a young tour guide named Niya found that her fourth-generation grandfather was at the Rankin’s house in the 1840s.

This little place in the middle of nowhere attracts many visitors and has a large parking lot. The tour takes about 30 minutes. Another 30 minutes can be spent taking in the incredible scenery of the forested hills and Ohio River stretching east and west as far as the eyes can see.

The John Rankin House is one of those little stops you always remember.

Admission to the John P. Parker House is approx. $8/person.

• Open: May through October on Friday & Saturday from 10am – 5pm, and Sunday from 1 – 5 p.m.
• Location: ( Map It ) 300 N. Front Street in Ripley, Ohio
• Phone: 937-392-4188 or email [email protected]

If you stand on the northern shore of the Ohio River in downtown Ripley, you understand why John P. Parker once stood near this very same spot in the mid-1800s and decided to build a home and open his machine shop and foundry in this bustling rivertown.

Parker was a freed slave who would become a successful businessman and inventor, and from about 1850 until the end of the Civil War; he was one of the most active conductors on the Underground Railroad. At great risk to his own life and freedom, he repeatedly crossed into Kentucky to help enslaved brothers and sisters escape across the river in wooden boats.

The John P. Parker National Historic Landmark features exhibits, a display center of Parker’s products, and guided tours enlightening visitors about his adventurous, daring life. It is a travel destination for families eager to experience a compelling episode in American history when the Ohio River was the line between bondage and freedom.

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency admission is approx. $10/person (less for kids).

• Open: June – August on Thursday & Friday from 10am – 5pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 12 – 5pm. April, May, September, & October on Monday – Friday from 9am – 2pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 9845 North Hardin Road in Piqua, Ohio (Miami County)
• Phone: (937) 773-2522 or 1-800-752-2619

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency in Piqua, Ohio:  See how it was in the early 1800s when Colonel John Johnston lived here as a working farmer, a Federal Indian Agent, and a community leader who facilitated canal building. See the oldest log barn in Ohio, learn about Woodland Indians, and ride the “General Harrison” on a restored canal segment. Costumed interpreters and craft demonstrators combine for a realistic visit to the first half of the 19 th century.

Admission to Lake Metroparks Farmpark is approx. $10/person.

• Open: Tuesday – Sunday from 9am – 5pm
• Location: ( Map It ) 8800 Chardon Road in Kirtland, Ohio
• Phone: 800-366-FARM (3276) or 440-256-2122
• Web: click here 

Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland houses a wide range of farm animals and offers visitors a chance to gain hands-on experience with those animals.  Visitors can participate in the daily activities on a farm, such as learning how to milk animals by hand or machine, feeding livestock, sorting grain, and making syrups and jams.  The park also features a cornfield maze that visitors can enter.  There are demonstrations on doing other farm activities such as herding sheep—the farmhouses over fifty breeds of livestock with a dozen endangered animals.  The farm also holds many gardens, orchards, and vineyards that can be visited.

Admission to the Loveland Castle is approx. $5/person.

• Open: Daily from 11am to 5pm
• Location: ( Map It ) 12025 Shore Rd. in Loveland, Ohio
• Phone: 513-683-4686
• Web: https://lovelandcastle.com/

See The Multimedia Feature Story

The Loveland Castle & Museum is a real castle much as you’d see in the old country. It is a smaller replica (5,000 sq. ft.) of France’s 10th-century Chateau La Roche. It comes complete with a princess room, towers and terraces, and a dungeon! It is open daily for tours and can be rented for weddings. In addition, overnight stays and group parties are available. Don’t miss the haunted tours around Halloween.

Little Cities of Black Diamonds By Robert Carpenter 

Excerpt from a past edition of OhioTraveler

Have you ever wanted to go down into a coal mine—not to work—just for the adventure?  The lives of the hard-working men who slog like moles hundreds of feet beneath, and sometimes miles back under the earth’s surface have always seemed intriguing as well as personifying the American spirit.

So, you would think that a material equated to gemstones would be applauded for its key role in the industrialization that made this the greatest nation on the planet. Instead, coal and mining, which currently gain news prominence only after a disaster, are almost viewed as antisocial.

Although more than half of the power consumed in our country is still generated by coal, the “greenies” would like to eliminate its use altogether. And due to nearly complete removal from home use, knowledge by later generations of the fossil fuel known as “black diamonds” is limited to its extraction by hazardous, gritty labor, far removed from, and seemingly unrelated to the sanitized information age.

But there is an organization that does not want you to forget the vital function that coal has played in one of the most inventive and ingenious chapters of our history.

The nonprofit organization labeled “Little Cities of Black Diamonds” refers to the old “played out” coal mining communities in Hocking, Perry, and Athens counties of southeast Ohio. “Cities” denotes that during the boom years when coal was king (approximately 1850 to 1925) these communities, although small—were indeed city-like, providing every amenity that society had to offer.

And it wasn’t just coal that created prosperity in the region. There was oil, clay and iron ore, but the production and use of those resources was only possible due to energy from coal and its derivative coke that created power and fired the kilns and furnaces.

The Black Diamonds’ organization feels that the story of coal and its influence should not be forgotten because it so accurately defines an era and the character of this part of the country.

One of my warmest memories of childhood is of those winter mornings hearing my father rattle the grate in the furnace and bank the fire. The expanding cast-iron jacket would soon begin to crackle and pop, echoing up through the ducts, and heat from the coal flames boiling through the registers would transform a cold house to comfort within minutes.

When snow and ice turned our inclined driveway into a sled run, my father would spread the ashes and clinkers (incompletely burned impurities) in the tire tracks, and then drive up the hill like it was summer.

But coal furnaces, like steam locomotives, were not destined for the modern age.  Although, even with the glory days gone, coal heat extended its popularity into the ‘70’s, and current industrial use persists because compared to alternatives, it is cheap, plentiful and reliable.

Of course coal has its drawbacks, as anyone old enough to remember hosing the soot off a porch floor would know.  Then we became aware of black lung disease, and acid rain due to the high sulfur content of coal found in the Appalachian basin. It was the latter that put a kink in the pipeline of southeastern Ohio coal production that it has never recovered from, even following the implementation of scrubbers on smoke stacks that clean up most of the pollution.

Considering coal’s demise, there is still much to be celebrated in the southern tri-county region and more history than you may be able to absorb in one trip.  There are literally dozens of worked-out mines and related hamlets in the “black diamonds” area—some with little reason for existing other than displaying remnants of a vaunted past. But the organization has plotted thirteen specific destinations with enough varied interests to satisfy most anyone.

There are group tours for organized parties of 12-15 people. For $50 per person per day, one or two-day excursions are available that include transportation by van, lunch and a professional guide. But most people will probably prefer to tour at their own pace and curiosity since there is enough interest at single sites to hold you for an entire day.

The best starting point is at the Wayne Forest Visitors Center located on Rt. 33 between Nelsonville and Athens. The coal tipple-style building is headquarters for Ohio’s only national forest and they provide a driving tour map and brochure of the little cities and other novelties of the region.  Some examples are:

Robinson’s Cave (mine) in New Straitsville is the unofficial birthplace of United Mine Workers Union, and the nearby museum relates the history of the town and mining in general.

Shawnee is the best original example of boomtowns still standing in Ohio, and some say in the eastern U. S.  Its Victorian architecture presents shopping, restaurants, museums and two opera houses. It’s one of the places where you’ll want a camera.

Haydenville is billed as Ohio’s last company-owned town. Industrialist Peter Hayden who dealt in iron, clay and coal, built the town using houses, stores and churches to display his products. One of the houses is now a museum.

Nelsonville was at one time the gateway to the “little cities” area due to its location on both the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad and the Hocking Canal. It was, and remains the most prosperous of the rollicking cities that sprung up in the mining period, cresting at more than 8,000 residents. It’s also the present boarding point for the Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad that runs passenger cars up and down the valley during summer and fall. Call them at 800-967-7834 for more details.

Rendville stands out because it was a social experiment. Founder William P. Rend recruited blacks to work his mines, but with his blessings they also held the leadership positions of the town such as mayor, postmaster, physician, ministers, and labor union bosses. The original Baptist Church is now The Rendville Art Works, which is open every day but Sunday.

In addition to the historical sites, the area offers hiking trails, swimming, boating and fishing. Burr Oak State Park is said to be Ohio’s most remote and picturesque state park. Another bonus is the drive up SR 78 East from Bishopville. It’s known as the “Rim of The World.” The views are spectacular—especially at this time of the year.

But whatever you’re viewing, you’ll be aware that it was coal that developed this area, and its decline, perhaps, that has let it down—a useful cue that nothing is forever—that change is inevitable, and hopefully for the best.

The house I grew up in was eventually converted to electric, but regardless of the cleanliness, convenience and thermometer reading, we all agreed that it was somehow never as comfortable as coal-fired heat.

In recent times there are mornings when in that semi-conscious state, I hear that old coal furnace crackling and popping. At first the ghostly quality was frightening. There is nothing in my present house that can possible make that noise, yet I clearly hear it even when I’m awake enough to know I’m not dreaming. But I’ve learned to welcome the sound because when it ceases I get up; I’m warm, I’m comforted, and all seems to be right with the world.

Go to LittleCitiesofBlackDiamonds.org or call 800-394-3011 or (local) 740-394-3011 for more information.

Welcome to the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics.

• Open: Friday & Saturday from 9:30am – 4pm, Sunday from 12 – 4pm, and Monday – Thursday from 9:30am – 6pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 2291 St. Johns Road in Maria Stein, Ohio
• Web: https://mariasteinshrine.org/

The Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics is situated on nearly 30 acres of beautifully landscaped, peaceful rolling grounds in rural Maria Stein, Ohio. The grounds of the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics include many unique opportunities for walking, reflection, and prayer in a peaceful environment. The Shrine’s religious, genealogical, cultural, and architectural history interests visitors worldwide.

Pilgrims are encouraged to explore the grounds, appreciate the beautiful architecture, stroll along sacred paths, and enjoy an environment of serenity and solitude. Prayers are available to accompany your journey. There is no better place to deepen your spirituality than the Shrine, rich in holiness and history.

Some of the Shrine’s notable features include a beautiful courtyard featuring Stations of the Cross, an Angel Garden, a Statue Garden, the original tower entrance and the original bell from the former Convent built in 1860, a spring-fed, hand-dug well, Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, the Chapel in the Woods, and so much more!

Admission to the Marietta Castle is approx. $10/person.

• Open: Tours are from April – December. Spring and fall hours are Monday, Thursday, & Friday from 10am – 4pm, and Saturday & Sunday from 1 – 4pm. Summer (June – August) hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, & Saturday from 10am – 4pm, and Sunday 1 – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 418 Fourth Street in Marietta, Ohio
• Phone: 740-373-4180
• Web: https://mariettacastle.org/

The Marietta Castle is an 1855 home of several cities and state notables. The Castle is an outstanding example of Gothic Revival architecture open for regular guided tours, periodic exhibits of art and artifacts important to the region, and concerts, workshops, children’s programs, teas, and other special activities.

Admission to the McCook House Civil War Museum is nominal.

• Open: Memorial Day – early October on Friday & Saturday from 10am – 5pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 15 South Lisbon Street in Carrollton, Ohio
• Phone: 1-800-600-7172 or 330-627-3345

Welcome to the McCook House Civil War Museum. Excerpt from a past edition of OhioTraveler

The Fighting McCooks

The McCook clan was not known as a cantankerous bunch, but no one questioned their courage or fierce defense of the Union cause. When the War Between the States broke out, they volunteered. All fifteen of them.

The Civil War was personal. What kind of men rush into a conflict knowing they might have to fight their neighbors or relatives? What goes through a man’s mind who encourages his brother and sons to join the fight knowing the odds are that some, maybe all of them will fail to return? It has been said that it is “the passion of fools and the most foolish of passions.” Patriotism.

To whatever instincts were embedded in the genetic code, it was definitely a passionate response by the McCooks—the fighting McCooks, as they became known.

Recollection of American history frequently summons heroic names from both sides such as Sherman, Grant, Jackson and Lee. However, from schoolbooks, the McCook name barely jingles a distant bell, but it should chime with clarity. There was hardly a Civil War battle, north or south of the Mason-Dixon line, without the participation of a McCook.

But now you can discover what academia left out. The saga of the McCooks is related through chronicled accounts and memorabilia displayed at the antebellum McCook House Museum in Carrollton. The house is owned by the Ohio Historical Society and managed by the Carroll County Historical Society.

The house recently reopened after a $300,000 renovation kept it shuttered for the past six months. It’s easy to recognize. It’s the large building on the southwest corner of the Carrollton town square. It is notable for its Federalist architecture—a two-story red-brick box-like structure with prominent chimneys on either side, no porch or portico, and numerous windows.  The house was built by Daniel McCook, a Carrollton attorney, in 1837 and occupied by his family that included eight sons and three daughters until 1848.  The other part of the clan was Daniel’s brother John and his five sons, hailing from Steubenville (as did President Lincoln’s Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.)

You may explore the house at leisure, but guided tours are more rewarding, especially for Civil War buffs. Downstairs you will see the parlor, Daniel’s law office, dining room (now a Civil War display) and the original small kitchen. Then head upstairs to view the four large bedrooms.

Manager and tour guide Shirley Anderson says, “People are always surprised at the number of items displayed here.” There are five Civil War swords belonging to the McCook sons; Daniel’s Henry rifle; GAR medals, period furniture; and a large set of china purchased in Paris in the 1860s. There’s also a large painting of Daniel and his sons (a copy of the original hanging in the Statehouse in Columbus).

When the war began, Daniel McCook was 63 years old—elderly by the standards of that era—but he volunteered as a nurse. Early in the conflict, he was present at the battle of Bull Run, where his son Alexander commanded the 1 st Ohio regiment, and his eighteen-year-old son Charles fought in another regiment.

Outnumbered, it was a humiliating defeat for the Union and Charles joined his father who was tending the wounded. When Johnny-Rebs overran the field hospital, Charles set off to rejoin his company, dispatching the first Reb with a well- placed shot, but was quickly surrounded and ordered to surrender. Seeing the futility, Daniel called upon the boy to submit, but Charles refused, calling back, “Father, I can never surrender to a Rebel. I will never surrender to a traitor.” At that point, he was shot in the back.

Word of the young man’s brave resistance traveled fast—told and retold hundreds, possibly thousands of times, plus the various accounts in print, but the premise never deviated.  Charles McCook became the cause celebre —his death the resulting harmony among those irrational impulses driving the war.

John McCook and his five sons, all officers, were in for the duration, fighting every battle that came their way, and safely returned home. Daniel and his sons—five of whom were generals—possibly because of displaying extraordinary valor, did not fare as well.

Daniel’s son, General Robert McCook, was seriously wounded but returned to the battlefield while still debilitated and issued orders from an ambulance wagon. When Rebels attacked the ambulance, he was unable to defend himself and was killed.

In 1863 Daniel who was not a cavalryman, but by then an aged paymaster, spontaneously seized a vacant command and led an advance party in an attempt to intercept marauders who had crossed the river near Cincinnati, and died in the skirmish.

A quote by an unknown officer of the time exemplifies the McCooks: “They were born leaders; they were all men of noble bearing, such man as would naturally be selected in conflict requiring valor, judgment, and influence with men. “

Nothing more epitomizes that statement than the actions of Dan McCook Jr. Perhaps in a lapse of judgment, General William Tecumseh Sherman in his march across Georgia, ordered a near-suicidal assault on a Confederate stronghold atop Kennesaw Mountain. Colonel McCook, leading one of the three prongs of attack, quoted to his men inspirational historic verse about “how better to die than against fearful odds,” before making the charge up the mountain where he fell.

Displayed in the museum are two original military commissions for Alexander McDowell McCook. One has the signature of Abraham Lincoln—the other usually found more interesting—and is signed in 1854 by Jefferson Davis, at the time Secretary of War. Of course, Davis was later President of the Confederacy, against which commissioned officers were sworn to fight. It was a deliberative and confusing time.

Much has been said about the present understanding of honor and responsibility compared with the concept a century and a half ago. Today’s willingness to fight one’s neighbors and relatives, even over the most serious of disagreements, seems like a distortion of duty. But through all the mistakes, it can be said that they did what they thought was right. Where the McCooks were concerned, the simplest explanation may be that they just didn’t know when to quit.

By Robert A. Carpenter

• Location: Auglaize and Mercer Counties, as well as portions of northern Darke and Shelby Counties
• Phone: 800-860-4726

Land of the Cross Tipped Churches:  In July 1979, over sixty buildings representing the German Catholic settlements of southern Auglaize and Mercer Counties, as well as portions of northern Darke and Shelby Counties, were placed on a National Register of Historic Places. Named The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches , these buildings consist of churches, schools, rectories and convents, this grouping is symbolic of the culture and historic uniqueness of the region. Today, most of these structures remain to remind us of the hard work and dedication of these early settlers as they built the Miami-Erie Canal and forged a new life on the area’s rich and productive farmland. A drive along this Ohio Scenic Byway through the rural countryside follows the quaint churches with their cross tipped “spires to heaven” and includes stops at the focal points of the region: the former convent at Maria Stein, St. Augustine Church – the original Mother Church of the area, and the magnificent and impressive former seminary at Carthagena.

Admission to the Lane Hooven House is free.

• Open Mondays – Fridays from 9am – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 319 N. 3rd St. in Hamilton, Ohio
• Phone: 513-863-1389

The Lane Hooven House was built in 1863 by industrialist Clark Lane and later restored. This octagonal Victorian Gothic Revival style brick home has a unique spiral staircase to the third-floor turret, a stain-glass entrance, and some period furnishings. The main floor is enriched with butternut and white walnut woodwork.

Admission to the Manor House in the Toledo Wildwood Preserve Metroparks is normally free.

• Open: April – September on Wed – Fri & Sun (call for holiday-season hours as they vary).
• Location: ( Map It ) 5100 W. Central Ave. in Toledo, Ohio, at Wildwood Preserve Metroparks
• Phone: 419-407-9790

The Manor House in the Toledo Wildwood Preserve Metroparks is a Georgian colonial mansion built in 1938 for Robert Stranahan, cofounder of the Champion Spark Plug Company. It has 35 primary rooms, 17 bathrooms, and 16 fireplaces. Most of the rooms have been refurbished with period-appropriate pieces. The estate grounds also have the former riding stables, a limousine garage, and symmetrical formal gardens next to brick walls with wrought iron gazebos.

• Open: Tuesday – Saturday from 9am – 5pm, and Sunday from  1 – 5pm)
• Location: ( Map It ) 7754 State Route 292 South in Zanesfield, Ohio
• Phone: 937-593-8000
• Web: https://marmonvalley.com/

Marmon Valley Farm offers a farm experience to the public. Gentle farm animals and cuddly barn cats will gladly be your tour guides as you explore the grounds. It won’t take long for the kids to find the Playbarn, a one-of-a-kind playground styled after a big red barn. They’ll love the twisty silo slide and the John Deere tractor for little farmers to climb on. The outdoor farm fun is practically endless.

With 150 gentle horses and ponies, The Farm specializes in trail rides ($) through the wooded hills and ravines surrounding their many barns and animal pens. Experienced trail guides take riders of all sizes (starting at age 6) and abilities out on the scenic trails for riders. We offer pony rides in the riding arena for the youngest cowhands in your gang!

Admission to the William Holmes McGuffey Museum is free.

• Open: Thursday – Saturday from 1 – 5pm
• Location: ( Map It ) 401 East Spring Street at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
• Phone: 513-529-8380

The William Holmes McGuffey Museum is on the Miami University, Oxford, Ohio campus.  It is registered as a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a house museum that includes campus and community history.  This was the home of William Holmes McGuffey, Professor of Ancient Languages and Moral Philosophy at Miami University from 1826 to 1836.  The museum/home honors McGuffey and his Eclectic Readers, a series of books that educated five generations of Americans and are said to be the most widely published books in the U.S., second to the Holy Bible.

Free self-guided tour of Cleveland’s Millionaires Row on Euclid Avenue.

• Location: Euclid Avenue near downtown Cleveland, Ohio

Millionaires Row on Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue:  What was once known as “the most beautiful street in America” is now a distant memory over a century later. Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue, otherwise known as Millionaires Row, was once the residential street of some of the most influential families in American history and their lavish estates. These monstrous mansions with broad sweeping lawns, ornate architecture and wondrous landscapes used to be home to industrial tycoons and celebrated philanthropists like Rockefeller, Mather, Wade, Severance, Gund, Stone, Brush and Everett and political figures such as John Hay, Tom Johnson and Leonard Hanna. Now, only 10 homes remain on the once famed avenue. And most of those are hidden from view by the byproduct of their industrial architects – buildings.  However, you can still take a stroll down memory lane and see what’s left but do so at your own risk because this isn’t exactly Rockefeller’s neighborhood anymore.

The homes that remain in whole or in part include the following:

• Luther Allen House (7609 Euclid Avenue)
• Morris Bradley Carriage House  (7217 Euclid Avenue)
• John Henry Devereaux (3226 Euclid Avenue)
• Francis Drury House (8625 Euclid Avenue)
• Hall-Sullivan House (7218 Euclid Avenue)
• Howe Residence (2248 Euclid Avenue)
• Samuel Mather Residence (2605 Euclid Avenue)
• Stager-Beckwith House (3813 Euclid Avenue)
• Lyman Treadway House (8917 Euclid Avenue)
• H.W. White Residence (8937 Euclid Avenue)

These homes were once stunning monuments to America’s growing prosperity. Those remaining sit like relics releasing a hint of what once was “the most beautiful street in America.”

Source: The Ohio Preservation Alliance

Admission to the Old Stone House Museum in Lakewood is free.

• Open: Wednesday and Sunday from 1-4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 14710 Lake Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio
• Phone: 216-221-7343

The Old Stone House Museum in Lakewood:  This 1838 “old stone house” was originally the residence of a Scottish immigrant and later served as a post office, shoe repair shop, grocery store, doctor’s office, and barbershop. Now, as a museum, it looks at the city’s pioneer past with displays of furniture, household items, clothing, tools, books, toys, dolls, and a spinning wheel. The home has a sick room with old-fashioned equipment to care for the ill. Also displayed are roped beds, cooking fireplace, four-harness loom, furnished parlor, handmade linens and more. The Old Stone House has a cousin linked to it – Nicholson House. This 1835 home is an example of early Western Reserve architecture. Both homes are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Admission to Robbins-Hunter Museum is free.

• Open: April – December on Wednesday – Saturdays from 1 – 4pm (garden open daily from dawn to dusk).
• Location: ( Map It ) 221 E. Broadway in Granville, Ohio
• Phone: 740-587-0430

The Robbins-Hunter Museum in Granville:  This museum house was built in 1842 and has 27 rooms. The rooms are furnished with fine examples of 19th-century American antiques, with a special emphasis on Ohio. Antiques at Avery House currently operates in the shop that Robbins Hunter ran. The museum hosts special exhibitions and programs.

Admission to Historic Roscoe Village is free. However, living history tours are approx. $13/person.

• Open: Hours of operation and tours vary by season, type, and days of the week.
• Location: ( Map It ) 600 North Whitewoman Street, Coshocton, Ohio
• Phone: 740-622-9310
• Web: www.roscoevillage.com

Historic Roscoe Village is a restored 1800s canal town. Guests experience life during the Canal Era on the Canal Town Journey tour, during which they are guided through historical buildings staffed with costumed interpreters and enjoy hands-on activities at the Visitor Center. Afterward, they may stroll the lush gardens, take a horse-drawn canal boat ride, browse the numerous quaint shops, and enjoy casual family dining.

Excerpt from a past edition of OhioTraveler  

Roscoe Village was a vibrant center of commerce along the legendary Ohio & Erie Canal. Forty years ago, it was brought back to life. Today, visitors can ride the canal just like their traveling counterparts back in the 1830s on their way to the streets of a vibrant canal town and all its dressings.

The famous port town is now known as Historic Roscoe Village. As its guests step onto the red brick ways, they are pulled in different directions. Some come just to relax in the beautiful gardens, some enjoy the living history journey back in time, others thrive on the original shops, and everyone marvels at the dining atmosphere and specialty dishes. Roscoe Village is a fully functional town that basks in its history yet entertains today’s interests. Special events fill the calendar, hands-on activities abound, and for those that want to get lost in relaxation and Yesteryear, there’s a variety of lodging accommodations.

Throughout the town, you see trendy shoppers and costumed canal-era interpreters mingling along the streets and in the shops. Bicyclists frequent the streetscapes, stopping for ice cream or a shade tree—tour groups snake in and out of historic buildings for hands-on experiences. Roscoe Village has always had a charm that attracts children, seniors, and young women on a girls’ day out. There’s that much to see, do, and enjoy.

The journey begins for most at the visitors’ center. It is there that sleeves are rolled up, and work begins. All ages are welcome to try their hand at candle dipping, making rope, punching tin, and crafting other bygone creations. A guide in period dress provides insight into the forgotten lifestyles of the town during the era long past. They demonstrate their skill at the workstations and provide punchy presentations filled with information, wit, and personality.

Through the gardens and down the road past a few historical homes is a blacksmith’s shop. The rather large, rickety, old, red barn is dark inside, but the blacksmith’s tools and workstation are strangely illuminated perfectly by the window light. Let the pounding begin. The blacksmith on duty will hammer and bend iron into just about anything the mind can imagine.

A few shops down, there’s a building where brooms are made. A demonstration shows the strange old machines and techniques for making one of the most used tools of the 1800s. The tour guide may have a little-known tale, such as coaxing a spectator to jump over the broomstick on the floor followed by a bellowing – “Now we’re married.” Details are explained on-site.

All aspects of life are explored, including the doctor’s office where an exam is given, another stop is made to make a bucket, and a little house with huge looms goes into action weaving. One of the more fun, interactive moments comes in the old schoolhouse where kids of all ages experience something they know – school. Don’t misbehave, or you’ll experience something unknown in today’s classrooms – a ruler on the knuckles!

Around lunchtime and dinner, too, the streets lure the hungry into the historic brick-and-stone eateries and fine dining houses. One of which is The Warehouse Steak n Stein. This architectural gem is smack in the middle of the village and, in the 1830s, was the Mill Store and main docking point for the village along the canal. Its lower level is P.R. Nyes Lock Twenty-Seven, accented by the canal’s original stone walls.

An after-dinner glass of wine or cup of coffee can be had at Uncorked Wine & Coffee Bar. With over 200 different types of wine, it’s a full-service bar with hot and cold gourmet coffees. Many find a great place to relax: on the patio, in the shade, listening to jazz or blues music.

Walking off a bite to eat is an easy thing to do in Roscoe Village. The charming shops are diverse and unique. Visitors often hit them all because it’s so convenient to walk from one to the next, marveling at the façade and gazing at the merchandise.

The wares made by the village blacksmith, broom squire, weaver, and woodworker are available at the Village Crafter’s Shop, located in the Visitor Center.

The Roscoe General Store is a throwback to historic community general stores. It offers everything from antiques to collectible bears and pottery to unusual toys for kids. Its candy bouquet temps with Lindt’s truffles, jelly beans, lollipops and gourmet chocolates.

The shopping list goes on. River Ridge Leather tans leather the old-fashioned way and hand stitches leather handbags, belts, harnesses, and more. Visitors are invited to see a live demonstration of the old art and the trade’s original tools dating back to the 1800s.

Over at Garden Gate, visitors find novel gardening gifts, herbs, flowers, fountains, and other accessories. The House of G.A. Fisher is known for one-of-a-kind jewels and keepsakes, Lenox, clocks, and watches. Liberty House has a fashionable collection of purses, scarves, wraps, and whimsical styles of women’s clothing. Wildwood Music is happy to hook you up with a handmade stringed instrument like a dulcimer, mandolin, banjo, or guitar. And the Village Soap & Candle Shop has lotions, soaps and powders that are primitive and homespun.

Although walking around town may be like a living history museum outdoors and in, there is an actual museum to boot – The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum. This nationally accredited museum has incredible collections in several galleries, including the American Indian Gallery, Historical Ohio Gallery, Decorative Arts Gallery, Oriental Gallery, and a Special Exhibits Gallery that features a variety of collections throughout the year.

Roscoe Village is never more alive than during its special events. Annual favorites include the October Apple Butter Stirrin’ Festival and the December annual Christmas Candlelighting.

When the day winds down, Historic Roscoe Village offers beautifully landscaped gardens to take a load off and melt into the scene on a park bench. Perhaps the favorite leisure-time activity is a 45-minute canal boat ride tugged by horses walking along the towpath along the canal banks. An overnight stay may be better instead of packing the plentiful activities into one day. Various lodging options are nearby and include bed and breakfasts, inns, cabins, guest houses, motels, campgrounds, and a lodge.

Admission to Rose Hill Museum is usually free.

• Open:  Hours vary.
• Location: ( Map It ) 27715 Lake Road in Bay Village, Ohio
• Phone: 440-871-7338

The Rose Hill Museum in Bay Village:  This museum home was built in 1818 as a private residence and once served as the town’s library. The three-story structure has furnishings from the Colonial and Victorian periods. The grounds also house a cabin replica and a Smoke House.

Admission to Slate Run Historical Farm is free.

• Open: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 9am – 6pm, and Friday & Saturday from 9am – 7pm. (Oct – Mar, closes at 5pm).
• Location: ( Map It ) 1375 Winchester Southern Rd in Canal Winchester, Ohio
• Phone: 614-833-1880

The Slate Run Historical Farm: Hey, kids, are you afraid to get your hands dirty? I didn’t think so. Well, roll up your sleeves and join in the farm life – 1800s style at Slate Run Historical Farm. It’s fully operational year-round as a living historical farm – not just a museum. Chores change with the seasons just like real life and the staff dresses the part. So, step back into early farm and family life and watch chores carried out with the tools, equipment, and methods used in the old-fashioned days without electricity and other modern conveniences.

Admission to Squire’s Castle is free.

• Open from Dawn – Dusk.
• Location: ( Map It ) 2844 River Road in Willoughby Hills, Ohio at North Chagrin Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks
• Phone: 216-635-3200

Squire’s Castle at Cleveland Metroparks in Willoughby Hills:  This stone building was known as Squire’s Castle” isn’t a castle. Rather, it is the caretaker’s house for a lavish mansion that was never built. The stone castle-like home was built in the 1890s by Feargus Squire, one of the founders of Standard Oil Company. He had planned a summer estate in the Cleveland countryside. His plans changed when his wife died. And the mansion never left the drawing board.  However, the Squire Castle is still a nice place to visit although it has been stripped of its glass windows, interior walls and furnishings and had the basement filled for fear of vandals. Still, wandering this stone home is interesting. It will leave the mind to wonder what if… Bring a picnic basket and spend the afternoon in the forest by this century-old architecture.

• Open: May – October on Saturday from 11am – 2pm
• Location: ( Map It ) 6975 Ridge Road in Parma, Ohio
• Phone: email [email protected]  or call 440-845-9770

Stearns Homestead in Parma:  This 48-acre historical farm includes the 1855 Stearns House, 1920 Gibbs House, country store, meeting cabin, outbuildings, barn, and farm animals. Both of the houses are museums with period-appropriate displays and furnishings.

Admission to The 1810 House is free.

• Open: June – November on Sunday from 1 – 3pm or by appointment.
• Location: ( Map It ) 1926 Waller Street in Portsmouth, Ohio
• Phone: 740-353-1116
• Web: www.1810house.org/ 

The 1810 House in Portsmouth is the Aaron and Mary Kinney Homestead:  This former two-story brick farm homestead turned museum houses many pioneer artifacts. There are eight rooms that visitors may tour and view 19th and 20th-century furnishings, house-wares, and clothing. See what families did in their living rooms for activities and entertainment as well as what sort of items children of the time played with. Teachers will want to see the Old Schoolroom and its desks, books, and teaching tools of the past. The kitchen is well stocked with china, utensils, and more, including a cast iron.

Free self-guided tours of the Old West End in Toledo’s Historic District.

• Location: See addresses below … ( Map It ) Toledo, Ohio
• Phone: 567-698-7969
• Web: http://www.toledooldwestend.com/

Old West End in Toledo’s Historic District is a vintage neighborhood that features one of the oldest and largest collections of Victorian and Edwardian homes in the nation. Visit Toledo and take a walk through this well-kept time capsule that showcases a myriad of architectural beauty. The homes are found at the following addresses:

• The Edward Drummond Libbey House (2008 Scottwood)
• The Julius G. Lamson House (2056 Scottwood)
• John Barber Home (2271 Scottwood)
• Moses G. Block House (2272 Scottwood)
• The Wright – Wilmington House (2320 Scottwood)
• Edward F. Brucker House (2055 Robinwood)
• Michael Henahan House (2052 Robinwood)
• Albin B. Tillighast House (2210 Robinwood)
• Frederick O. Paddock House (2233 Robinwood)
• The Julius H. Tyler House (2251 Robinwood)
• The William H. Currier House (2611 Robinwood)
• The Stranahan-Rothschild House (2104 Parkwood)
• The Leeper-Geddes House (2116 Parkwood)
• John Waite House (2256 Collingwood)

Admission to the William Howard Taft National Historic Site is free.

• Open: Daily from Mid-February to Mid-November from 8:30am – 4:45pm (Winter hours are Thrs – Sun from 9am – 4pm).
• Location: ( Map It ) 2038 Auburn Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio
• Phone: 513-684-3262

The William Howard Taft National Historic Site:  President William Howard Taft (1857 – 1930) was elected the 27th President of the United States in 1909. Visitors to his birthplace and boyhood home can play with old-fashioned toys, as did the former President. Also, visitors can play dress-up with clothes of the time.

By Rocco Satullo, your tour guide to fun !

All history is local. If you are traveling the modern streets of Rome, look to one side or another and you may see over a railing down to an excavation revealing what the community looked like thousands of years ago. The contrast is such that you lose yourself for a moment in wonder. So too is it – albeit on a smaller scale – when you drive through a small town in America and suddenly there’s a downtown within a downtown, both hundreds of years apart.

With globalization we have learned so much about so many things on a grand scale, we yearn for new discoveries. Adventurous minds have made remarkable finds in the nooks and crannies of history, often unearthing a vein of gold in the form of fascinating stories that capture the imagination at a local level.   ….Read More….

Click here to read the rest of the story

Admission to Yoder’s Amish Home is approx. $15/adult’s package and $10/kid’s package.

• Open: Thursday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm from Spring to Fall.
• Location: ( Map It ) 6050 State Route 515 in Millersburg, Ohio
• Phone: 330-893-2541
• Web:  https://yodersamishhome.com/

Yoders Amish Home is an authentic Amish farm.  The farm includes 116 acres of land.  While touring the farm visitors have a chance to see two houses, a barn that was built in 1885, and also a one-room schoolhouse.  Visitors can also take buggy rides and see and pet the animals living on the farm.  Guests can also purchase freshly baked goods and presents, such as dolls and quilts.

Admission to Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs is free to see the cows and other areas, but there are fees for other activities.

• Hours vary depending on the season and attractions at Young’s (call ahead)
• Location: ( Map It ) 6880 Springfield Xenia Road in Yellow Springs, Ohio
• Phone: 937-325-0629
• Web: https://youngsdairy.com/

Young’s Jersey Dairy features homemade cheese and ice cream in their ice cream shop and cheese store. Get a full meal in their restaurant. For dessert, check out the bakery.

Before or after filling your tummy with deliciousness, enjoy all of the entertainment featuring miniature golf, driving range, batting cages, kiddie corral, fast slide, barrel train rides, and petting farm area.

Visit their website above to see the calendar of special events offered every season throughout the year.

There are plenty of cows, goats, and other farm animals:  The farm was started in 1869 and is still owned and operated by the Young Family!  Young’s hosts over one million guests each year.

Young’s Jersey Dairy is a working dairy farm with two restaurants (one is a large dairy bar and quick-serve food restaurant, the other is a sit-down, home-cooked, table service restaurant), two gift shops, two miniature golf courses, batting cages, golf driving range, the best homemade ice cream in the region,  friendly service, great food, family fun activities, group & company picnics, off-site catering, and FUN!

Admission to the Moore House Museum is approx $8/person.  

• Open: Tours are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 10am – 3pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 309 West 5th St. in Lorain, Ohio
• Phone: 440-245-2563

The Moore House Museum and Lorain County Historical Society illustrate history from the early nineteenth century through the twentieth century. Its many displays and exhibits feature maps, clocks, time-saving devices, tools, clothing, toys, jewelry, photographs, historical documents, and many other artifacts of local interest.

Admission to the Niederman Family Farm varies according to the event.

• Open: Seasonal events, activities, and tours
• Location: ( Map It ) 5110 LeSourdsville-WestChester Drive in Liberty Township, Ohio
• Phone: 513-779-6184

The Niederman family planted hybrid crops of tradition and tourism to save their rural culture

Ever-expanding suburbs have been squeezing farmland out for generations. Mostly gone are the amber waves of grain that used to grow in vast seas just outside major population centers. Where seeds once soaked up the sun and rain are now streets named for what they paved over Strawberry Fields Avenue, Hunting Meadows Road, Vineyard Circle, and so on. Since this transformation of America’s heartland, a generation of children can’t think past their local grocer when it comes to where food originates.

Much like mom’s apple pie, the American farm is fast becoming more fable than reality. But the Niederman family is trying to change that! … READ MORE …

Click here for the rest of the story

Admission to the Ohio Village is approx. $16/person.

• Open: Seasonal (call for days/hours)
• Location: ( Map It ) 800 E 17th Ave in Columbus, Ohio adjacent to the Ohio History Center
• Phone: 800-686-6124 or 614-297-2300 for museum and 614-297-2663 for group tours

The Ohio Village at Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio:  Step back in time to a 19th-century county-seat town in Ohio about the time of the Civil War. Meet the villagers and learn their stories. Tour the buildings and homes. Partaking in activities from the 1890s. Perhaps even see the Ohio Village Muffins play baseball by 19th-century rules.

Admission to the Piatt Castle Mac-A-Cheek is approx. $15/person (less for kids).

• Open: Late April through October from 10am – 4pm
• Location: ( Map It ) 10051 Twp Rd 47, West Liberty, Ohio 43357
• Phone: 937-465-2821
• Web: https://piattcastle.org/

Piatt Castle Mac-A-Cheek in West Liberty, Ohio, provides self-guided tours of this remarkable 19th-century residence. Its a glimpse into the past life of wealth in Ohio featuring great architecture, a secret tunnel, a rather large dog house, exhibits, photographs and more. It’s a stunning place to host a wedding.

Some people avoid “haunted” hotels and lodges. Others flock to them. Those in the latter category will find esoteric thrills galore at the Punderson Manor State Park Lodge in northeast Ohio’s Punderson State Park. And it doesn’t have to be Halloween, or even a dark and stormy night, to bring on the action.

Some employees have heard the sound of children’s laughter when there are no children around. Fires go out. Pencils fly across a room. Doors open and shut of their own volition. Faucets turn off and on with no one near. Televisions turn on by themselves – or off. Usually at inconvenient times.

It’s enough to make a housekeeper cry, “Stop!” and sometimes these strange occurrences do. For example, guests sometimes hear loud noises coming from rooms next to them, which are in fact unoccupied or, in one case, from the room above (except that guest was on the top floor).  Most of these happenings are just annoying – or entertaining, depending on how open the guest is to experiencing such strange events.

But at least one event was pretty grisly: The specter of a lumberjack was seen hanging from a beam in the lounge for nearly three hours. Many staff members saw it. This was the only really scary event of dozens reported since the elegant 31-room manor opened in northern Ohio in the 1950s.

The land was originally settled by Lemuel Punderson and his wife, Sybal who operated a grist mill and distillery. After their deaths, the family sold it to W.B. Cleveland, whose heirs sold it to Detroit millionaire Karl Long in 1929.

Historians believe the 29-room mansion (with 14 baths) was being built for Long’s wife.  Rumor has it, she disliked Detroit while others say it was just a vacation home for the Longs. But Long never completed the home as he lost his fortune during the Great Depression and died before the home was completed. The property reverted back to its original owners, the Cleveland family, and eventually to the state of Ohio.

The state finally completed construction on the mansion in 1956, turning it into a resort with both lodging and dining. It added 26 two-bedroom cabins and by the 1970s it was a popular getaway for Clevelanders as well as a stop for other travelers. It was about then that resort employees began reporting the strange goings-on.

A self-proclaimed psychic spent some time on the property and says she spoke with a ghost who said he would continue to haunt the manor “until his rocking chair was returned.” Some think that the chair to which he refers is the rocking chair that belonged to Sybal Punderson, which was inherited by Cleveland and ended up in a historic collection.

Few clues can be found to explain the other happenings. No children ever lived at the manor, and there were no suspicious or tragic deaths there, as far as anyone can tell. The manor, however, was built across the lake from the old Wales Hotel, which burned in 1885 and where some children died in the fire.

Most guests don’t experience, or even seek out, these ghostly occurrences. They’re too busy playing golf on an 18-hole championship course, playing tennis or basketball, swimming in the pool, and boating or fishing at the nearby lake. There’s also great hiking in the summer and sledding, snowmobiling or cross-country skiing in winter.

The resort is managed by Xanterra Parks & Resorts and is open year round. To make reservations at the Punderson Manor State Park Lodge, call 1-800-282-7275 or visit pundersonmanorstateparklodge.com/.

To reserve rooms in these state parks or for more information, visit the individual web sites or ohiostateparklodges.com. Xanterra also operates the marina and facilities at Geneva Marina State Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake in northeastern Ohio.

Welcome to Ravenwood Castle and its medieval flair.

• Open: Year-round
• Location: ( Map It ) 65666 Bethel Road, New Plymouth, Ohio
• Phone: 740-596-2606

Ravenwood Castle, nestled in the woods of scenic Hocking Hills, provides a charming setting with a medieval flair. Whether you are planning a romantic trip for two or a unique getaway for family and friends, Ravenwood Castle makes for an unforgettable destination. They pride themselves on being an unplugged destination where technology isn’t all-pervasive. The common areas of the Castle (Pub, Library, Great Hall) and Castle rooms have access to Wi-Fi. The Castle offers a variety of on-site scavenger hunts, a board game library of 100+ games for guest use, and hiking trails for you to warm up on before tackling some of the most popular Hocking Hills destinations like Old Man’s Cave or Ash Cave – both just a short drive from the Castle! Grab a bite at the Raven’s Roost Pub and game the night away on the patio or Library.

Admission to Sauder Village is approx. $25/person.

• Open: Summer hours are Wednesday to Saturday from 10am – 5pm (call or see link below for spring and fall hours).
• Location: ( Map It ) 22611 St. Rte. 2 in Archbold, Ohio
• Phone: 800-590-9755 or 419-446-2541
• Web: saudervillage.org

Historic Sauder Village is a living history museum and farm in Archbold, Ohio. It provides a chance to travel back in time to see how settlers lived in northwest Ohio from 1803 until 1910. Sauder Village is a non-profit living history museum and educational complex with more than 40 buildings showing rural life in Ohio during the 19th century. Visit with costumed interpreters and watch artisans demonstrate glass blowing, pottery, spinning, weaving, broom making, woodworking, basket making, printing, and quilting. On-site is the Doughbox Bakery, which offers various cookies, apple dumplings, fritters, delectable pies, bread, and pre-mixed cookie dough. The Barn Restaurant hosts many special holiday events accompanying the delicious home-cooked food. The beautiful Sauder Heritage Inn has 98 guest rooms, an indoor pool with waterfall, game and exercise rooms, a 25-foot tall “Great Oak Tree” with gathering space underneath, complimentary breakfast, and more. The Village also has an 87-site Campground with a Splash Pad, fishing, bike trail, playground, and other great amenities. Sauder Village is a destination that all ages will enjoy!

Welcome to Staley Mill Farm & Indian Creek Distillery where Joe and Missy Duer invite you to step back in time.

After Elias’ death in 1866, sons Andrew, Simon, and John continued the distilling operation.  During their lifetimes, the grist mill was expanded, a two-story warehouse was built, and the construction of a 1500 gallon mash tub enabling them to increase production.  At times, there were 100 barrels aging in the Bond House and the distillery ran 24 hours a day.

Simon’s son, George Washington Staley continued to operate the distillery after the death of his father and two uncles.  It was his sad duty to close the doors of the family’s profitable whiskey distillery when Prohibition was made the law of the land in 1920.  With great foresight, George hid the old stills and associated distilling equipment from the government agents on the top floor of the warehouse.  He also recorded the mash bill or recipe that the family had used for 100 years.

After George passed away, two generations came and went with only memories of whiskey-making times at The Staley Mill Farm.   But the past met the present when the next generation (Joe and Missy) resurrected history.

Today, a new artisan farm distillery has been built, and once again Staley Rye Whiskey is flowing from the still house.  The distillery represents the legacy of early farm distilling:  past, present, and future.  It’s the only family-owned historic artisan farm distillery in the United States using the old-fashioned double copper distilling method. Whiskey is distilled using the original copper pot stills that Missy’s great-great-great-grandfather Elias used in 1820, the same mash bill, and the same water source (spring water).

A “true sip of history”, these whiskeys are uniquely small batch where art and science meet in the middle to produce a spirit like no other.  Award-winning, old-fashioned frontier whiskeys are created with a passionate dedication to authenticity using the Early American Distilling Method.   Produced by the 6th generation, these historic artisans, keepers of the past, fan the flames of the future…  The spirit of America in a bottle!

A visit to Indian Creek Distillery will transport you to the “Old Northwest Territory” where the Frontier was wild and whiskey was king!

So come to the farm where it all began two centuries ago. Learn about upcoming events.  Sample and purchase Early American Rye Whiskeys and shop for flasks, glasses, t-shirts, and more in the retail shop. The tasting room features the family’s historic photos and artifacts, some dating back to the early 1800s when Staley’s whiskey-making legacy began.

Hours are Thursday – Saturday from 10-5.  Still House tours are scheduled Saturdays at 12:00, 2:00 & 4:00. For additional information, click here .

Admission to Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens tours range from approx.  $15 – 30/person.

• Open: April – December (days and hours vary).
• Location: ( Map It ) 714 North Portage Path in Akron, Ohio
• Phone: 330-836-5533

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is one of the finest examples of Tudor Revival architecture in America. The 65-room country estate sits on 70 acres of manicured gardens and grounds. It was built between 1912 and 1915 by Goodyear co-founder F.A. Seiberling and his wife, Gertrude. The mansion was designed for their large family and a lavish lifestyle. The Manor House is filled with treasures from around the globe. The house contains 21,000 panes of glass, 23 fireplaces, and hard-carved paneling of oak, sandalwood, and black walnut. On the grounds is The Gate Lodge, which opened in 2004. It represents the birth of Alcoholics Anonymous and the millions of people helped by the program worldwide. Events are planned well; please call to get the year’s schedule. Varied group plans are available. Discounts for groups of 10 or more may be arranged.

Admission to SunWatch Indian Village & Archaeological Park is approx. $7/person.

• Open: Saturday & Sunday from 10am – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 2301 West River Road in Dayton, Ohio
• Phone: 937-268-8199

SunWatch Indian Village & Archaeological Park in Dayton is a partially reconstructed Fort Ancient period American Indian village along the Great Miami River.  Excavations at this 13th-century village exposed a planned, stockaded village with astronomical alignments that were likely occupied for about 20 years. Due to its significance, the site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1990. The interpretive center and reconstructed village include displays discussing the excavation and reconstruction of the site and the lives of the villagers who resided there.  Activities include guided group tours, festivals, overnight programs, and more.

Admission to Thurber House in Columbus is approx. $5/person.

• Open:  Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 – 4pm.
• Location: ( Map It ) 77 Jefferson Avenue in Columbus, Ohio
• Phone: 614-464-1032
• Web: www.thurberhouse.org

James Thurber used this home’s characteristics in many of his stories. The home has since been restored to represent the early teens of the 20th century. And of course, visitors will see Thurber memorabilia, including original drawings, manuscripts and first editions of his books. In addition, his typewriter, briefcase, family photographs, and more are on display.

The Night The Ghost Got In

The Ohio Lunatic Asylum burned down, killing seven people on November 17, 1868. Those grounds in downtown Columbus later included a house at 77 Jefferson Avenue. And from 1913-1917, the Thurber family rented it. On the 47th anniversary of the fire, two Thurber brothers were home alone upstairs when they heard footsteps circling the dining table below. When they investigated, standing at the top of the stairs, the sound faded. A rushing, pounding of feet leaped the steps two at a time with a dead bead for the two young men. But the young men did not see anybody there. Nonetheless, they frantically scurried into nearby rooms slamming doors behind.

Later, James Thurber, one of the two brothers (attending Ohio State University at the time of the incident), penned “The Night the Ghost Got In.” Thurber went on to become a famous author, humorist, and cartoonist. As for the house at 77 Jefferson Avenue, it’s still there. And open for tours as a living museum.

Visitors and residents at Thurber House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, have also reported strange encounters with the unknown. The dining footsteps have reoccurred over the years, as have opening and closing doors, books flying off shelves, and a citing of a mysterious silhouette of a hefty, stooped figure moving about near a window. Another figure was reported in someone’s bedroom sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room, hunched, watching and then disappeared.

In 1984, the house opened as a literary arts center and museum of Thurber remnants. It is furnished in the style of the 1913-1917 period in which James Thurber lived there with his parents and two brothers. The first two floors are open daily for tours. At the direction of the Thurber family, unlike typical museums, visitors are encouraged to sit on chairs, play the piano, and otherwise act as guests to the home. Tours are daily (except holidays). Self-guided tours are free Monday through Saturday. Guided tours are offered on Sunday.

In addition, The Thurber House hosts many writing workshops, special events, a conference center next door, a Reading Garden (between the historic house and conference center), a gallery, and a museum shop. More information is available at www.thurberhouse.org , including detailed accounts of haunting witnessed over the decades.

James Thurber died from pneumonia on November 2, 1961. He is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

“I have lived in the East for nearly thirty years now, but many of my books prove that I am never very far from Ohio in my thoughts and that the clocks that strike in my dreams are often the clocks of Columbus.” – James Thurber

• Open: Call to schedule docent-guided tours only
• Location: ( Map It ) 1340 East High Street in Springfield, Ohio
• Phone: 937-327-9291

Westcott House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only Prairie Style home in Ohio.  The Westcott House has recently undergone an inch-by-inch $5.3 million restoration and has been restored to its 1908 appearance. Furniture has been rebuilt according to Wright’s specifications, and the gardens have been re-landscaped in keeping with the time. Take a guided tour and learn about this Prairie Style home by industrialist Burton J. Westcott and his family. The admission fee includes a forty-five-minute house tour plus an eight-minute movie on Frank Lloyd Wright and the Westcott House restoration process.

Admission/tour at Historic Zoar Village is approx. $12/person (less for kids).

• Location: ( Map It ) Zoar Store and Visitor Center is at 198 Main St. in Zoar, Ohio
• Open: April – October on Saturday & Sunday from about 11am – 4pm (Noon on Sunday), and June – September open Wed – Sun.
• Phone: 330-874-3011 or 800-262-6195
• Web: https://historiczoarvillage.com/

Historic Zoar Village is the Zen of Ohio. Founded in 1817 by a group of about 200 German Separatists seeking escape from religious persecution in their homeland. Today, Zoar is a community of approximately 75 families living in homes built from 1817 to the present. Many of the original homes have been preserved or restored, as have the many buildings and museums that the Ohio History Connection maintains.  Historic Zoar Village is a quaint German village where you can spend the day walking through the museums and beautiful gardens. Take a step back in time and enjoy a meal, beverage, or snack at one of the local restaurants. Shop at the Zoar Store for unique and eclectic items, gifts, tour tickets, and information. You can also rent bicycles to tour the town. If you are looking for an easy and relaxing hike or bike ride, one of the Ohio Towpath trailheads is at Zoar. The village is open to the public from early April through December.  Tours are available throughout the year. The Zoar Community Association graciously provides some of the buildings and the picture-perfect gardens for rent to the public. Zoar Village is a beautiful location for your wedding or other celebration.

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Historic site locator, search over 50 historic sites and museums.

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All Ohio History Connection Museums and Attractions

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Adena Mansion & Gardens

Armstrong Air & Space Museum

Big Bottom Memorial Park

Buckeye Furnace

Buffington Island Battlefield Memorial Park

Campus Martius Museum

Cedar Bog Nature Preserve

Cooke-Dorn House

Custer Monument

Davis Memorial Nature Preserve

Fallen Timbers Battlefield Memorial Park

Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries & Nature Preserve

Fort Amanda Memorial Park

Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve

Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve

Fort Jefferson Memorial Park

Fort Laurens

Fort Recovery Museum & Monument

Hanby House

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

Indian Mill

Inscription Rock Petroglyphs

John & Annie Glenn Museum

John Rankin House

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency

Leo Petroglyphs & Nature Preserve

Lockington Locks

McCook House

Miamisburg Mound

Museum of Ceramics

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

National Road & Zane Grey Museum

Newark Earthworks

Ohio River Museum

Our House Tavern

Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Quaker Yearly Meeting House

Schoenbrunn Village

Serpent Mound

Shaker Historical Museum

Shrum Mound

Story Mound

Tallmadge Church

U.S. Grant Birthplace

U.S. Grant Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse

Wahkeena Nature Preserve

Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites

William Henry Harrison Tomb

Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor

Zoar Village

Armstrong Air & Space

See a moon rock, two full-sized aircraft flown by Neil Armstrong, the Gemini VIII space capsule, artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission and more.

Walk a mile-long boardwalk through this 450-acre preserve, a haven for many rare plants and animals including some that are Ice Age remnants.

Get a look at comfortable small-town life of the 1950s in the home of local industrialist Randolph Dorn and his wife, Estelle, built in 1844 for Civil War financier Jay Cooke’s father.

See monuments honoring Maj. Gen. Anthony Wayne and the soldiers and American Indians who died in 1794 during the final battle of the Northwest Indian War.

Visit the monument at the site of Fort Amanda, a major supply depot for the American army during the War of 1812, and enjoy a walk along the river.

Fort Jefferson

Find a stone memorial recalling that this small park was the site of Fort Jefferson from 1791 to 1796. A confederacy of American Indians defeated Gen. Arthur St. Clair’s army in a 1791 battle that became known as “St. Clair’s Defeat,” and the army retreated to Fort Jefferson.

Explore the reconstructed War of 1812 log fort that’s one of the largest in America and learn more about Ohio's critical role in the war in the adjacent education center.

Fort Recovery Museum & Monument

Explore the site of two battles between the U.S. Army and American Indians in the 1790s through reconstructed blockhouses, a stockade and museum. Visit the nearby monument.

Glacial Grooves Geological Preserve

Visit the largest ice-sheet-created grooves in the world scoured in the limestone bedrock about 18,000 years ago.

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums

Walk in the footsteps of Rutherford B. Hayes, a Civil War General, Ohio Governor and 19th President of the United States! Tour his restored mansion, walk the grounds of his estate, Spiegel Grove and explore the nation’s first presidential library and museum.

Visit the nation's first museum of milling, in an 1861 mill built on the site of a mill erected for the Wyandotte Indians. Learn the story of milling from ancient times to the present.

Johnston Farm & Indian Agency

Find 2,000 years of history, from American Indian mounds through Ohio’s canal era, at this peaceful 250-acre site. Tour the 1829 Johnston home, the American Indian museum, explore the farm and ride a mule-drawn boat on the historic Miami and Erie Canal.

Explore the remnants of the Miami and Erie Canal, which opened in 1845, linking Cincinnati and the Ohio River to Toledo and Lake Erie.

Visit the site of George Armstrong Custer’s birthplace and see the monument to the young soldier whose "Last Stand" made him a household name.

Explore the site of Ohio’s only Revolutionary War fort, built in 1778 as a wilderness outpost, and visit a museum that tells the story of soldiers on the frontier

Tour the pre-civil war home of Daniel McCook, now a museum honoring this Ohio family remembered as the "Fighting McCooks” for the large number of members who served in the Civil War.

Get fired up in the nation’s Pottery Capital at a museum devoted to wares made by the hundreds of potteries that once operated in the area. See the largest public display of the rare American porcelain, Lotus Ware.

Tour the first Quaker yearly meeting house west of the Alleghenies. Built in 1814, it was the center of a community important in the antislavery movement. It was used regularly until 1909.

Tour this reconstructed Delaware Indian mission community of the 1770s and see log buildings, gardens and the original mission cemetery.

Discover Shaker Heights through the story of the North Union Shakers who once lived on the site of today's Shaker Heights, plus exhibits telling the story of the planned suburban community developed there in the early 20th century.

Step inside an 1825 Federal-style church that’s an architectural landmark and reminder of northeast Ohio’s New England heritage.

Youngstown Historical Center of Industry & Labor

Learn about the steel industry that dominated Youngstown in the 20th century and check out the “last heats,” the final batches of steel produced at each of the mills before they closed.

Explore a one-of-a-kind village, home from 1817 to 1898 of a communal society of German religious dissenters. Visit restored Zoarite buildings and enjoy a walk in Zoar’s big public garden, preserved and maintained as it was in the 1800s.

Hike trails through the 533-acre preserve and see ancient pits left by American Indians who came from far and wide to quarry flint here. In an on-site museum, learn about the official state gemstone.

Visit the family home of Benjamin Hanby—abolitionist, teacher, minister and composer of songs including the Christmas favorite, Up on the Housetop. The home was also a busy station on the Underground Railroad.

Visit the site said to be the place where, in 1774, Chief Logan of the Cayuga tribe delivered an eloquent speech on relations between American Indians and early Ohio settlers.

Visit the Great Circle Earthworks, Octagon Earthworks and Wright Earthworks, remnants of a 2,000 year-old complex that is the largest set of geometric earthworks ever known.

Ohio History Center & Ohio Village

Enjoy exhibits on Ohio history, archaeology, natural history and more; explore a recreated 19th-century Ohio community; or use our vast library to explore Ohio history on your own at our centrally located flagship site.

Walk around one of the last ancient cone-shaped burial mounds remaining in Columbus, located in one-acre Campbell Park.

Find a nature center, hiking trails, stone outcroppings, an abundance of plants, native orchids and more than 100 species of birds at this 150-acre preserve that lives up to its name, meaning “most beautiful.”

Warren G. Harding Home & Memorial

Tour the restored home of the 29th president of the United States and visit one of the most beautiful presidential memorials, located about one and a half miles from the Harding Home.

Adena Mansion & Gardens

Visit the imposing hilltop home of early Ohio statesman Thomas Worthington, designed by America’s first architect, Benjamin Latrobe. Explore the gardens, grounds and outbuildings and tour the Education and Visitor Center where you can learn more about Worthington and Adena.

Hike trails and see an impressive geologic fault that vertically displaced the earth 30 feet, exposing cliffs formed over 400 million years ago.

Explore North America’s largest ancient hilltop enclosure, built 2,000 years ago. Explore an on-site museum, recreated American Indian garden, and miles of hiking trails with scenic overlooks.

Fort Hill Earthworks & Nature Preserve

Visit one of the best-preserved American Indian hilltop enclosures in North America and see an impressive variety of bedrock, soils, flora and fauna.

Visit the Cincinnati home where Harriet Beecher Stowe lived from 1833 to 1836, formative years that later led her to write the best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Learn about the author, the Underground Railroad and women’s rights movements of the 1830s–1860s.

Visit this restored home on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River and hear how the Rev. John Rankin family, with neighbors in Ripley and other nearby communities, helped over 2,000 fugitives escape from slavery to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

See the largest cone-shaped burial mound in Ohio, constructed by people of the ancient Adena culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100).

National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center

Enjoy regularly changing exhibits and special programs sharing African American history, art, and culture at this museum in Wilberforce, home of two historically black universities, Wilberforce and Central State.

Tour the restored home of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906), who gained international acclaim as a writer and voice for equality for African Americans.

See the largest and finest serpent effigy earthwork in the world, likely built by people of the Fort Ancient culture circa A.D. 1100. Follow a footpath around the serpent and hike wooded trails nearby.

Find Story Mound, constructed by people of the Adena culture (800 B.C.–A.D. 100) and excavated in 1897, in a Chillicothe neighborhood.

Visit President Ulysses S. Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant and learn how the Civil War hero has been honored.

U.S. Grant Boyhood Home & Schoolhouse

Explore young Ulysses Grant’s life by visiting his school and his boyhood home, restored to its appearance in 1839, the year Grant left for West Point.

See the monument and tomb of William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States, and learn about his life and accomplishments.

Visit the site of a 1791 attack on settlers by American Indians that marked the start of four years of warfare in Ohio. See a monument marking the site, which earned its name from the large floodplain on which it is located.

Visit Buckeye Furnace and learn how iron-making complexes much like this one scattered across rural southern Ohio in the 19th century helped win the Civil War. See the original blast furnace, reconstructed furnace buildings, museum and nature trails.

Visit the site of the only significant Civil War battle on Ohio soil and see a monument commemorating it. Spoiler Alert: the battlefield is near the bank of the Ohio River, not on the nearby island.

Explore the museum and learn about Campus Martius, a civilian stockade built in 1788 as the first organized American settlement in the Northwest Territory. See the 1788 Ohio Company Land Office and the Rufus Putnam House, once part of the Campus Martius stockade.

John & Annie Glenn Museum

Explore the childhood home of NASA astronaut and Ohio's longest serving U.S. Senator, John Glenn. Experience life during the Great Depression and on the home front during WWII.

Leo Petroglyphs & Nature Preserve

See ancient American Indian carvings in sandstone on the edge of a beautiful ravine—outstanding examples of American Indian rock art thought to date between A.D. 1000 and 1550.

National Road & Zane Grey Museum

Learn about U.S. 40, the old National Road that came to be called “the Main Street of America,” explore the adventure novels and Westerns of Zanesville author Zane Grey, and see examples of the art pottery for which this region of Ohio was famous in the 20th century.

Explore the story of the Ohio River and step aboard the W.P. Snyder Jr., the nation’s last intact steam-powered, stern-wheeled towboat.

Tour a restored Federal-style tavern built in 1819 that hosted the Marquis de Lafayette when he visited French-founded Gallipolis during his tour of the United States in 1825.

The 22 most historic buildings and sites in Columbus

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6 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

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Columbus on the Cheap

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Summer Tour of Historic Homes of Olde Towne East

The Summer Tour of Historic Homes of Olde Towne East is Sunday, July 16, 2023 .

The tour will showcase homes and gardens, and a church in the Historic Franklin Park Neighborhood.

The tour is walkable, but shuttle stops are provided. Check out the Facebook page for sneak peeks of the featured properties, and for more details.

Tickets are $20 . The funds raised during the tour are used year-round to help preserve, promote, and protect the irreplaceable history of Columbus’ historic Olde Towne East.

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Columbus Landmarks Foundation

Columbus Landmarks

Historic Neighborhood Walking Tours

Tours last approximately two hours. If the weather looks threatening, call 614-221-0227 for tour status an hour before the start time. We typically proceed if it’s light rain and no thunder/lightening. Wear comfortable shoes and bring an umbrella, if needed, and/or a water bottle!

Your ticket purchase supports the work of Columbus Landmarks as we advocate for historic preservation and quality new design, ensuring landmarks in the future! Members enjoy discounted tickets. Not a member?  >>JOIN/RENEW

In the “spirit” of Forbidden City tours of the 1980s, we will again explore the otherwise unknown and unseen side of Columbus buildings. This walking tour (and we stress walking even though we are touring one large site) will wind in and out of Columbus’ oldest remaining industrial buildings that have fascinated those who drive South High Street—the former Seagrave Fire Apparatus manufacturing plant. Fortner Upholstering, an 88-year-old Columbus maker of upholstered furniture, has moved into the c1890 complex on the South Side that started out as the home of horse-drawn fire carriages.

Those who love the atmospheric combination of “urban decay”–the late afternoon sun, the windows and industrial tracings, the cavernous spaces – will want to bring their cameras (or smart phones for serious Instagram ops!) We will reveal a “ghost sign” or two to add to the intrigue. We will also learn the history of the buildings and contemplate their design and architectural features. Wear comfortable, sturdy shoes. Sorry, no children … it wouldn’t be forbidden if they were along!

Nineteenth century audiences delighted in viewing exotic and faraway places through the use of a “lantern magica,” an important sounding word that just meant “magic lantern,” which employed a light source and a strip of slides, hyalotypes, hand painted on glass. In the spirit of the season, Tom Betti and Doreen Uhas-Sauer, long-time Columbus Landmarks tour guides, will debut their own Magic Lantern Tour of Downtown Columbus. See the past come alive! Thrill to scenes of yesterday on the very location where they happened! Gasp in delight! Possibly stop for a beer!

Tour starts in the parking lot on the corner of S. 4th and Cherry (across from Little Palace and Dirty Franks) beside the Hartman Hotel Building  at 7:30 pm (we need darkness to make magic work!) Tour is approximately two hours long – longer if we stop for a beer.

Design for All – Affordable Housing in a Revitalizing Neighborhood

Meet with Michael Wilkos, Sr. Vice President of Community Impact for United Way Columbus. In his previous position as the Director of Community Research for The Columbus Foundation, Wilkos was instrumental in developing public/private/philanthropic partnerships to address housing and other poverty issues in the Weinland Park neighborhood of Columbus. Wilkos will give an overview before leading a walking tour through the neighborhood so that participants can see what physical changes have and continue to take place as part of the revitalization cycle.

Included on the walking tour will be discussion of the  Community Properties of Ohio  project, which includes multiple properties rehabilitated for Section 8 housing. The properties used historic and low income tax credits and was the recipient of the 2008 James B. Recchie Design Award, given annually the Columbus Landmarks Foundation for excellence in urban design that can be reflected in historic or new buildings and places, additions to existing buildings, parks, public spaces and public art. The award celebrates projects that add to the distinctive character and improved quality of life in Columbus and the designers responsible for them.

The tour will begin at the offices of the Columbus Neighborhood Design Center (in an historic building in Weinland Park) with a short presentation by Michael Wilkos. It will be followed by a walking tour of approximately 1-1/2 hours to see changes taking place, including affordable and market rate rehabilitated historic housing, new infill housing, a rehab of existing units for current residents.

The tour will touch on issues and challenges facing neighborhoods undergoing revitalization and techniques and partnerships that have been used successfully to retain and provide affordable housing to existing residents.

The entire tour route will be between one and two miles; we will walk at a leisurely place, stopping at each site to discuss projects. Free parking is available in the lot to the side and rear of the Neighborhood Design Center.

The tour is approved for 2.5 HSW Learning Units (Continuing Education Credits for Architects, Landscape Architects and Planners.)

• Attendees will understand the mission of Columbus Landmarks Foundation and its focus on preservation of the historic built environment and advocacy for quality new design;
• Attendees will learn about the design challenges of award winning projects and how the urban context and other community redevelopment goals can frame design solutions;
• Attendees will understand some of the challenges faced when trying to provide affordable housing in a neighborhood with appreciating property values; and
• Attendees will be exposed to innovative and creative solutions to design problems.

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4 thoughts on “Historic Neighborhood Walking Tours”

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Interested in September/October dates for historical taverns and/or neighborhood tours.

Hi Jo Anne – thanks for your inquiry! We are hosting Tavern Tours on September 7, October 5 plus at least one other later October date. We will host a series of Culture Walks in September and October that feature the Near East, Near South, Merion Village & Highland West neighborhoods. I will email you as soon as the dates and details are confirmed and published. Thank you! Becky West

Hi JoAnne – we have just published our annual Ghost Tours, which include a haunted tavern tour. We also have October neighborhood tours. Here are the links:

http://archive.columbuslandmarks.org/event-calendar/ghost-tours/ http://archive.columbuslandmarks.org/historic-neighborhood-walking-tours/

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• Historic Home Tours

When we say you’ll have a grand time in Historic Columbus, we really mean grand. Daily tours of our impeccable historic and architectural gems offer a one-of-a-kind experience that you’ll want to enjoy again and again.

During the Civil War, Columbus opened its churches and homes to the wounded. While other cities were ravaged, its status as a “hospital town” left the historic homes, along with their contents, untouched.

From grand historic homes to Italianate in-town mansions, discover Columbus’ historic homes and book your tour today. Admission fees apply. Daily schedules and information are available by calling Visit Columbus, (800) 327-2686 or (662) 329-1191, or the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center, (855) 254-2895 or (662) 328-0222.

Historic Homes open for tours year-round

Amzi Love (c.1848)

305 7th Street South Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (662) 328-5413

• Historic Places
• Spring Pilgrimage

Stephen D. Lee Home & Museum (c. 1847)

316 Seventh Street North Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (662) 327-8888

Tennessee Williams House Museum & Welcome Center

300 Main Street Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (662) 328-0222

• Cultural Icons

Private: Waverley Plantation Mansion (c. 1852)

1852 Waverley Mansion Road Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (662) 494-1399

Shadowlawn Bed & Breakfast (c. 1848)

1024 College Street Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: 662-327-3600

Whitehall (c. 1843)

607 3rd Street South Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (800) 920-3533

Call: 662-425-7351

Ridge House

Call: 662-895-1160

You may also be interested in

Jackie O’ House

1700 9th St. South, Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (662) 327-5100

• Bed & Breakfast

Puckett House

1100 College Street, Columbus, MS ( Directions ) Call: (662) 329-7126

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Ohio’s Historical Homes You Should Visit This Holiday Season

Getting ready to decorate your home for the holidays?  Need a few inspirational ideas Why not take what I like to call “The Ultimate Holiday Home Tour.”   Below I have listed six historic homes that are well worth a visit this holiday season. Staff, as well as many volunteers work countless hours decorating these beautiful historic homes for the holidays.

The Arms Family Museum in Youngstown is decorated in the theme of Memories of Christmas Past.  “Holiday in Bloom” can be found at The Hower House Museum in Akron.  Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, also in Akron is Decking the Halls this holiday season.  Step back in time at the Reeves Victorian Home in Dover.  Enjoy a Victorian Christmas Tour at The Castle in Marietta, and a Candlelight Holiday Tour at Louis Bromfield’s Big House at Malabar Farms. This years theme at the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg is “A Child’s Storybook Christmas”.

These homes are beautiful all year, but during the holiday season they shine even brighter.

Arms Family Museum – Memories of Christmas Past

Dates: November 18  – December 31, 2023 Tour Times: This year’s exhibit will take place November 18 – December 31, 2023. Museum hours are Tuesday-Sunday, noon-4:00pm. On Twilight Thursdays, the exhibit is open until 7:00pm. The Museum is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Da Location:  648 Wick Ave, Youngstown.. Phone: 330-743-2589 |  website

To learn even more about the 2023 holiday exhibit- CLICK HERE .

For local visitor bureau information visit Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Hower House Museum – “Holiday in Bloom”

Dates: Holiday Hours 2023 November 10th – December 30th Friday & Saturdays 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Tours start on the hour. Last tour starts one hour before closing.| Group tours by appointment. Location: The University of Akron 60 Fir Hill, Akron, OH  44325 330.972.6909 | website

This 28-room Victorian Mansion located on the grounds of the University of Akron, is one of the city’s often overlooked treasures. The home was completed in 1871, by John Henry Hower, a leading Akron industrialist who was active in the milling, reaping, and cereal industries. Well-known Akron architect Jacob Snyder designed the house in the Second Empire Italianate style.

Allow time to visit the Cellar Door Boutique. Tea items, holiday ornaments and unique gifts can be found among the shelves. There is even a cross stitch pattern of the home for sale.

Deck the Hall Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Dates: November 24-26, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1-3, 7-23, 26-30, 2023 Tour Times: 3-8pm. Last entry/admission at 8pm; grounds stay open until 9pm. Admissions closes at 8pm. Estate is open until 9pm. Location:  714 North Portage Path, Akron, Ohio 330-836-5533 |  website

2023 Tickets: Monday-Thursday: $20 adults (18+); $9 youth (3-17) Friday-Sunday: $24 adults (18+); $11 youth (3-17) Children 2 & under are free all days. College students with valid ID get a youth price.

MUST DO: Don’t let the holidays slip by without planning a tour of this former home of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company co-founder F.A. Seiberling and his family. Stan Hywet is the largest historic home in Ohio and sixth largest in the U.S.

There are 20 rooms and 26 Christmas trees decorated in beautiful holiday “Deck the Hall” fashion throughout the Manor House.  Highlights include the “Reindeer Flight Academy”. Santa and Mrs. Claus on a date night sleigh ride, a Santa made of LEGO® bricks, “The Year without Santa Claus” and more. And if that was not enough the estate and Great Garden is illuminated with 1.2 million holiday lights. The Dazzle light show features lights choreographed to favorite holiday songs of the season.

ALLOW TIME to visit the Corbin Conservatory, where you will find more holiday displays and the giant poinsettia tree. Bring cash. You are going to want to purchase one of their many-colored poinsettias for sale.

DON’T FORGET to make a stop after your tour at Molly’s Courtyard Café’ where you can purchase one of those famous warm gingerbread cookies and a cup of hot chocolate. Beer, wine & giant pretzels are also available.

SHOP & SUPPORT: Find unique gifts, holiday décor’, Stan Hywet ornaments and more in Molly’s Shop. A gift membership (starting at $55) to Stan Hywet may be the perfect gift for someone on your list.

VISIT THE MAN IN THE RED SUIT: Just outside Molly’s Shop is where you will find Santa himslef and two animated shop windows, including my favorite “The Gingerbread Bakeshop”.

Featured article image:  Master Bedroom | Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. 

Christmas at the Reeves Home

Date: November 12 – December 22 & December 27-30, 2023 Closed Thanksgiving Day | December 10, 2023 (Open House) ​Time: Wednesdays – Sundays, 1-7 pm Location: J. E. Reeves Victorian Home and Carriage House Museum 325 East Iron Avenue, Dover, OH Phone:   330.343.7040 | 800.815.2794 website

(Photo courtesy of J.E. Reeves Victorian Home and Carriage House Museum.)

Candlelight Holiday Tour – Malabar Farms

Candlelight Tours at Malabar Farms

Dates/times: December 1, 2, 8-9: 5-8pm | December 3 & 10, 2023 : 1pm-4pm Location:  Malabar Farm State Park, 4050 Bromfield Rd, Lucas, OH 44843 419.892.2784 |  website Admission:  $6.00 for adults (ages 18+) | $4.00 for youth Tour Louis Bromfield’s Big House all decked out for the holiday! Enjoy freshly baked cookies, hot cider; and special entertainment. Purchase tickets at the Visitor Center gift shop before walking to the Big House

(photo credit: Malabar Farm State Park)

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TOURS 

General Admission Days Dates: December 7, 14 & 16, 2023 Times: December 7 & 14 – 7pm – 8pm | December 16 – 7pm to 8:30pm Location: The Castle 418 4th St., Marietta, OH 45750 Phone: 740.373.4180 | mariettacastle.org

Bring the family to enjoy the Christmas decorations of a Victorian home while learning the history and legends tied to many of our modern holiday traditions and decorations during this special evening tour. We’ll take a look at how the Davis family celebrated Christmas in 1888, brought to life through the stories of knowledgeable tour guides, displays, and an art installation, all based on historical research. The Castle will also have a whimsical winter feel made possible by artistic snowflakes provided by local schools and community groups on display throughout the tour. Get your tickets today!

$12 Adults; $9 Kids (age 13 and under); Ages 5 and under free Castle Members: $10 Adults; $7 Kids (age 13 and under); Ages 5 and under free

A Child’s Storybook Christmas Victorian House Museum

Dates: Nov. 18 -Dec. 31, 2023

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY NOV. 18 4:00-8:00 pm Regular Holiday Tours – Nov. 18 – Dec. 31 Sun. – Thurs. 1:00-4:00 pm and Fri.-Sat. 1:00-8:00 pm Location: 484 Wooster Rd. Millersburg, OH 44654 330.674.0022 | holmeshistory.com

NARRATIVE: OPEN HOUSE – Once again the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg will be transformed into a holiday treat with this year’s theme “A Child’s Storybook Christmas” Each room will be themed to a children’s holiday book with elements from the book used in the decorations. Each set of designers will add their creative abilities to each room. Our volunteer staff, with some external help, spend hours coming up with a theme. We will kick off the season with a FREE open house from 4:00-8:00 pm on Sat. Nov. 18. To make the books come alive we also will be having a visit from Santa plus our third-floor ballroom will take on elements of “The Nutcracker”. Holmes Center for the Arts will be providing various dancers during the evening performing some of the classic songs from the book. After touring the house you can relax in our Castle Club for cookies and beverages. This is a great way to kick off your family holiday traditions. Come and get in the spirit, see the books come alive, visit with Santa, and catch a glimpse of the performers in the ballroom. One other request since the open house is free we would like to ask instead of a paid admission you bring a children’s book or two, new or slightly used for us to donate to Share A Christmas. We would like to get as many books as we can to place in the family baskets this year. Join us and Happy Holidays!

NARRATIVE: SEASONAL TOURS – The Victorian House will be open daily the following hours for general holiday tours. Sun. – Thur. 1:00-4:00 pm and Fri.- Sat. 1:00-8:00 pm. There are 28 rooms and 4 floors decorated from top to bottom, inside and out. Each room has designated volunteers that each year work tirelessly to transform the house into a holiday spectacular. General admission is $10.00 for adults $9.00 for seniors 60+ and children under 12 free.

This years theme is “A Child’s Storybook Christmas” Each room will take on a theme of a holiday book with decorating elements taken from the book. The mansion is 28 rooms and four floors . It is listed on the National Historic Registry.

(photo courtesy of the Victorian House Museum)

LAKE COUNTY HISTORY CENTER – Deck the Halls 

Dates: Dec. 1 & 2, with special Group Days on Nov. 30th, Dec. 7 & 14. There will be chances to have Breakfast or Lunch with Santa (Dec. 3, 9, 10, 16 & 17). Location: 415 Riverside Dr., Painesville, OH 440.639.2945 |   TICKETS

*Enjoy a tour of our Christmas decorations *Hear the holiday music of the Magical Musical Machines from our unique music box display. *Take home delicious baked goods and candy from our Peppermint Lane Sweet Shop. *Choose a special item from the North Pole Novelties gently used gifts. Tickets: Members – $8; Non-Members – $10; Ages 3-12 – $5; Children under 3 are free. Call 440-639-2945 for more information or ticket assistance. There are no refunds but a credit to a future event will be offered.

Article and photos, unless noted by: D. Rock, MyOhioFun.com

Diane Rock is the owner and editor of MyOhioFun.com. She is an avid baker, gardener, Little Free Library owner, who loves to read and travel.  She spends most of her days sharing her love of things to do in Ohio, as well as creating destinations and itineraries for group tours and individual travelers.

Editor’s note:  This list started in 2020 and is continually updated for the current year.  The dates and additional events have been updated for the 2023 season. Any use of the above article or images without prior permission, will be in violation of copyright laws.

***Disclosure:  My Ohio Fun receives compensation from advertising banners.  As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

• Give the gift of Ohio this holiday season.
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5 Can't-Miss Things to Do in Columbus, Ohio, for Legendary Adventures

I n the heart of Ohio, Columbus is brimming with activities that boast charm and innovation. This city, cradling the state’s capital within its energetic buzz, has imprinted 35 years’ worth of joyful memories on my family. On a visit with my daughter Taylor, we explored the cannot miss things to do in Columbus, Ohio, perfect for those who wish to savor rich experiences even on the tightest of schedules.

I’m always curious to see how Columbus evolves; maybe you’ll have some gems to recommend for our next trip.

1. Savor Columbus’ Culinary Delights

Katalina’s  is a quaint eatery housed in a funky century-old gas station that serves a menu to delight every food lover’s palate. Here, each flavor-packed spoonful of their zesty soups reveals depth, though it’s their Tomole Soup—a delectable concoction topped with Queso Fresco—that really showcases their culinary prowess.

But not just soups garner applause at Katalina’s. Their Mazatlan slow-roasted pork, nestled between toasted bread alongside avocado and aioli, carries an award-winning reputation for good reason. And those innovative Pancake Balls? Whether dunked in bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup or slathered with pumpkin apple butter, they’re a signature delight.

Just a stone’s throw away in the Short North Arts District,  The Guild House , pioneered by famed restaurateur Cameron Mitchell, offers a menu where local flair meets international flavors. Starters include decadent items like stuffed poblanos, and you won’t miss the yummy watermelon, tomato, and feta salad. 

Dinner here is memorable. The chicken Roulade, elegantly plated atop pureed celery root with wild mushrooms and truffles, leaves an impression on both the eye and taste buds. The Guild House also has gluten-free and cocktail menus worth checking out.

2. Engage at COSI

Across downtown Columbus, Ohio, skyline lies COSI , the science hub that’s captivated my heart since my daughters were little. This museum presents a trove of interactive exhibits that deftly mix education with entertainment. The Titanic Artifact Exhibition is currently touring through September 2024.

Online general admission tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for children ages 2 to 12. Teachers get in free. From the Progress Exhibit, a nostalgic trip through time, to the latest in gadgetry, COSI retains its dedication to wonders. Explore the outdoor park for a refreshing view of the city’s heart.

Need more Ohio road trip ideas? How about a visit to Canton to see the one-of-a-kind Pro Football Hall of Fame ?

3. Wander through German Village

One stroll around German Village, and it’s easy to see why it’s a jewel in Columbus’ crown. This neighborhood is a tapestry of historic brick homes and community vibrancy. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it hosts an eclectic mix of boutiques and culinary spots sure to captivate any visitor.

I lose track of time every visit, especially when I’m hunting for treasures within  The Book Loft’s 32-room literary labyrinth  — it’s any bookworm’s paradise. I also love to have a delicious coffee from Stauf’s, indulge in a honkin’ big deli sandwich (#11 is my pick) at  Katzinger’s , and take home macarons from  Pistachia Vera . 

4. Relax at Franklin Park Conservatory

The  Franklin Park Conservatory  is an oasis of greenery, and the glass-paned Palm House has been a Victorian architectural marvel since 1895. Every visit, I’m transported to an array of botanical biomes, from desert landscapes to rainforest canopies. 

The Conservatory is also home to stunning Dale Chihuly glassworks and inviting gardens, ensuring an enchanting experience for nature lovers. Save time for the Garden Cafe and well-appointed gift shop.

Raise your hand if you attended the 1992 Ameriflora International Horticulture Exposition. Me!

5. A Taste of Columbus with Columbus Food Adventures

Bethia and Andy, the masterminds behind  Columbus Food Adventures , have truly exceeded what one expects from a food escapade. Their tours serve the city’s buzzing food scene on a silver platter – and yes, vegetarians, accommodations can be made just for you.

Picture this: reclining in a plush seat aboard a 14-passenger luxury van as you weave through the city’s culinary tapestry. Whether your taste buds lean towards the zest of taco trucks, the rich satisfaction of meats, the wake-up zing of coffee, or the comfort of breakfast, their tours have you covered.

I was fortunate to experience a bespoke tour, cherry-picking flavors from their diverse offerings. A simple yet powerful taco truck meal, Vietnamese Bahn-Mi echoing with freshness, the spice and heart of Nigerian cuisine, and my first savory bite of Somali food – these were just a few notes in the symphony of flavors offered to us by Columbus’s under-the-radar eateries.

Where to Overnight in Columbus?

Regarding rest,  Hotel LeVeque  (Marriott Autograph collection) is more than just a place to sleep; it’s an experience mirroring the stars. Nestled in a historic downtown landmark high-rise, it welcomes you with a celestial-themed ambiance and breathtaking views of the Scioto River.

Each room is a unique constellation of luxury – think celestial design palettes, modern furnishings, and a touch of opulence. Imagine a rainfall shower ensconced in marble, soft featherbeds calling out for a dreamer, and amenities that make you feel like the only guest under their expansive sky.

Stepping into Hotel LeVeque, you’re greeted by a grandiose lobby and first-floor lounge oozing with the charm of a French-inspired restaurant, a snug cafe, and a state-of-the-art fitness suite. And not forgetting your furry companions, this hotel extends its warm hospitality to pets as well – a testament to its home-away-from-home ethos.

Columbus – A Tale of Continuous Discovery

Each visit to Columbus peels back a new layer of this vibrant city. With every business that blooms, every job created, and a swelling population, Columbus invites visitors to partake in its story of relentless innovation and zest for life.

May my curated experiences inspire you to chart your own course through Columbus and discover the depth of this Midwestern gem.

A special thanks to the Columbus CVB for hosting my visit. As with all of my articles, reviews and opinions are 100% mine and unbiased.

Check out our other local articles:

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• 7 Fun Ohio Road Trips
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