The 25 Best Roadside Attractions in Ohio
Ranked by Roadtrippi users — the people who've actually been there. Updated June 2026. Roadtrippi catalogs 715 roadside attractions in Ohio.
-
1. Bloody Hand Nailed to Cross
Mount Vernon, OH
Large 2-D hand is nailed to a tilting cross in the front yard of a house. A subsequent paint touch-up seemed to remove the bloody drops.
-
2. Oldest Miniature Golf Course in the U.S.
Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH
Geneva-on-the-Lake has been a resort town since 1869, and a sign at this mini-golf course claims that it's been in business since 1924, "the oldest miniature golf course in the United States in continuous play." Not much to look at, but historic.
-
3. Carousel of Inventions, Wright Bros. 1905 Airplane
Dayton, OH
Over-the-top historical theme park includes a carousel of rideable Dayton inventions, the Wright Bros. 1905 airplane, an entire building devoted to the city's 1913 flood, and much more.
-
4. Storage Tank Locomotive
New Bedford, OH
One of those double-take moments -- a novelty created by someone who had a storage tank and liked locomotives. Stop and snap.
-
5. World's Largest Crystal Ball (Gone)
Westerville, OH
A majestic orb, in the not-so-majestic office lobby of the American Ceramics Society.
-
6. Safety Follows Wisdom
Mount Perry, OH
An allegorical cement monument honors the Columbia Cement Division of Pittsburgh Plate Glass for a perfect safety record in 1931.
-
7. Giant Hug Me Jesus
Monroe, OH
52-foot-tall Hug Me Jesus replaced Touchdown Jesus, which was destroyed by lightning and fire in 2010.
-
8. Sea Monster
Fairfield, OH
Fiberglass sea monster, large enough to capsize a line of SUVs, undulates in and out of the ground at the back entrance to Jungle Jim's.
-
9. Silver Bridge Disaster Eye-Bar
Gallipolis, OH
The Silver Bridge collapsed in 1967, taking 46 lives, after structural supports like this large metal eyebar failed. The bridge collapse has been tied in with lore and historical sightings of Mothman.
-
10. Worden's Ledges
Hinckley, OH
Folk artist Noble Stuart carved 9 rock sculptures in the woods from 1944-48, including likenesses of Ty Cobb, George Washington, and Stuart's father-in-law Hiram M. Worden.
-
11. Cancer Survivors Plaza
Cleveland, OH
One of several similar surreal plaza sculptures scattered in cities across the U.S.
-
12. Pasture Carousel
Beverly, OH
In a farm pasture, on what looks like an old silo foundation, someone has arranged a circle of animals into a pseduo-carousel formation. Looks like it's been there for a while.
-
13. Sun Dial Grave of Baseball's Jesse Haines
Clayton, OH
Baseball player Jesse (Pop) Haines really liked the sun dial he received when he retired, so before he died he had it made into his tombstone topper.
-
14. 24-Hour Roadside Pet Wash
Amherst, OH
A destination for the traveler with a smelly pet. Need to take a break at 3 AM to give fido a bath? This is the place.
-
15. Cancer Survivors Plaza
Columbus, OH
Happy cancer-free bronze people emerge from a tunnel of German expressionist tilted rectangles. The whole thing is painted circus peanut orange and aqua. Unusual.
-
16. Tim Willis Mecha-Creations
Cleveland, OH
Self-taught engineer Tim Willis has filled his yard with mechanical creations, including Monster Trucks, Transformer robots that move, and a two-headed dragon. If you're lucky he'll be there when you visit.
-
17. Loose Meat Drive-Thru and Gum Wall
Greenville, OH
The Maid-Rite Drive-In is as famous for its globs-of-gum-covered drive-up window wall as it is for its loose-meat sandwiches.
-
18. Harvey Pekar Memorial
Cleveland Heights, OH
A memorial to curmudgeonly underground cartoonist Harvey Pekar stands in his favorite library -- the one closest to his home.
-
19. Noah's Ark, Dillinger's Jail Cell, Things Swallowed
Lima, OH
-
20. Cy Young Hometown Museum
Newcomerstown, OH
Cy Young, often cited as the greatest baseball pitcher of all time, died in Newcomerstown. See his shoes, his rocking chair, the last hat he wore.
-
21. Ohio's Smallest Church
Coolville, OH
This 10 by 14 ft. Healing Chapel seats eight in its four pews and is open to travelers 24 hours a day. Janice Middleton has continued to maintain it since husband Lloyd passed away in 2006.
-
22. Sinking VW Bug
Hayesville, OH
Someone took an old, bright red VW Beetle and half-buried it as if sinking into or emerging from the ground.
-
23. Mouse and Cheese Totem Pole (Gone)
Orrville, OH
Outside of a rural cheese shop, someone carved a skinny dead tree into a pile of Swiss cheese wedges topped by a big-eared mouse.
-
24. Indian Chief Gravestone
Columbus, OH
Everyone called Samuel Gabriel "Chief" when he was alive, so when he was dead they stood a granite one atop his grave.
-
25. Buzzards Come Back to Hinckley
Hinckley, OH
Every year on March 15 the buzzards return to a field outside of Hinckley, beating the more famous Swallows of Capistrano by a couple of days.
Browse all 715 attractions in Ohio on Roadtrippi.