Forster - Backroads & byways of Ohio: drives, daytrips & weekend excursions

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978-1-68268-182-4 (pbk.)

978-1-68268-183-1 (e-book)

For the Morrises, whose love and appreciation of Ohio grows with each passing day!

Contents

TOLEDO, MAUMEE, PERRYSBURG, BOWLING GREEN, GRAND RAPIDS, DEFIANCE, BRYAN, ARCHBOLD

GENOA, ELMORE, PORT CLINTON, LAKESIDE, MARBLEHEAD, KELLEYS ISLAND, PUT-IN-BAY, OAK HARBOR

BUCYRUS, UPPER SANDUSKY, CAREY, TIFFIN, FREMONT, BELLEVUE, NORWALK, MILAN, VERMILION, HURON, SANDUSKY

BAY VILLAGE, ROCKY RIVER, CLEVELAND, EUCLID, CUYAHOGA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, AKRON

ASHTABULA COUNTY, CONNEAUT, ASHTABULA, GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE, GENEVA, MENTOR-ON-THE-LAKE, WILLOUGHBY, CHAGRIN FALLS

WARREN, NILES, YOUNGSTOWN, COLUMBIANA, EAST LIVERPOOL, WELLSVILLE, STEUBENVILLE, MARTINS FERRY, BELLAIRE, (MOUNDSVILLE)

MANSFIELD, LOUDONVILLE, MILLERSBURG, BERLIN, CHARM, SUGARCREEK, COSHOCTON, UHRICHSVILLE, NEW PHILADELPHIA, DOVER, ZOAR, CANTON, KIDRON

ZANESVILLE, NEWARK, GAHANNA, GRANVILLE, COLUMBUS, DELAWARE, MOUNT VERNON, GAMBIER

PORTSMOUTH, IRONTON, GALLIPOLIS, POINT PLEASANT (WV), BELPRE, PARKERSBURG (WV), MARIETTA, WOODSFIELD

BAINBRIDGE, CHILLICOTHE, HOCKING HILLS, LOGAN, NELSONVILLE, ATHENS

LONDON, ASHVILLE, CIRCLEVILLE, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WILMINGTON, HILLSBORO, GEORGETOWN

POINT PLEASANT, NEWPORT, CINCINNATI, FAIRFIELD, HAMILTON, OXFORD

DAYTON, MIAMISBURG, LEBANON, OREGONIA, WAYNESVILLE, YELLOW SPRINGS, URBANA

VAN WERT, DELPHOS, LIMA, WAPAKONETA, GRAND LAKE ST. MARYS, NEW BREMEN, VERSAILLES, PIQUA, TROY, GREENVILLE

FINDLAY, ADA, KENTON, MOUNT VICTORY, INDIAN LAKE, BELLEFONTAINE, WEST LIBERTY, MARYSVILLE, MARION

Beautiful Ohio, thy wonders are in view,

Land where my dreams all come true!

from Beautiful Ohio
(Ohios official state song)

W hat is it about Ohio that makes so many who are born here look up at the sky early in life and fill with a desire to fly? Before flight was something humans were able to do, the Wright brothers were fiddling around in the bicycle shop and sweating out the mechanics of what would become the foundations of modern flight dynamics. A few generations later, Neil Armstrong soared so high that his feet eventually landed on the moon.

Perhaps its because there are few frontiers left, and Ohioans are people of the frontier. Ohio has always been a frontier. It was the first frontier, actuallythe wild west that preceded the Wild West. The settlers who crossed the Alleghenies were the scrappy ones, the families willing to leave hearth and home for a log cabin in the woods. The folks willing to clear away forests and drain massive swamps to make room for the hard work of farming. The people who followed the rivers, built mills, and started trading. And when the rivers werent doing the job, they dug canals... by hand.

During the era of slavery, Ohioans found themselves on the frontier in another way. The state gave birth to a powerful abolitionist sentiment and became a trunk line for the Underground Railroad, which ferried escaped slaves up from the Ohio River to Lake Erie and freedom in Canada. And when the North and South stopped getting along, and the nation plunged into the Civil War, Ohio was on the frontlines.

Looking at Ohio today, you might be inclined to conclude the states frontier status has slipped, but Ohio is still leading the way. Every four years around election time, the state simply crawls with candidates. No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio. With one border touching the Eastern sensibilities of Pennsylvania and another fully absorbing the culture of the Southwhile firmly placed in the Middle WestOhio represents America.

THE STATE ROAD COVERED BRIDGE HAS TRELLISED SIDES

My first experience of Ohio was like that of many people: We were on a family road trip, just passing through. From the interstate, Ohio often seems like a particularly dull place to visit. What many travelers dont realize is that just a stones throw from any exit ramp they can find an unexpected wealth of history, culture, and tradition. A short drive from I-75, for example, offers a chance to see Neil Armstrongs space suit or visit an amazing bicycle museum. All the beauty of the southern shore of Lake Erie lies just beyond the horizon for travelers on I-80. And anyone driving along I-77 south of Cleveland who doesnt know about Cuyahoga River Valley National Park needs to exit immediately and start exploring.

All of these treasures are found on Ohios back roads and byways. This book presents routes for road trips through twelve different parts of the state, paying special attention to things to see and do off the beaten path. Of course, there are places in this book that a lot of people know about. It would be a shame to not check out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland; but included with a handful of popular destinations are dozens of out-of-the-way spots that might not be that familiar.

What you wont find in this book is a compendium of everything to do everywhere. Rather than writing a phone book with bullet-point descriptions, Ive tried to go deeper, with fuller, more researched descriptions. Ive tried to find those tidbits of history that can give a place context and make it all the more interesting. Gallipolis is a pleasant, though rather quiet, community on the Ohio River, but when you learn that it was founded by wealthy French families fleeing the French Revolution, the town suddenly seems different. Its a place where stuff happened. And stuff certainly has happened in Ohio.

This history of this part of the world goes back, at least, to the age of the Hopewell people. They built their great earthworks throughout the Ohio River Valley. Then came the Native Americans we are more familiar with. Battles took place here before the American Revolution, with the British and French hoping to secure trapping trade and transportation routes. These skirmishes were followed by Tecumsehs War and the War of 1812. Canals that connected the entire state to Lake Erie and waterways that flowed south all the way to the Gulf of Mexico bolstered trade. The railroads replaced the canals, and industries grew. Automobile factories, bicycle shops, clay works, glass factories, and factories that supplied the countrys cars with rubber tires helped Ohio flourish.

This book will guide you as you stray from the interstate and find the hidden treasures of Ohio. There are plenty of guidebooks for seeing Cincinnati, or Cleveland, or the Erie Isles. Here you will find the most scenic driving itineraries, which will help you explore the states quieter attractions.