Sightseeing Sunday: Weird Things to Do in Ohio
Looking for weird things to do in Ohio? Things to do here lean heavily into Midwest weird — giant baskets, rubber stamps, and more factory tours than you can shake a stick at.
Fun Facts About Ohio
Ohio is the 35th largest state, which means 34 states are bigger and nobody’s mad about it.
Cleveland installed the first traffic light in the U.S., and Cincinnati launched the first ambulance service in 1865 — basically, Ohio invented “wait at the light” and “call for help.”
Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta in 1930, proving that small-town Ohio kids can literally shoot for the moon.
Superman was created by Cleveland high school students Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1933, which makes sense — who else but bored Ohio teens would dream up an alien who escapes to a big city?
Some of these we’ve visited, others are still on our list. When we’ve been somewhere, the link takes you to our photo page with details and snark. Otherwise, you’ll head to their official site — assuming one exists, since sometimes that’s half the adventure.
Unique Attractions & Weird Things to Do in Ohio
Weird Roadside & Oddities
Blanchester
World’s Largest Horseshoe Crab – Located at 7592 OH-124.
Cincinnati
Abandoned Subway Tunnels – Unfinished subway system beneath the city.
American Sign Museum – Old neon signs on display with audio tour available. Located at 1330 Monmouth Avenue.
Circleville
World’s Largest Pumpkin – Water tower painted like a pumpkin on Logan Street.
Cleveland
World’s Largest Rubber Ink Stamp – Located in Willard Park, corner of Lakeside Ave E and E 9th Street.
America’s Largest Outdoor Chandelier – Located in Playhouse Square.
Columbus
Topiary Park – The only topiary garden based on a work of art.
World’s Largest Gavel – Located in front of the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center, 65 South Front Street.
Dublin
World’s Largest Corn Field – Cornhenge, located at 4995 Rings Rd.
Frazeysburg
World’s Largest Apple Basket – Located on Longaberger Homestead, 5563 Raiders Rd.
Galloway
Trap History Museum – 4,000 animal traps on display.
Newark
World’s Largest Picnic Basket – Located at 1500 E Main St.
Perrysburg
577 Foundation Curiosity Shop – Oddities and curiosities collection.
Sugarcreek
World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock – Massive cuckoo clock in Amish Country.
Urbana
World’s Largest Loaf of Bread – Located at the Bundy Baking Company Museum.
Factory Tours & Behind-the-Scenes
Columbus
American Whistle Company Factory Tour – See how whistles are made.
Jackson Center
Airstream Factory Tour – See the iconic silver trailers being built.
Millersburg
Guggisberg Cheese Store and Factory – Over 60 varieties of cheese, plus cuckoo clocks and steins. Watch cheesemaking if you time it right.
Bunker Hill Cheese – Heini’s Cheese Chalet – Self-guided tour of the cheesemaking process.
North Canton
Fannie May Chocolate Factory Tour – Sweet factory tour experience.
Utica
Ye Olde Mill @ Velvet Ice Cream Tour & Museum – Ice cream factory tour in a historic mill.
Creative Reuse Shops
Cincinnati
Indigo Hippo – Creative reuse center.
Scrap It Up – Art supply reuse center.
Cleveland
Upcycle Parts Shop – Creative reuse store.
Maumee
Scrap4Art – Creative reuse center for artists.
Plan Your Ohio Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in Ohio to this list, so check back for more roadside attractions, quirky museums, oversized oddities, and future road trip discoveries.
Where to next? Check out our Pennsylvania roadside attractions guide for more semi-local weird, browse our complete roadside attractions by state guide, get tips for traveling with pets, or head back to the Right At The Light homepage.
Interactive Map: Weird Roadside Stops We’re Tracking
This map includes weird roadside attractions, big-rig friendly stops, and places still on our running road trip list across the country.