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Ohio Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places
Experience the hidden delights of Ohio, from the living history of Hale Farm and Village to a 12th-century Norman castle.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 30, 2017
Fun arm chair tour of Ohio!
August 14, 2016
George Zimmermann, Ohio Off the Beaten Path (East Woods Press, 1985)
Picking up a quarter-century-old travel guide is not a good idea if you're actually going to be doing any of the travelling therein. (I have gathered from checking the Internet that more up-to-date versions of this book exist, so if you end up wanting to check it out, find one printed during a time when the restaurants Zimmerman is classing as “high-end” were charging more than ten bucks for an entree.) But for the armchair sightseer they can be a lot of fun, and for my money you can't get any better than the sorts of Roadside America books that get you away from the usual tourist destinations and into the hinterlands. Enter George Zimmerman (no, not that George Zimmerman, at least not that I am aware of), whose Ohio Off the Beaten Path does exactly that.
The book is subdivided into sections (Northeast, Southeast, etc.), and the sub-subdivided by county. Most counties in Ohio came up with at least one out-of-the-ordinary point of interest for Zimmerman to cover. (Amusing side note: the one trip we took last year, for our tenth anniversary, we stayed at a B&B a few miles up the road from anywhere we wanted to be to kind of get away from it all. It was in Morrow County, which is one of the very few counties in Ohio that does not have an entry here. Nor, based on my experience, many paved roads.) Zimmerman's style in reporting is a little on the laconic side, not completely just-the-facts-ma'am but with a more reserved type of enthusiasm than I am used to in books like this, and that's just fine with me. Maybe it's a matter of perception, but it feels more believable when your author sounds more like a journalist and less like a cheerleader, you know?
But like I said, this is not a book (certainly not in its 1985 edition) you necessarily want to read if you're planning on going to these places, though given their general historical value I would assume most of them still exist. It's a book for those who don't have the gas money but still love just knowing that things like this are out there at all. Given that, its value is somewhat limited (though were I reviewing a more recent edition, this book might get an entirely different rating; such is the peril of publishing a book that basically has an expiration date), but that doesn't make it any less fun. ** ½
Picking up a quarter-century-old travel guide is not a good idea if you're actually going to be doing any of the travelling therein. (I have gathered from checking the Internet that more up-to-date versions of this book exist, so if you end up wanting to check it out, find one printed during a time when the restaurants Zimmerman is classing as “high-end” were charging more than ten bucks for an entree.) But for the armchair sightseer they can be a lot of fun, and for my money you can't get any better than the sorts of Roadside America books that get you away from the usual tourist destinations and into the hinterlands. Enter George Zimmerman (no, not that George Zimmerman, at least not that I am aware of), whose Ohio Off the Beaten Path does exactly that.
The book is subdivided into sections (Northeast, Southeast, etc.), and the sub-subdivided by county. Most counties in Ohio came up with at least one out-of-the-ordinary point of interest for Zimmerman to cover. (Amusing side note: the one trip we took last year, for our tenth anniversary, we stayed at a B&B a few miles up the road from anywhere we wanted to be to kind of get away from it all. It was in Morrow County, which is one of the very few counties in Ohio that does not have an entry here. Nor, based on my experience, many paved roads.) Zimmerman's style in reporting is a little on the laconic side, not completely just-the-facts-ma'am but with a more reserved type of enthusiasm than I am used to in books like this, and that's just fine with me. Maybe it's a matter of perception, but it feels more believable when your author sounds more like a journalist and less like a cheerleader, you know?
But like I said, this is not a book (certainly not in its 1985 edition) you necessarily want to read if you're planning on going to these places, though given their general historical value I would assume most of them still exist. It's a book for those who don't have the gas money but still love just knowing that things like this are out there at all. Given that, its value is somewhat limited (though were I reviewing a more recent edition, this book might get an entirely different rating; such is the peril of publishing a book that basically has an expiration date), but that doesn't make it any less fun. ** ½
May 5, 2014
Very interesting! A brief look at many unique places around the state.
Some interesting sidebars are provided in how we got our state flower(s), etc.
A brief description (often including a history) is provided for each place. At the end of the description is contact info. including a website (when available).
Midway through each section (the book is divided into the 6 geographical areas of the state, e.g. Northeast, Southeast, etc.), there is a list of "Top Annual Events" along with contact information (but no description). Some of these interesting events include:
Cows & Curds -- Zoar; June; www.ohiohistory.org/places/zoar
Buckeye Book Fair -- Wooster; November; www.buckeyebookfair.com
Vinton County Wild Turkey Festival -- McArthur; May; www.vintoncountytravel.com/TurkeyFest...
Moonshine Festival -- New Straitsville; May
Feast of the Flowering Moon -- Chillicothe; May; www.feastofthefloweringmoon.com
Circleville Pumpkin Show -- Circleville; October; www.pumpkinshow.com
Sauerkraut Festival -- Waynesville; October; www.sauerkrautfestival.com
Peony Festival -- Van Wert; June; http://vanwert.com/peony
Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival -- Bucyrus; August; www.bratfest.org
Historic Port Clinton Walleye Fest -- Port Clinton; May; www.walleyefestival.com
Oak Ridge Festival -- Attica; July and October; www.oakridgefestival.com
Some interesting sidebars are provided in how we got our state flower(s), etc.
A brief description (often including a history) is provided for each place. At the end of the description is contact info. including a website (when available).
Midway through each section (the book is divided into the 6 geographical areas of the state, e.g. Northeast, Southeast, etc.), there is a list of "Top Annual Events" along with contact information (but no description). Some of these interesting events include:
Cows & Curds -- Zoar; June; www.ohiohistory.org/places/zoar
Buckeye Book Fair -- Wooster; November; www.buckeyebookfair.com
Vinton County Wild Turkey Festival -- McArthur; May; www.vintoncountytravel.com/TurkeyFest...
Moonshine Festival -- New Straitsville; May
Feast of the Flowering Moon -- Chillicothe; May; www.feastofthefloweringmoon.com
Circleville Pumpkin Show -- Circleville; October; www.pumpkinshow.com
Sauerkraut Festival -- Waynesville; October; www.sauerkrautfestival.com
Peony Festival -- Van Wert; June; http://vanwert.com/peony
Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival -- Bucyrus; August; www.bratfest.org
Historic Port Clinton Walleye Fest -- Port Clinton; May; www.walleyefestival.com
Oak Ridge Festival -- Attica; July and October; www.oakridgefestival.com
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February 12, 2014I am going to purchase the latest edition of this book to give me something to do when I retire!!
March 1, 2015
I'm going to take this book with me as I visit the places mentioned and mark them off as I go. It looks like some cool places to visit that I haven't heard of before.
August 1, 2016
Lots of great ideas on places to visit within Ohio. I'm thinking this will be a good one to buy and use for future reference.
April 1, 2014
Good travel guide
I would have preferred for each attraction to have a definition between each.
I would have preferred for each attraction to have a definition between each.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews