Wayne County was founded in 1812 and is the 13th largest county in Ohio, measuring 550 square miles.
It was named after General Anthony Wayne, an American Revolutionary War hero.
Wayne County comprises four cities, including Wooster as the county seat, 12 villages, and 16 townships.
The county was recognized as a year-round destination due to its numerous learning facilities, conserved areas, entertainment, and cultural activities.
Here are the 15 best things to do in Wayne County, Ohio:
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Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve is a state park that features a 2.3-kilometer-long loop route in the village of Marshallville.
This park has a nice boardwalk path that will take you to forests and marshes, with abundant woods, wildflowers, and trees that are estimated to be over 400 years of age.
Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve offers a plethora of outdoor activities for everyone to enjoy, such as hiking, birdwatching, and peaceful walks.
Additionally, the park has amenities such as shelters and benches with plaques that help visitors identify the types of trees in the area.
Wayne Center for the Arts is a Wooster-based arts organization that aims to “enrich lives and strengthen communities through the arts.”
For nearly 40 years, this organization has been renowned as the oldest and most extensive arts organization, producing arts and offering art education to the residents of Wayne County.
This center offers a variety of programs for people of all ages, such as Visual Arts, where students learn to draw and utilize various mediums to create art pieces, as well as Creative Writing, which offers journaling, poetry, and other courses.
They also have classes for people of all ages who want to learn or work in theater, music, dance, and pottery.
Aside from programs, Wayne Center for the Arts is popular for its monthly events that everyone can join.
Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area is a 5,671-acre wildlife park located between the counties of Wayne and Holmes in Shreve.
This wildlife area is known to be the remaining and the largest marshland outside the region of Lake Erie in the state of Ohio.
This area includes several ponds where visitors can catch various fish like bullheads, northern pike, and suckers.
It also has a four-mile trail that’s only available for walking and a marshy spot where visitors can go hunting for frogs and turtles.
Killbuck Marsh Wildlife Area is known for its variety of waterfowl like herons, Canada geese, snow geese, and some species of duck.
Secrest Arboretum is a public arboretum in the city of Wooster, located inside the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center of The Ohio State University.
Edmund Secrest established this 95-acre arboretum in 1909 with the intention of providing accessible and sustainable collections of plants and trees.
The Arboretum has managed to accommodate over 2,500 varieties of herbaceous and woody plants over the years.
Visitors will appreciate the Coneflower Trial Garden, which features over 100 types of these summer-blooming perennials in white, pink, red, orange, and yellow.
They also have paved walkways that lead visitors to meadows and woodlands, where they may witness giant species of frogs, tortoises, and other animals.
Secrest Arboretum is open all the time and welcomes visitors of all ages.
Orr Park is one of the few beautiful attractions in the small city of Orrville.
This park has 40 acres of land, which is large enough for visitors to enjoy their favorite recreational activities.
The park features various amenities for sports, like baseball fields, softball fields, batting cages, tennis courts, and basketball courts.
It also has an outdoor swimming pool, picnic facilities, rental halls, and a pavilion best used for art performances and other special occasions.
Orr Park has undergone renovations to make it more pleasing to the public.
If you’re looking for a place to buy products you can take home, you might want to visit Walnut Street Gallery.
It’s a shop in downtown Wooster that offers full service in creating gorgeous picture frames.
Along with photo frames, this shop sells other handmade items like utensils, wooden bowls, jewelry, pottery, metal art, and some memorabilia related to Wooster.
Walnut Street Gallery was established in 2002.
Bauman Orchards, Inc. is a 260-acre orchard established in 1929 that has three locations, including the city of Rittman.
This orchard includes approximately 100,000 apple trees and 25 varieties of apples, as well as 15,000 peach trees and 15 types of peaches.
Aside from apples and peaches, this orchard has been recognized for providing fresh products such as plums and sweet corn.
The orchard is now also able to produce strawberries, blackberries, and pears.
Bauman Orchards, Inc.’s market is always open and offers delicious homemade pies and cookies, as well as gift baskets.
Brown’s Lake Bog Preserve which covers 100 acres, is a well-known nature preserve in the village of Shreve.
It is owned by The Nature Conservancy and was named in 1967 as a National Natural Landmark.
It is also considered one of the few remaining kettle peat bogs in Ohio, with a seven-acre kettle lake, moss mat, and kame.
Visitors can see various rare plants here like bog buckbean, rose pogonia orchid, marsh five fingers, and more.
Brown’s Lake Bog Preserve is the perfect choice for birding, hiking, photography, and observing amphibians and reptiles, like the four-toed salamander.
Journey In Time is an antique boutique in Orrville that will transport you back in time.
With the theme of “reclaiming the past to repurpose the present,” this store offers a variety of unique goods.
The shop, which was founded in 2014, features two large floors filled with antique items, including farmhouse decor, furniture, seasonal gifts, and more.
With all the vintage artifacts available for viewing and purchase, this location provides a museum-like atmosphere.
Every item here is also reasonably priced, which is one of the reasons why Journey In Time is one of the best places to visit in the city.
Vulture’s Knob Mountain Bike Park is a 125-acre privately owned and well-maintained mountain bike course in Wooster that is open to the public.
This bike park is situated along the scenic river of Killbuck and provides visitors with a long manmade trail with various challenging singletrack.
Some of these trails are Fern Gully, The Cradle, Ant City, and the Rock Tunnel, all of which provide the best mountain biking experience.
Vulture’s Knob also offers other outdoor activities such as trail running and camping.
Heartland Trail Trailhead is a developing hiking area, a rail-trail project that visitors can try in the village of Marshallville.
This trail is 3.4 miles in length and has endpoints from W. Market Street to N. Ella Street, Hostetler Road, and Forrer Road to Marshallville.
It features an asphalt surface flat path, and visitors come here to try various activities like biking, inline skating, or simply walking.
The trail is also noteworthy for having vast woodlands and fields, which are usually used for horseback riding and running.
Heartland Trail is always open from dawn to dusk and is ideal for anyone, including dogs, even if they are off-leash.
Alice Noble Ice Arena is a 900-seat ice arena in Wooster featuring an NHL-sized ice sheet that is 200 by 85 feet.
Donald and Alice Noble Foundation donated this arena for the people of Wooster to help them learn ice skating.
With the help of The Bogner Construction Company, the indoor facility was made possible in the fall of 2002.
This facility contains a variety of ice-related attractions, an arcade area, a party room, and a spectator room.
Alice Noble Ice Arena is also ideal for family occasions as it offers various winter activities besides ice skating.
Visitors, particularly adults, will be able to learn to play hockey and participate in a league, as well as figure skating, which is available to all ages.
Rittman Orchards is in the village of Doylestown, about midway between Akron and Wooster and around 10 minutes south of Wadsworth.
It offers various types of apples like Braeburn, crimson crisp, empire, fuji, gala, goldrush, granny smith, Shizuka, and more.
Also available here are numerous vegetables like broccoli, cucumbers, green bell peppers, kale, sprouts, zucchini, and more that can be harvested every season.
Aside from these, Rittman Orchards offers freshly baked pies, cream pies, cookies, and cake rolls.
Jump n Shout is an amusement center in the village of Smithville where your kids can jump, play, and party.
This center was established by Neil and Natasha Wood in 2016 with the intention of creating a place where kids can have fun.
It was made possible after its founders discovered that there weren’t enough areas for kids to play within the community.
Inside this center are two floors; the first floor is for kids who want to try activities like ride-on cars, puzzles, and inflatable slides.
On the other hand, the second floor is for older kids and offers activities like basketball arcade games, football, air hockey, and a double slide inflatable.
If you want to give your kids an unforgettable experience, there’s no better place than Jump n Shout!
Putt-N-Stuff is an entertainment center in Orrville that has been a popular family attraction since 1990.
This center is family-owned and operated by the Carpenter family named Dana, Don, and Dave.
This center has various attractions like mini-golf, rock wall climbing, laser tag, batting cages, and go-karts.
Aside from these, children can also try indoor playgrounds, gem mining, bumper boats, and arcade games.
With its amazing entertainment at reasonable prices, people of all ages, especially families, will have a wonderful time at Putt-N-Stuff.
In Wayne County, you will come across a lot of parks, preserves, and farms, allowing you to relax and appreciate the beauty of nature.
It is home to various attractions where you can learn about history and have fun with the whole family.
Try these best things to do in Wayne County, Ohio, on your next visit to make your trip even more memorable!
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