Ancient earthworks, giant clock baskets and hundreds of cheeses await you at these five roadside stops.
Grandpa's Cheesebarn
A white silo and barn seen from Interstate 71 is a beacon for cheese lovers. It marks the spot of Grandpa's Cheesebarn, a family-owned road trip destination since 1978. With 220 Ohio-made and imported cheeses, including Dynamite Dill Cheddar and the brew-infused Irish Porter, there's plenty to sample or buy. Non-cheese-heads can enjoy house-made smokies, dips and sauces. Grandpa Dick Baum still helps customers, while grandma Vera Baum hand-rolls buckeyes next door at Sweeties, a candy shop with 6,000 different treats. The Cheesebarn brings the family together, says Pappy Poorbaugh, a third-generation owner. "My wife works here now," he says. "The kids help out a little bit, so it's a family affair." 668 U.S. Route 250 E., Ashland, 800-745-7091, grandpascheesebarn.com
Longaberger Homestead
Although the basket manufacturer's 180,000-square-foot corporate office in Newark is known as the world's largest basket, the Longaberger Homestead in Frazeysburg is ripe with activities. The 29-foot-tall world's largest apple basket sits on a 24-acre village with cafes, a HoneyBaked Ham deli, a store that sells exclusive baskets and the company's manufacturing plant. "During our walking tour, we take you out on the basket-making floor," says Brenton Baker, Longaberger's director of communications. "You can even make your own with their assistance." 5563 Raiders Road, Frazeysburg, 740-322-5588, longaberger.com
The Serpent Mound
The 1,348-foot-long snaking mass of raised earth is one of Ohio's great mysteries. Although experts deduce Native Americans built the serpentlike path, carbon dating has been inconclusive in providing clues to which tribe created it. But that hasn't stop visitors from flocking to the site. In 2014, a team of archaeologists suggested the mound was built in 300 B.C. — earlier than previously thought. "The earthwork is considered one of the masterpieces of ancient America," says Crystal Narayana, program director for Arc of Appalachia, a nonprofit that runs the park. "It's on par with other mysterious ancient sites like the pyramids and Stonehenge." 3850 state Route 73, Peebles, 800-752-2757, arcofappalachia.org
Solid Rock Church
If a long road trip is making you seek salvation, look no further than Solid Rock Church's 52-foot-tall statue of Jesus watching over Interstate 75 in Lebanon, a suburb of Cincinnati. The statue of Jesus with his arms outstretched was built as a replacement to an original that was struck by lightning and burned down in 2010. It was a bad omen to some, but church administrator David Lovell saw it differently. "If any positive came from it, the name of Jesus was lifted up because of that statue being burned," he says. "And that's why we rebuilt it, for passersby." 903 Union Road, Lebanon, 513-423-7040, solidrockchurch.org
World's Largest Cuckoo Clock
Take a trip to Switzerland without straying too far from home. Dubbed "The Little Switzerland of Ohio," Sugarcreek's Swiss Village storefronts, such as Finder's Keepers and Bagg's Pub, feature chalet-style architecture reminiscent of Zurich. But the must-see feature of Sugarcreek's Swiss experience is the 24-foot-tall world's largest cuckoo clock. Its hand-carved and hand-painted five-piece wood oompah band plays a Bavarian tune every half-hour and is accompanied by two dancers. "The clock is bright and quirky, and it feels like old-school Disney in our little town," says Sugarcreek Information Center's LeeAnn Miller. Main and North Broadway streets, Sugarcreek, villageofsugarcreek.com
