HIDING IN PLAIN
SIGHT? When I started to plan a road
trip from my home in the Washington suburbs of Maryland to visit my family in
Grand Rapids, Michigan, I looked at the possible routes, all of which would
carry me through Ohio. I decided I would
break up my trip with a few overnighters in this state of more than 11 million
people densely inhabiting a historic and verdant land between a Great Lake and a
namesake river. Of course, I had driven
through and across Ohio several times on my way somewhere else, and that was just
the point of this adventure. I wanted to
give Ohio its due.
So, I started planning my journey and went on Amazon in
search of a current Moon Handbook or Lonely Planet or even a Fodor's or
Frommer's. Nothing. I was really surprised and somewhat
disappointed to learn that there currently is not a single statewide travel
guide in publication for the 7th most populous state in the nation. This seemed like an obvious oversight. With all due respect to the Garden
State, I would have thought Ohio would be in line ahead of New Jersey for a few
travel guides. I mean, it has Lake Erie,
which even has islands and ferries and a lighthouse or two. Ohio has the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, two
NFL teams, major league baseball, three big cities and lots in between.
Well, having just returned from spending two separate
weekends in the Buckeye State, I can assure you that it warrants at least one
updated travel guide. Ohio is a worthy
destination for a variety of reasons.
THE HEART OF OHIO: Despite
the lack of - or maybe because of the lack of - available travel books, I decided
in planning my Ohio pilgrimage to include several criteria that reflect some of
the superlatives of the state. It's home
to several small, well-regarded liberal arts colleges that feature beautiful
campuses. Ohio also ranks behind only
Virginia in Presidential sites. Finally,
while the state is crisscrossed with interstates, I wanted to make my way via Ohio's
many designated scenic back roads whenever practically possible. Ohio delivered happily on all counts.
In choosing my stops, I also decided I would take a southern
approach going out and return via a northern route. So, I left my home in Maryland on a Saturday
morning and drove west across the Alleghany Mountains headed toward central
Ohio. I entered Pennsylvania just west
of Cumberland, Maryland, and, four hours later, admittedly mostly via I-70, arrived
at my first Ohio destination, the gorgeous college town of Granville.
Granville is a village in Licking County established at the
beginning of the nineteenth century by New England settlers from Massachusetts
and Connecticut. It is located about 25
miles east of the state capital, Columbus, which itself sits almost exactly in
the center of the state. Although the village
today serves increasingly as a wealthy exurb of Columbus, Granville's historic
role has been home to Denison University. Denison is one of those small, prestigious
Ohio liberal arts colleges. It was founded
in 1831 and is a member of the Five
Colleges of Ohio, an academic consortium of private, renowned liberal arts
colleges. Before this trip was over, I
would hit two more of the five.
I have no connection to either Denison or to Granville, but
I sure wish I did. This would give me an
excuse to return often. The Denison
campus, with about 2,100 students, is lovely, perched on a hill overlooking the
town and surrounding countryside. And, Granville
itself is an amazingly beautiful small town of tree-lined streets and
well-manicured homes. The village center
features a sweet few blocks of shops, galleries and restaurants, all trying to
lure you in from the sidewalk. There are
several lodging options in the village center, including the Buxton Inn, which claims
to be Ohio's oldest continuously operating inn, but I chose a newer-old option
just a few miles outside town. Located
along the Columbus Pike, the Orchard
House Bed and Breakfast opened a few years back in a renovated 1850s
farmhouse on 12 acres, complete with llamas, goats, pigs and other farm
animals. It features three large rooms
that are a perfect mix of history and modern style. I stayed in the Barbizon room, located at the
front of the house. It offered an
enormous bathroom with views out to the barn and fields beyond. Although it's a nineteenth century building,
modern necessities like air-conditioning and wireless access worked like a
charm. There are great sitting areas
downstairs and, each morning, I enjoyed co-owner Andrew's delicious breakfasts
after my runs along nearby, scenic country roads.
I slept well at the Orchard House, so I got a late start my
first morning. My destination was about
an hour due north, the campus of Kenyon
College. Located in the tiny village
of Gambier, Kenyon is the oldest private college in Ohio. Kenyon was founded in 1824 and today it ranks
as one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country; it's been
dubbed a "hidden Ivy." From my perspective, it also is one of the
most beautiful. The school's
architecture has been described as "collegiate gothic," but the
campus also features some striking new architecture, including the Gund Art
Gallery, a new home for special exhibits and showcasing the work of Kenyon
students . As I strolled the leafy
blocks on a brilliant, early summer Sunday, I thought how hard it must be to
graduate and leave such an idyllic place.
Could I really justify a degree in African Diaspora Studies at this
point in my life? Do I really need any
justification?
THE BIG CITY: All
this time, I had assumed that either Cleveland or Cincinnati were Ohio's
largest city. While historically
Cleveland was, Columbus today holds the title with a city population of just
under 800,000 (Cleveland and Cincinnati still outrank Columbus on a MSA
basis). Staying so close to Columbus, I
decided to spend at least an afternoon checking out the city and concluded that
I should return for a longer weekend visit to this very dynamic Midwestern
metropolis.
Named for Christopher Columbus, the city did not exist until
the Ohio Legislature created it in 1812 as a compromise location for the state
capital. In addition to serving as the
seat of state government, Columbus today is a corporate headquarters town, a
regional medical center and a diverse city of historic neighborhoods, good
shopping and dining and a renovated riverfront, all wrapped up in a friendly,
welcoming vibe. It also is home to Ohio
State University, the largest single campus in the country with more than
56,000 students.
I started my afternoon visit with the nerd's obvious choice
- the statehouse building. The capitol was designed and built between
1838 and 1861 and features a mix of classic Greek architectural elements, but
also includes an unusual, flat conical roof instead of a classic dome typical
of most statehouses. The statehouse sits
a few blocks from the Scioto River, which now offers runners and amblers a
renovated stretch of pathways and landscaped parkland. From the state capitol, I made my way past
the art deco Ohio Supreme Court and down along the riverfront and past several
new or renovated bridges to the patio seating of Milestone 229, a waterfront restaurant serving
up a great Sunday brunch and a reasonably priced menu of new American fare. Fueled up after a great lunch, I made my way
to the Short North, which is a hip area of shops, galleries and restaurants
along a stretch of North High Street - a main drag in Columbus - between
downtown and the Ohio State campus. It
was here that I found Grandview
Mercantile Company-Revue, one of the best combination consignment-antique
stores I've ever visited. In fact, while
some take home t-shirts or fridge magnets, I shipped home a lovely, used Baker
buffet that cost a fraction of what it would have been priced back home in
Washington. I also found a small tile
piece of art in a gallery featuring artists from central Ohio. The Short North has several good dining
options, including the Northstar
Cafe and Barrel 44
Whiskey Bar. I headed back to
Granville and the Orchard House for my last evening in the area with a promise
to myself that I would return soon to Columbus and spend more time.
BACK ON THE ROAD: The
next morning, I bid farewell to the Orchard House and got back on the road to Michigan. Just north of Columbus, I passed through
Delaware, named in 1808 for the tribe of native Americans not the state, where
I noticed the sign for the birthplace of President Rutherford B. Hayes. I held off, planning to stop later in my road
trip at his home and museum in the northwest Ohio town of Fremont. I did stop, however, a short distance north
in Marion to visit the tomb of President Warren and First Lady Florence
Harding. Their home in Marion also is
open to visitors; it was from this front porch in 1920 that Harding unconventionally
ran for President.
Continuing north from Marion through Upper Sandusky, I picked
up the Old
Mill Stream, an Ohio Scenic Byway that follows the Blanchard River along
U.S. Route 224 and Ohio Route 37 through Putnam and Hancock counties. A perfect antidote to interstate travel, this
part of the trip featured more pretty small towns, tidy fields, manicured homes
and, in Findlay, the beautiful 19th century Hancock County Courthouse, which is
still in use. Later that day, I crossed
into Michigan just south of Hillsdale and continued on to Grand Rapids.
I just knew Ohio would make for a great road trip and I was
right. Maybe I should write a travel
book. More about Ohio later, on my return from Michigan.
