Newark is a small town in Licking County, Ohio, 40 miles east of Columbus, right on the Licking River. In 1802, its first residents built log cabins, and over a few generations, the town grew into a small community with local businesses. Newark has a lot of interesting sites to explore, and they’re all unique. As the home of the largest basket in the world and the biggest geometric earthwork complex in the state, a visit to Newark could never be dull.

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For History Lovers

Earthworks

Between 100 B.C. and 500 A.D., the Hopewell Native Americans constructed this network of hills and enclosed roadways that spreads across over four square miles. As Newark has grown, a lot of the site has been destroyed, but the Great Circle, the Eagle Mound, the Octagon Earthworks, and the Wright Earthworks still remain today and continue to amaze archeologists with their history.

For Nature Lovers

Dawes Arboretum

This park has tons of beautiful landscapes. The Garden Gateway is a common favorite because of its beauty. It includes several gardens, including a Japanese garden that’s artistically designed with rocks, gravel, a pond, flowing water, trees, shrubs, and a stone path over a reflecting pool. In the Woodlands, you can hike along a trail of native plants such as buttonbush, foamflower, wild geranium, large-flower trillium, and Jack-In-The-Pulpit. And, on the Arboretum’s annual Maple Sugar Days, maple trees line the trail and provide sap that’s made into maple syrup. The Red Barn Area includes meadows, a pond, a boardwalk, wetland, wooded areas, and a rustic barn. It provides a learning experience about a variety of natural landscapes, and it has a picnic area where you can stop for lunch. And there’s much more. It’s a great place to go for a scenic walk or take photos.

Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve

The Licking River flows through the 4-mile long Black Hand sandstone formation, and a bike trail runs alongside it. The Nature Preserve has wildlife for hunting, trapping, and shooting sports, as well as for fishing and wildlife watching. You can also take boats or kayaks out on the river, or even hike through nature trails.

For Art Lovers

Midland Theater

Since 1928, the Midland theater has been entertaining the people of Newark with all kinds of performances. The Midland theater was the first to show a movie with sound in Newark a week after it first opened. Now, they continue to entertain their audiences with musicians of various genres and all kinds of theater performances. Their schedule for the next few weeks includes music by Grand Funk Railroad, Olivia Newton-John, and other artists, as well as shows such as The Nutcracker and Rhythmic Circus, which is a holiday-themed mix of music and dance performances.

Museums

The Works

This museum features local history, glassblowing, and interactive science labs that are great for kids. In the TinkerTech section, kids of all ages can experiment with coding, a light-sensing robot, or even design something for a 3D printer. Kids can build their own race cars to learn about motion and engineering. They can learn about electricity and magnetism by designing their own circuit boards. If you book a one-on-one appointment with a glass artist, and they create their own glass pieces. And much more!

This museum features local history, glassblowing, and interactive science labs that are great for kids. In the TinkerTech section, kids of all ages can experiment with coding, a light-sensing robot, or even design something for a 3D printer. Kids can build their own race cars to learn about motion and engineering. They can learn about electricity and magnetism by designing their own circuit boards. If you book a one-on-one appointment with a glass artist, and they create their own glass pieces. And much more!

The National Heisey Glass Museum

This museum has a collection of over 6,000 glass pieces that date back as far as 1896. The glassware was originally produced by renowned A.H. Heisey & Co. You can learn about the history of A.H. Heisey & Co. and peruse beautiful, antique glass pieces.This museum has a collection of over 6,000 glass pieces that date back as far as 1896. The glassware was originally produced by renowned A.H. Heisey & Co. You can learn about the history of A.H. Heisey & Co. and peruse beautiful, antique glass pieces.

Newark might be small, but it has a variety of unique sites to explore. The town has something for everyone. From history-lovers to art-lovers, to nature-lovers, nerds of all kinds can find their place here and enjoy their visit.