11 Most Unusual Roadside Attractions in Ohio That’ll Make You Stop & Stare

Ohio’s Roadside Gems

Between Cleveland and Cincinnati, past all those highway exits you usually blow by, some weird stuff is waiting to be found. We’re talking a three-story basket building, the world’s largest rubber stamp, and a field of giant concrete corn.

Here are 11 roadside spots that’ll make you do a double-take and maybe even hit the brakes.

This Basket Building

Address: 1500 East Main Street, Newark, OH 43055

When you drive through Newark, you can’t miss the seven-story basket building that stands out from everything around it. This architectural wonder weighs 9,000 tons and has 150-ton handles that need heating in winter so ice doesn’t form on them.

NBBJ designed this 180,000-square-foot structure, which was finished in 1997 using cherry wood from the Longaberger Golf Club. The company moved out in 2016 because of money problems, but developer Steve Coon bought it in 2017.

You might get lucky with an occasional public tour, and there’s talk about turning it into a fancy hotel someday.

These Rows of Concrete Corn

Address: 4995 Rings Road, Dublin, OH 43017

Take a walk among 109 life-sized concrete corn ears standing in neat rows at Dublin’s famous ‘Cornhenge.’ Sculptor Malcolm Cochran created these six-foot-tall pieces in 1994 to honor Sam Frantz, who developed important hybrid corn varieties on this very land.

Each corn ear is different, made from three separate molds and weighing hundreds of pounds. Look for the information signs by the Osage orange trees that explain how farmers once used these trees as natural bug spray.

The way the corn is arranged in straight lines is meant to remind you of military cemeteries, symbolizing how farming has been lost to city growth.

This Flying Saucer House

Address: 9961 Central Avenue, Carlisle, OH 45005

You might think you’ve spotted a UFO when you see the strange round building at Highway 123 and Chamberlain Road in Carlisle. This space-age house is one of fewer than 100 ever made worldwide. Finnish architect Matti Suuronen designed these prefab homes in the late 1960s.

The oval fiberglass structure measures 26 feet across, and what makes the Carlisle one special is that it actually has two units connected together, giving it the nickname ‘The Mating Flying Saucers House.’

These little pods were originally vacation homes that could warm up in just 30 minutes thanks to smart insulation. Inside, they had custom curved furniture to make the most of the round space.

This Giant Rubber Stamp

Address: Willard Park, East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114

Artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen created this huge aluminum and steel artwork that weighs several tons.

It was first meant for the Standard Oil headquarters but has become a Cleveland landmark since it was installed in 1991. The word ‘FREE’ has meaning beyond just being eye-catching, as it connects to the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument nearby that celebrates freedom.

The designers had to use special engineering to make sure it could handle Cleveland’s tough winters and strong winds coming off Lake Erie.

This Giant Rocking Chair

Address: 1751 State Route 45, Austinburg, OH 44010

As you drive along State Route 45 in Austinburg, you’ll spot a wooden rocking chair so big it would make anyone feel tiny. Standing 21 feet tall and 19 feet wide, this enormous chair has been catching eyes since the 1960s.

It sits outside the Country Cousins furniture store and was built using old-fashioned woodworking methods but super-sized. While it looks like it could rock, it’s actually too heavy to move. People say the owner built it after losing a bet about making ‘the world’s biggest chair,’ though no one knows for sure if that’s true.

Thanks to regular care and special wood treatments, it has stayed in great shape despite years of Ohio weather.

This Tiny Stone Village

Address: 1905 Russell Avenue, Springfield, OH 45506

Take a step back in time in Springfield where you’ll find an amazing backyard filled with tiny buildings and scenes all made from stones and concrete. Harry ‘Ben’ Hartman created this special place between 1932-1939 when many people were out of work during the Great Depression.

You can walk among more than 50 detailed structures including miniature buildings, historical scenes, and religious displays made from thousands of small stones. Hartman added colorful glass and things he found to make his garden even more interesting.

After years of wear and tear, the Kohler Foundation restored the garden in 2010, carefully keeping Hartman’s original artistic vision intact.

The Last Piece of a 22-Story Tall Machine

Address: 4814 State Route 78, McConnelsville, OH 43756

That massive 220-ton steel bucket once belonged to Big Muskie, the largest earth-moving machine ever built. This bucket is so huge it could hold two Greyhound buses side by side.

Big Muskie stood 22 stories tall before being taken apart in 1999. With steel plates 3.5 inches thick, it could scoop up 325 tons of earth at once.

The bucket is all that remains of a giant that moved more than 608 million cubic yards of earth during its working life from 1969 to 1991, helping to dig out Ohio’s valuable coal.

This Giant Horseshoe Crab

Address: 10211 State Route 124, Hillsboro, OH 45133

In Hillsboro, there’s a giant horseshoe crab measuring 67 feet long and 28 feet wide. This 6-ton fiberglass creature, nicknamed ‘Crabbie,’ was originally built as an educational exhibit for Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Step inside and you’ll see it was designed as a teaching space with room for 40 people.

This 100-Year Old Mini Golf Course

Address: 5456 Lake Road, Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH 44041

Play a round at Allison’s Mini-Golf in Geneva-on-the-Lake, which has been open since 1924, making it America’s oldest continuously running miniature golf course.

You’ll putt through 18 vintage holes with obstacles that haven’t changed in almost 100 years, including the original lighthouse hole and castle features. They still use the same red rubber balls and wooden putters from when they first opened.

This Stone Castle

Address: 12025 Shore Drive, Loveland, OH 45140

Visit Loveland to see a stone castle built by one determined man, Harry Andrews, who worked on it for more than 50 years.

Starting in 1929, he used concrete blocks and stones from the nearby Little Miami River to create this authentic medieval fortress complete with battlements, a dry moat, and rooms furnished with period pieces.

Andrews also started the Knights of the Golden Trail, a youth group that still takes care of the castle today. As you explore, you’ll find hidden passages and secret rooms that Andrews included for his ‘boy knights’ to discover. He lived in his castle until he died in 1981 when he was 91 years old.

This Giant Steel Gavel Sitting in a Reflecting Pool

Address: 65 S Front St, Columbus, OH 43215

That’s a massive stainless steel gavel that’s 30 feet long and 12 feet high, sitting in a reflecting pool between court buildings. Installed in 2008, this shiny sculpture represents the authority of the courts while creating beautiful reflections as the light changes throughout the day.

This impressive 9-ton artwork needed special engineering to support its design, which makes it look like it’s floating above the water. At night, strategic lighting creates dramatic shadows across the plaza, making it look even more impressive.