Pickaway County used to be a place for me to drive through. With relatives in Chillicothe, there…read morewas no reason to stop- Grandmother was cooking dinner, let's get there! Even now I drive through fairly often, and I've started stopping. There's plenty to see and do here. The Pumpkin Festival is definitely worth a visit, of course. Logan Elm if you are a history buff (the tree is gone, but there's a state memorial.) There are a couple of museums in Circleville, the historical society and the Ted Lewis museum. Limited hours at both so call ahead. The food scene is okay but not great. Plenty of chains along 23 in Circleville. And one of the few surviving Raxes! There are decent parks, and some oddball sights like the pumpkin water tower in town, a tank flagpole right along 23, an F-105 at the Amvets, an octagon house. Out of town up on a hill is Mount Oval, an unusual historic house (tours occasionally, again check ahead.) South Bloomfield is booming, and has lost its reputation as a speed trap (I'd still slow down a bit.) Ashville has a Viking Festival, well worth a visit. There are a few other small towns like Commercial Point that are at least worth a look. The county has grown and prospered, with many factories and retail businesses. It's close enough to commute to Columbus. No longer just a drive-through stretch for me, it's got a few nice things to see and do... and many places for a pitstop.

Honestly, the only even remotely negative thing I have to say about this wonderful museum was that…read moreI wasn't entirely sure I was at the correct door until the docent greeted me and assured me I chose the right one. Furthermore, that really didn't matter once I got inside. The Georgian is breathtaking and full of little details that make it special. I found myself bending down to look at the intricate carvings on the furniture, stretching to look up the spiral staircase, and going down the stairs very slowly to catch all of the fascinating things that have found a home at the Georgian. The docents were fantastic, and the gift shop is not to be missed!

Another 5* experience. Never met a park we didn't like, and The Farm is just exceptional. Even more…read moreexceptional if you're under 5!

Always a nice metro park to visit - there's a historical working farm on the property as well…read more There's lots of different types of paths to go walking on including pet friendly ones. Including a pond that you can walk down by for fishing and birdwatching. And there's an old covered Bridge on one of the trails that you can see from the drive in.

{ it must be its proximity to the National Road}…read more No that's not why. Hocking College Gave it that name when they took over ownership from the ohio Historical Society. The past reviewer visited in the Museum's downturn period. She visited 3 yrs prior I'd say it be a much better experience. As there was a Professional curator at that time. Im sure in time it will get better again if economy improves. The Museum now goes by Ohio Ceramic Center

Odd little roadside attraction. The only thing national about it must be its proximity to the…read moreNational Road. It is definitely local. The gentleman who gave us the tour was sweet but didn't know much about ceramics-I don't think he was the proprietor. The exhibits were dusty and rind of homemade. The most amazing part was a local ceramics painter who had a special exhibit featuring his work, and his cremated remains in an urn he made. Next to it was the second urn for his longtime partner, awaiting his ashes as well. So Ohio is probably a lot more ready for gay marriage than I thought. There was a gift shop, but they didn't turn on the lights so it was hard to see. If you wanted to know more about history, they had reference books and video lectures. I think the Zanesville art museum had much nicer exhibits of the best of this area, but this place had a birck patio in the shape of the state of Ohio in handmade Ohio bricks. So it was quirky and local.

Cool regional museum dedicated to the History of Circleville OH. Very nice and knowledgeable…read moredocents (tour guides) with strong links to the community and its history. I stopped by while biking in the area and was warmly received If you're in the area and into history I recommend checking them out. Hours are on their website

Located in downtown Lancaster, the Mithoff Building is a historic piece of architecture in the…read morearea. That said, it doesn't look run down, because it was restored in 2019, so it actually looks deceptively new. In fact, when I was looking for it while walking down Main Street, I passed by it a couple of times because I was like, "Well, this is the address, but this can't be the Mithoff Building because this building doesn't look old." According to my internet research, the Mithoff Building was built around 1820 as a hotel. Then the building was modified to a three-story, Italianate-style brick building in 1870. Now, the building is home to retail and service businesses, as well as a few residential apartments. The public is welcome to go inside the building and explore the first floor, where there's a mural on the wall with a timeline of the history of Lancaster, Ohio. If you're into history, this is a good place to visit to get some background on the town.

Heard about this while in town for the Viking Festival, came back during their limited hours (call…read moreahead) to check it out. And it is worth a detour. Says "Ohio's Small Town Museum" but it is mainly about Ashville and the nearby towns, just barely extending to Circleville and Columbus. In the entry (I think the building is an old theater) are exhibits that might come from Ripley's Believe it or Not: odd creatures, bizarre stories from the area, weird artifacts. Loads of fun; the placards are small, but the docent handed me a book with pages marked for each item. Handy and easy way to learn more about the displays. Overhead you will see the world's oldest traffic light- still signalling directions! Farther back are pretty much the usual local museum displays, on natural history, prominent people, sports, indigenous people, assorted collections, and more. All of it well arranged and cared for. The place isn't huge but you could spend an hour, if you look at all the interesting things tucked away here and there. This is an amazing place, better than most small historical societies, and I'll stop back next time I'm in town.

This place is the cutest. It's a pottery painting studio that's also a coffee shop. So you can…read morevisit just to grab a coffee or hot chocolate or tea, or you can visit to paint some pottery, or both! I highly recommend doing both. You should know, though: This place seems to get very busy on the weekends, and they do not take reservations. So if you want to beat the crowds, your best bet is to get there right when they open. If all of the painting tables are full, you will need to wait outside until someone leaves. That could be 10 minutes, which is what it was for us. Or, like the nice man who works there pointed out, it could be 30 minutes or more, because there is no time limit once you're at the painting tables, because the creative process can't be rushed. Fair enough. Once we got a table, we walked around the store and looked at all of the pottery options. They had bowls, plates, piggy banks, coasters, planters, trinkets and ornaments (these are seasonal). My kids picked out a truck piggy bank and a kitty ornament. Pottery pieces vary in price -- the ornament cost around $12, and the piggy bank cost $35. Next we made our way to the painting station, where we loaded up our pallets with paint. They recommend using three coats of paint for the brightest finish, but my kids, who are impatient like all children, only did one coat of paint and their pieces came out really well. After you're done painting, you leave your pieces on the table, pay for them at the register, and then Art & Clay on Main fires them and glosses them, and you pick them up about a week later. It is so cool to finally get your finished pieces. Ours really looked professionally done! While we were painting, we ordered some hot chocolate with whipped cream, and drank and painted at a leisurely pace. It was a nice and relaxing family activity, and my kids were really into it. I highly recommend dropping by Art & Clay on Main if you're in downtown Lancaster if you're looking for a fun and relaxing activity with your kids.

I do like this place they are very friendly and during the summer there's a lot of good pottery…read morepainting choices, my only gripe is they close random days and it doesn't say that on the map, so imagine driving 25 minutes to pick up your piece and their closed. All I would say about this place is definitely call ahead or check the website before coming in because I find they are often closed on random days as this has happened to me twice now