Try as I might, finding a thread to connect my travels through Ohio is always the most daunting part of writing a column. That and packing in as much as I can to prep wanderers for the explorations ahead. If anything, the goal of Weekend Wanderlust is not just to serve up recommendations for offbeat locales, but rather to train readers in the art of finding magic on ordinary roads. To make day trips dizzyingly satisfying. To give you a path in hopes that you choose your own adventure.
Given my travel time is somewhat limited this summer, I wanted to challenge myself with a trip that felt like a vacation but was attempted within the confines of a workday, departing at 7:30 a.m. and returning by 5 p.m. with dinner in hand.
Equipped with a Rand McNally Road Atlas (there’s little internet in Amish Country), a soft-sided cooler (for safely acquiring cheese and maybe beer) and three “must-see” destinations (always call ahead to make sure they are open), I set my sights on the bucolic Tuscarawas Valley, keeping all points in between open as fair game. With Ohio currently in peak verdancy – the result of a rainy spring – just about anywhere in the state can feel wild and wonderful.
7:30 a.m.
I always try to leave Columbus as early as possible to avoid rush hour. Sometimes just getting out of town can be a journey.
9:30 a.m.
After taking I-71 north to Route 30 east, I arrive at my first stop, the John Barker Spring House, located adjacent to Stadium Park and the McKinley Monument in North Canton. There Canton residents can fill their bucket (quite literally) with refreshing, ice cold spring water. I filled my flask for the day and headed downtown to the National First Ladies Library and Museum.
10 a.m.
As Ohio is the “Mother of Presidents,” much attention is paid to the various historical sites that celebrate and educate about the lives of Harrison, Grant, Garfield, Hayes, McKinley and Harding. (I plan to rank these soon.) But little did I know, Canton has also been home to the First Ladies Museum since 2000. The modest space is heavy on information and light on artifacts. Though you can see a tiara worn by Ida McKinley and the spartan dresses of Eleanor Roosevelt, most interesting is learning about Arthurdale, an experimental community in West Virginia launched by Roosevelt during the New Deal. Or the strange part played by Harriet Lane, the young niece of James Buchanan (rumored to be the first and only gay president) who assumed the role of First Lady, owing to her uncle’s life-long bachelor status. The stories gleaned at this museum do more to show the philanthropy and social charges taken on by these women, rather than the facade as state dinner party hosts – though they were responsible for those, as well. Sadly, Melania Trump was the only First Lady not memorialized with a Christmas ornament. Or frankly much else in the museum. It’s small, but as a branch of the National Park system, it’s free and worth a visit.
11 a.m.
Heading south to Dover and the Tuscarawas Valley, you can either go leisurely and travel Route 212 along the Tuscarawas River, where a stop in the former utopian village of Zoar is a great way to spend a morning. Or you can take 77 and be there in less than 20 minutes, which is the path I chose.
11:30 a.m.
One of my “must-see” destinations is a place I’ve stopped twice, only to be turned away both times. (Another reminder to always call first.) Beholden to the hours and schedule of a Dover funeral home is Toland-Herzig Famous Endings Museum, which stands as the largest collection of funeral announcements and paraphernalia in the world.
For John Herzig, what began as a hobby turned into an obsession. As such, you’ll find more than 2,500 artifacts, including the head rest for Jesse James’ corpse, mortuary paperwork for Lee Harvey Oswald, pallbearer garb worn at James Garfield’s massive service, and countless invitations to the funerals of celebrities, sports heroes, politicians, and even the dog who played Toto in “The Wizard of Oz.” You could easily spend a long afternoon inspecting it all (guided tours are available by request). But in my 20-minute visit, I gathered that Herzig’s museum serves more a celebration of the lives captured here than a morbid curiosity. It’s one of the most unique places I’ve visited in Ohio.
Another testament to obsession resides at the Ernest Warther Museum and Gardens. Warther, in his time regarded as a master wood carver, went to enormous lengths to study the steam engine, and in turn carved dozens of locomotives to scale, using only wood and ivory, each tiny piece made to fit without glue. At the museum, you can tour Warther’s original studio, his family home, galleries full of his intricate work, and his wife Frieda’s beguiling Button House.
11:50 a.m.
In lieu of making another pilgrimage to the Warther, I noticed I was about a 10-minute drive to Sugarcreek. One tip I’ve been given countless times over the years is that it’s imperative you see the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock in Sugarcreek chime at noon. So, I called an audible.
Noon
The signs on the outskirts of Sugarcreek are endearing and chintzy, declaring the village the “Little Switzerland of Ohio.” It got that name not due to its topography – though the hills of Amish Country are charming – but owing to its long tradition of Swiss cheese artisans. Over the years, the town has adopted the alpine theme. And many of the storefronts that line the downtown, including the Huntington Bank, resemble colorful, Swiss chalets. But the main attraction here is the cuckoo clock. I arrived just in time to join a small crowd of onlookers curious to see just what happens at the top of the hour. We were treated to the primitive animatronics of a polka band and two dancers twirling on the periphery. There was an eerie quiet once it ended and the travelers dispersed to buy cheap trinkets at a nearby gift shop. It felt like the beginning of a “Twilight Zone” episode.
12:15 p.m.
Normally on these excursions, I would indulge in and suggest several spots for a meal. Destination burgers and regional cuisine are soft spots for me. But on this trip, I honestly couldn’t find a singular place to stop and eat. (Should you have suggestions, please get in touch.) I knew this ahead of time and packed a lunch. It wasn’t enough. So, midday, I headed for Amish Country and made a stop at Pearl Valley Cheese. There I found a bag of chips and their award-winning Swiss to nibble on for the duration of the ride toward home.
12:30 p.m.
Along the road south of Sugarcreek, I found Ed Erb’s Coleman Museum – an oasis in a field of nothing. Erb, an Amish tinkerer, found work fixing up ancient Coleman kerosene lanterns – still in regular use by Amish families in the area – and eventually acquired so many of them that he opened up a museum to show them off. Here, again, the theme of obsession was on full display, with thousands of items set behind glass.
I wasn’t planning to stay long, but Erb was persistent in telling me the fascinating history of the Coleman brand, and we spent a good half hour looking through his collection, which includes kerosene-powered film projectors, the more rugged and sought after Canadian models, and an extremely rare kerosene mini-bike (his most prized possession). It’s not that I’m a lantern enthusiast by any stretch, but our conversation was kind of random and somewhat enlightening – the kind of interaction that can only come from wandering and listening.
1:30 p.m.
Off of a rural road in West Lafayette you will find the Old Stone Fort, which may or may not be the oldest structure in Ohio. Rumors persist that it was built as early as 1679 by French explorer Pierre LeMoyne d’Iberville. But those have since been debunked, and the jury’s still out as to when it was built and by whom.
2:00 p.m.
I’ll likely catch a lot of heat for claiming the proliferation of microbreweries has fully peaked and is now starting to become unwieldy and wholly mediocre. But every so often you find a brewery that is well worth the extra miles to discover. Wooly Pig Farm Brewery in Fresno is way off of the path. Tucked away in some woods off of Interstate 36, the compound has been a working farm for more than 150 years. Once Kevin Ely took over, he started raising Mangalista pigs and brewing beer using a natural spring and homegrown hops. The brewery’s traditional German-style beers, such as the Schwarzbier (a tasty black lager) and the Rustic Helles, really do take the farm brewery to another level. Anytime I’m passing through, I enjoy a stein of their Spruce Tip Lager right in the middle of their picturesque barnyard (maybe the pigs will be out) and I usually buy a sample case to take home.
The world’s largest woven basketKevin J. Elliott
3:00 p.m.
As my time is running out, I veer off the trail home to see not the world’s largest basket– that would be the former Longaberger headquarters that sits deteriorating outside of Newark – but rather the world’s largest “woven” basket. Made from actual maple trees, the basket is the crown jewel in the center of the village of Dresden. While not a basket collector myself, should I take up the hobby, Dresden is ground zero, with a number of shops catering to the Longaberger cult.
3:30 p.m.
Promising the family dinner upon my return, I had to find something exotic on my trip. Though we have been frequenting and reviewing many of the heralded Columbus pizza parlors since the first days of the pandemic (another story for another time), the pizza culture of Newark has a similarly zealous vibe, with spots like Lou’s and Plaza Pizza competing for faithful customers.
Pizza Nerds, the new kid on the block, is a quirky break from the norm, serving quasi-Detroit-style pies with gluttonous ingredients and pop culture-indebted names. The Donkey Kong is a favorite, topped with pickles, ground beef, and smash-burger sauce.
4:30 p.m.
Following Route 161 back west, I made it home with pizzas in tow (invest in an insulated pizza bag), a cooler full of beer and 30 minutes to spare.
