The One Ohio Town Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
Yellow Springs is popular amongst tourists for its culturally diverse, open, and friendly atmosphere, along with its historic natural mineral springs, which were believed to bring healing powers to those who visited. Spend some time in this eclectic small town and experience its charm and whimsy through the foods you eat, the parks you explore, and the history you discover. Find out for yourself why Yellow Springs is the one Ohio town everyone should visit at least once.
Experience the Springs
Immerse yourself in nature and spend time at the springs that gave this town the popularity it has today. At Glen Helen Nature Preserve, you can access the Yellow Spring via the 1.5-mile Inman Trail, which also passes by a beaver dam, a waterfall over Birch Creek. The preserve is also home to a raptor center, an outdoor education center, 15 miles of trails, and an inn set inside a historic water-powered grist mill on the banks of the Little Miami River.
John Bryan State Park offers another engaging experience. The most distinguishable feature of the park is the limestone gorge that was cut from the Little Miami State and National Scenic River years ago. The National Landmark offers visitors panoramic views from the trail, and the 752-acre park also provides several hiking trails, a public rock climbing and rappelling area, campground, fishing, disc golf, mountain biking, and the well-known Storybook Trail. The Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve is adjacent to the park for even more outdoor recreation opportunities.
Historic Attractions
The Clifton Mill is one of the town's most recognizable landmarks. Founded in 1802, it is one of the largest still-operating water-powered mills in the United States. Today, the site draws visitors for its hands-on tours, historic machinery, restaurant, and gift shop. It is also widely known for its Legendary Lights holiday display, which features millions of lights and attracts tourists from across the region.
Antioch University Midwest is a landmark institution in Yellow Springs that invites visitors to enjoy the historic campus, architecture, and legacy of social justice. One of its most notorious alumni has an entire center dedicated to her accolades and contributions to society. The Coretta Scott King Center for Cultural and Intellectual Freedom honors the 1951 graduate with a center promoting education, awareness, and advocacy around issues of social justice and diversity through a variety of exhibits, as well as public events, programs, and services.
Other historic and notable landmarks include the Richard P. Eastman Hyde Road Covered Bridge. Crossing over the Little Miami Scenic Trail, the bridge is named after Richard Eastman, the county’s engineer from the 1970s through the 1990s. While it is actually the county's newest covered bridge, it honors Eastman's efforts to restore and preserve many of the region's bridges over the course of his career, as it carries this iconic symbol of the past into the present and well into the future.
Similarly, in Gaunt Park, a statue represents not only the town’s history, but also its progression over time. The Wheeling Gaunt Sculpture represents a former enslaved man who became one of Yellow Springs’s most respected and inspiring figures. The life-sized statue stands on the land donated by Gaunt himself and is cloaked in bronze, as a reminder of his generosity, leadership, and community service.
Dining and Drinks
Start your day in Yellow Springs with local delicacies made from scratch at Sunrise Café. With almost all ingredients made in-house or sourced locally from farms, Sunrise Café takes pride in its “made with love” menu. From classic fare to world cuisine, enjoy fresh-baked biscuits and gravy made from local cream and sausage, crispy pancakes, huevos rancheros, wagyu steak, Thai peanut tofu, shrimp and grits, and more.
Yellow Springs also offers fine dining in a historic building at Ye Olde Trail Tavern. Constructed in 1827 of hand-hewn logs, the establishment is Ohio’s oldest tavern. Euchre, open mic, and movie nights are just a few of the events the tavern hosts, along with Late Night History Nights. Enjoy a charcuterie board and drink from the bar while learning about the tavern's history, its inhabitants, and maybe even meeting a ghost or two while wandering the historic haunt during the late hours of the night.
Nearby Towns
Just outside of Yellow Springs are more towns to explore and unique sights to enjoy. In Urbana, stop and take a picture with the World's Largest Loaf of Bread. Originally created for the Colonial Baking Company in Montgomery, Alabama, the giant loaf was locally acquired once the Alabama company shut down and was relocated to Bundy Baking Solutions. Restored and redesigned, the loaf measures 33 feet long and 8 feet tall and sits on the company headquarters. Although on private property, it is still visible from the sidewalk for tourists to admire. For another one-of-a-kind pit stop, visit the Johnny Appleseed Educational Center and Museum. Highlights of the museum include the Dock family bible, which is believed to have been carried by John Chapman himself, and the Memorial Orchard, filled with apple trees directly descended from those planted by the legendary figure.
Another small town, just a 30-minute drive down the road from Yellow Springs, is Centerville. Here, 60-acre Stubbs Park welcomes visitors to its community amphitheater, walking trails, an inline skating rink, and disc golf course. Spend an afternoon at the park and then grab a drink at Lock 27 Brewing. The award-winning beer and full dining menu bring customers in, but the trivia nights, Thirsty Thursday, and Sunday Funday events truly keep them entertained at this popular brewpub.
More outdoor adventures await in Vandalia at Taylorsville MetroPark. Bike, hike, fish, and paddleboard all within park boundaries at what was once the crossroads of some of the country's busiest transportation arteries. After a day outdoors, grab a custom pizza at The Hairless Hare. The award-winning microbrewery has something for every palate, and the creative pizzas boast sauce made from scratch on hand-tossed crust.
Open your mind to this eclectic and diverse town that mixes urban and rural landscapes through the rolling hills of Ohio. Explore and immerse yourself in the spring that the town was named after during an afternoon of outdoor excursions, or educate yourself on the history of local celebrities by visiting the structures built in their honor. Learn, explore, and eat your way through Yellow Springs, the one Ohio town everyone should visit at least once.
