8 Prettiest Main Streetscapes In Ohio
On Ohio’s prettiest main streets, an ordinary afternoon can mean browsing used records in a locally owned music shop or walking past 1800s brick buildings and century-old hotels. In Marietta, that could mean shopping with a drink in hand during Sip & Shop and stopping by Front Street landmarks like the Lafayette Hotel. In Logan, it might mean settling in at winery-owned 58 West and exploring a downtown lined with restored buildings. Together, these scenes set the tone for eight Ohio towns whose downtowns have the kind of charm that easily turns a quick stop into a full afternoon.
Marietta
It comes as no surprise that a town named after Marie Antoinette is adorned with rose gardens and hanging floral baskets along streets lined with graceful trees, red-brick sidewalks, and opulent Victorian architecture. Marietta's streetscape is all charm and grace, sitting pretty just steps from where the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers meet. It has a celebratory ambience as part of a designated outdoor refreshment area, where visitors can partake in a Sip & Shop adventure, browsing the local boutiques, drink in hand. A town routine Wednesday through Saturday, select Marietta bartenders serve up cocktails, wine, and beer “to go” to sustain shoppers participating in the Sip & Shop tradition. Audiophiles can spend hours at First City Records browsing the spectacular collection of used and rare vinyl and CDs, discover an emerging local band, and score an awesome vintage tee. If the potables are getting to you, pop into Jeremiah's Coffee House for a cup of premium coffee made from locally roasted beans and some carbs to set you straight.
At the foot of downtown’s Front Street sits the town’s grand dame, The Lafayette Hotel, which epitomizes the glamour of the Riverboat Era. Welcoming guests for over a century, this boutique hotel’s classic flatiron design makes a statement with its elegant arched windows and fanciful blue awnings that draw you into the lavish lobby. Dine in fashion at The Riverfront Bar & Grill and stay in a period-designed room overlooking the river.
Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs’ unique Shopping District includes Xenia Avenue, a short and sweet stretch of Corry Street, and the competing main strip, Dayton Street, making it a triple-attraction destination for a Saturday jaunt. With murals appearing on random walls and buildings, colorfully painted storefronts, and edgy galleries and boutiques, the town has a notably artsy appeal. Xenia Avenue is home to welcoming spots like Emporium Wines & Underdog Café, where you can settle in on a rainy day with a good book from the in-house bookstore with a warm cup of Joe and a fresh-baked treat, or combine live music and wine tasting on a Friday night at the Emporium. The unassuming Little Art Theater is one of the town's main venues where film buffs, directors, scriptwriters, and actors merge in October for the Yellow Springs Film Festival.
The larger-than-life storefront designs on Corry Street are a work of art in their own right, including the hard-to-miss Village Artisans building. The gallery cum fine art shop is run by a local artisan cooperative known for its annual Art on the Lawn events, intriguing artwork, ongoing exhibits, and art demonstrations. The cool antiques and mid-modern pieces at Rose & Sal on Dayton are all about the next great find, from a touch of whimsical kitsch to a retro-chic statement piece.
Lebanon
Lebanon charms with its 19th-century architecture, brick sidewalks, vintage streetlamps, and Ohio’s oldest continuously operating hotel, The Golden Lamb. The hotel's grand two-story verandah and red brick façade are a town landmark where guests can step into the lobby that has welcomed guests since 1803. Whether you have drinks or dinner at The Black Horse Tavern or join the ranks of former iconic guests, including 12 U.S. Presidents, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain, a stop in Lebanon calls for a visit to this historic gem. Prepare for a walk down memory lane, better known as Broadway in this Ohio town. Nostalgic establishments like The Village Parlor take you back with classic soda fountain counters, mosaic tile floors, and an authentic ice cream parlor menu, including classic sundaes and banana splits. You can also order an old-fashioned phosphate with your choice of flavored syrup as the perfect accompaniment to diner-style soups, salads, and sandwiches.
Just off Broadway is Lebanon’s Mulberry Plaza, a shopping district where you can find boutiques like the secondhand bookshop Mulberry St. Books, where Winnie the ShopCat greets customers, grabbing a cup of coffee or exploring the well-stocked shelves. The plaza is also host to summer Third Fridays, where you can listen to talented musicians, feast on food truck delights, shop, and soak up the warm and festive atmosphere.
Athens
With the green, hallowed grounds of Ohio U’s campus at its heart and the flowing Hocking River wending its way around its tip, Athens is a gorgeous caps-and-gowns town surrounded by ample green space where the intricate red brick roads are worn by generations of students’ sneakers. The rah-rah team spirit is palpable in local watering holes and eateries, like The Pigskin Bar and Grille, where people of all ages gather companionably to root on the Bobcats or enjoy drinks and above-average comfort food. An academic flair is found in local shops along the main street, like Little Professor Book Center, where well-read owners have been selling new and used books and hosting nerdy, fun events for over 50 years. Ohio University Art Galleries are scattered across the campus, where works by nationally and internationally known artists explore all disciplines, and thesis exhibitions are on display in the spring.
The 22-mile Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is a scenic route between Athens and Nelsonville and a designated trail for the self-guided Brewed on the Bikeway tour. This tipsy journey highlights local breweries, such as the Devil’s Kettle, where diehard beer enthusiasts can taste premium lagers and barrel-aged brews.
Logan
Downtown Logan has reinvented itself as a weekend destination with a happening food and shopping scene, infusing its streetscape with a newfound vitality worth exploring. It is a picture-perfect example of what happens when a town invests in revitalization with a loving attention to detail, from the beautifully maintained flowerbeds and baskets hanging from heritage lampposts to the carefully restored buildings with their enticing boutique shop windows. Eateries like 58 West lean into Logan’s history and the Hocking Valley region’s bounty as Hocking Hills Winery's newest chapter. Housed in a shared circa 1920s space with Motherwell Distilling and Hocking Hills Brewing Company, the restaurant, winery, brewery, and distillery serve both site-made and locally crafted tipples along with a thoughtfully created menu that is hearty and satisfying.
The Columbus Washboard Company captures the town’s history as America’s only remaining washboard manufacturer, offering character pieces that add a touch of Americana to your laundry room or kitchen. Their handmade washboards carry on the craftsmanship used since 1895, and their selection of vintage laundering innovations still proves useful today. The shop is also home to newcomer Shorty's Ice Cream Parlor, where you can spoil your dinner with old-fashioned parlor treats or wolf down a classic chili dog for lunch.
Coshocton
The boutiques along Coshocton’s Main Street are not afraid to show off their true personalities, making for a colorful window shopping experience filled with eclectic, quirky aesthetics. The artPARK breaks up the streetscape with a small slice of outdoor space, creating a gathering place for interactive experiences. Dancing to live orchestras, pancakes cooked on wood-fired grills, and annual events like the spring Dogwood Festival are just a few of the town events you might stumble upon on any given visit. Antiquers will find Coshocton Antique Mall a worthwhile endeavor, with over 50 vendors competing for their attention.
However, the historic Whitewoman Street in 1800s Roscoe Village is Coshocton’s real showstopper. This fairytale village with its mature trees, cobblestone sidewalks, and historic port town buildings is the proverbial step back in time where you can slip silently along the canal on a horse-drawn boat ride, stroll the lovely gardens of village homes and public spaces, visit the privately owned shops in restored historic buildings, and have lunch at one of several eateries like Huck's Tavern.
Nelsonville
Nelsonville’s Public Square overlooks a bubbling fountain and garden where two town mainstays keep the arts scene in this Appalachian mining town alive. The Arts District is made possible through the artists' cooperative at The Majestic Galleries and innovative performances and events at the historic Stuart’s Opera House. The former movie theater is considered one of Southeast Ohio’s best professional art spaces, where significant exhibitions range from the visual to the written word, and themed collections are compiled by groups of elite local artists invited to participate by the gallery. The Opera House originally opened in 1879 and, despite some setbacks, now hosts over 75 events and live performances each year. Visitors are welcome to view changing art exhibits in the elegant lobby at Gallery 1879 when the theater is open for shows and ticket sales.
Music lovers arrive en masse during Nelsonville’s annual Music Festival at Snow Fork Event Center for what is hailed as “one of the best-kept secrets of the U.S. music festival circuit” by Billboard Magazine. Produced by Stuart’s Opera House, musicians travel from near and far across all genres to put on world-class performances, while ticket holders discover local food and creative visual works for sale during the weekend event. Year-round natural beauty abounds at Wayne National Forest, covering a quarter million acres of the Appalachian foothills where you can hike about 300 miles of maintained paths, explore 79 miles of trails on horseback, or paddle the peaceful lakes and rivers.
Granville
Discover a taste of New England in Granville, where extra spacious sidewalks along Broadway make way for shoppers, storefronts are shaded by mature trees and awnings, and colorful umbrellas and bistro tables punctuate the eateries and cafes crowded with diners nibbling local cuisine and sipping coffee or cocktails. Set against the Welsh Hills, Granville is an idyllic spot for weekend escapes at upscale sanctuaries like the Granville Inn, where vintage interiors capture the elegance of the 1920s, and guests relish first-class meals at The Oak Room. Shop the fabulous boutiques or galleries like ART @ 43023 to discover the work of emerging artists, or combine your love of art and history at The Avery-Downer House and Robbins Hunter Museum, where the original owners’ 18th- and 19th-century decorative art collections are on display. Wander 16 rooms in the painstakingly restored Grecian-style mansion decorated with striking antique pieces.
Broadway is just a small example of the delightful streetscapes of Granville. Denison University campus is especially pretty in the fall when the 900-acre green space is surrounded by autumnal foliage and students returning to their studies rush from class to class. Amble along the trails at Denison Biological Reserve through breathtaking forests, agricultural fields, and old orchards, or sit quietly contemplating the splendid scenery.
Now that you know where to go, you can set your sights on these eight prettiest main streetscapes in Ohio for your next weekend jaunt. You can book a weekend stay at Marietta's Lafayette Hotel, do an art crawl in Nelsonville and Yellow Springs, explore uni campuses in Athens and Granville, step back in time in Coshocton's historic Roscoe Village, or experience nostalgic vibes lunching at Lebanon's ice cream parlor or shopping at Logan's Columbus Washboard Company.
