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.
Ohio Weirdness, Town by Town
Showing 39 of 39 stops
Ashtabula
Longest Covered Bridge — The Smolen-Gulf Bridge in Ashtabula — the longest covered bridge in the United States. Historic SitesNot visited yet
Avon
Duck Brand HQ — Duck Brand headquarters in Avon — home of Duck Tape. Factory ToursWeird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Blanchester
World's Largest Horseshoe Crab — Located at 7592 OH-124. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Bowling Green
World's Largest Bronze Falcon — Bronze falcon statue at Bowling Green State University. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Bryan
Spangler Candy — Spangler Candy in Bryan — Dum Dums headquarters, candy water tower and all. Factory ToursNot visited yet
Celina
Big Foot Sculpture — A Big Foot sculpture at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Cincinnati
Abandoned Subway Tunnels — Unfinished subway system beneath the city. Weird Roadside & Oddities
American Sign Museum — Old neon signs on display with audio tour available. Located at 1330 Monmouth Avenue. Museums
Indigo Hippo — Creative reuse center. Creative Reuse
Jungle Jim's International Market — A sprawling international market in Cincinnati that's part grocery, part roadside attraction. Food & TV LegendsWeird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Scrap It Up — Art supply reuse center. Creative Reuse
Circleville
World's Largest Pumpkin — Water tower painted like a pumpkin on Logan Street. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Cleveland
America's Largest Outdoor Chandelier — Located in Playhouse Square. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Paddle and Ball — A giant paddle and ball sculpture in Cleveland. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Upcycle Parts Shop — Creative reuse store. Creative Reuse
World's Largest Rubber Ink Stamp — Located in Willard Park, corner of Lakeside Ave E and E 9th Street. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Columbus
American Whistle Company Factory Tour — See how whistles are made. Factory Tours
Huge Slingshot — A huge slingshot in Columbus. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Topiary Park — The only topiary garden based on a work of art. Weird Roadside & OdditiesParks, Caves & Trails
World's Largest Gavel — Located in front of the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center, 65 South Front Street. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Dayton
Dollar Book Swap — A cavernous used book store in Dayton. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Dresden
House-Sized Picnic Basket — A 23-foot-tall, house-sized picnic basket in Dresden, where the Longaberger basket empire began. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Dublin
Large Red Snail — A large red snail sculpture in Dublin. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
World's Largest Corn Field — cornhenge, located at 4995 Rings Rd. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Frazeysburg
World's Largest Apple Basket — Located on Longaberger Homestead, 5563 Raiders Rd. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Galloway
Trap History Museum — 4,000 animal traps on display. Museums
Jackson Center
Airstream Factory Tour — See the iconic silver trailers being built. Factory Tours
Maumee
Scrap4Art — Creative reuse center for artists. Creative Reuse
Millersburg
Bunker Hill Cheese — heini's Cheese Chalet — Self-guided tour of the cheesemaking process. Factory Tours
Guggisberg Cheese Store and Factory — Over 60 varieties of cheese, plus cuckoo clocks and steins. Watch cheesemaking if you time it right. Factory Tours
Newark
World's Largest Picnic Basket — Located at 1500 E Main St. Weird Roadside & Oddities
North Canton
Fannie May Chocolate Factory Tour — Sweet factory tour experience. Factory Tours
Norwood
Big Ace of Spades — A big ace of spades in Norwood. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Oak Hill
World's Largest Acorn — A world's largest acorn in Central Memorial Park. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Perrysburg
577 Foundation Curiosity Shop — oddities and curiosities collection. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Reynoldsburg
Blacklick Woods Canopy Walk — A canopy walk through the treetops at Blacklick Woods Metro Park. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Sugarcreek
World's Largest Cuckoo Clock — massive cuckoo clock in Amish Country. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Urbana
World's Largest Loaf of Bread — Located at the Bundy Baking Company Museum. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Utica
Ye Olde Mill @ Velvet Ice Cream Tour & Museum — Ice cream factory tour in a historic mill. Factory ToursMuseums
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.