Five Best Attractions In Chillicothe Ohio

Did you know that Ohio had a different capital city before Columbus? If you are not from Ohio nor a history buff the chances are good that you did not know that little fact. However, the first capital of Ohio was actually a town called Chillicothe, which is located in rural Ohio to the Southeast to Southcentral region of the state. Now, with the location being so far out of the way, what exactly is going to draw you to the region? Well, that is what we are going to try to showcase here as we tell you about this hidden gem of a city in Ohio, Chillicothe, by telling you about the best attractions to visit.

How Did I Narrow Down My List Of Attractions

When I compiled this list I looked at the area. Honestly most of the attractions are limited in what you can do, but they are all great attractions to check out. Now, the other thing that I did was looked at the interaction you can have as a family or even the time you spend at the location. So I hope you take this into account while you read through my list of the best attractions in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Hopewell Culture National Historic Park

The Hopewell Culture National Historic Park is a great location. Granted, it is currently open, but the visitors center is closed due to the Covid-19 concerns. However, the park is still amazing to go and visit. While the trail itself is more of a perimeter type of trail it does help you learn more about the location and the importance that it held to the Hopewell culture.

While you will enjoy the trail, which tends to be very quiet and not crowded, the mounds are one of the best features. The mounds vary from some being original dating back over the centuries to some of them being reconstructed mounds from an old war camp. However, one thing that you will feel is the energy that is at the location is simply stunning and definitely going to keep you feeling great about what you are seeing and doing.

Adena Mansion and Gardens

The Adena Mansion and Gardens will require you to go a little bit outside of the city limits, but it is not that far of a drive. The mansion is one of the best places to check out if you are a history buff. The location was the home of the first governor of Ohio and while the mansion has made some improvements it is still one place that is going to have the same type of look that you may have come to expect when you are looking at or visiting a historical home.

With the Adena Mansion, you can look and see that we mentioned gardens as well. The property as we have mentioned started to have quite a few changes. One of those main changes that you can enjoy is the gardens. These gardens are one place that you can enjoy walking through and reconnecting with nature in a controlled area, but getting to enjoy the plants in a way that you never thought possible before.

Yoctangee Park

Now, Yoctangee Park keeps you in Chillicothe proper. The park is actually located almost right off of the old town area shopping district. This allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds. You have a chance to walk the older downtown shopping district, which if you have a sweet tooth I highly recommend checking out Grandpas Candy Store, but then you can walk down the steps and get into the park. So the central location of the park makes it very easy for you to enjoy some shopping downtown and then go to the park.

The park only covers around 48 acres, but I can tell you that the park is very well laid out. The park offers a small art museum, a railroad museum, plenty of playground space for the kids and even a beautiful pond with a walking trail that wraps around it. This makes it easier for you to relax and enjoy seeing the water fowl that are enjoying the lake as well. Not to mention if you have a fishing license you can find it is easy for you to sit down and fish.

Pump House Center For The Arts

The Pump House Center For The Arts is located in Yoctangee Park, which is the art museum that I mentioned above. However, what you will notice is this is an art museum that focuses mainly on the local arts, which is a great feature about the museum. What else is interesting is the name of the art museum and how it came about into being seen as the Pump House Center For The Arts. Well, I can tell you that it actually stems  from what the building used to do. The center used to be one of the older water pumping stations.

When you are looking at the Pump House Center For The Arts, you do need to be mindful of the hours of the location. It is not like a lot of the museums you can visit in places like London or New York. Instead, the museum has a limited amount of hours and that means it may not be open when you are looking to visit. So please check this out before you make your plans as it will definitely impact the plans.

The Ross County Historical Society

The Ross County Historical Society is one location that has a lot of information about the region, but also has a lot of items on display as well. The museum is not that large, which is fine, but you will notice it covers quite a bit and provides you with plenty of information. Not to mention, since it is a smaller location the crowds do not seem to be as bad.

Where Should I Go In Chillicothe?

As you can tell Chillicothe does have plenty of attractions to enjoy. I simply picked out what I felt were the 5 best attractions to check out when you visit Chillicothe. Once you see these attractions, I highly recommend walking the downtown area of the town to see what it has to offer, but also to enjoy the shopping. Overall, Chillicothe has plenty to see and do, but it mainly is in the older part of town and once you at in this section of town you can see that the attractions in Chillicothe are a step back in time where the world perfectly meshes with the old and new together in one.