Image courtesy of TripAdvisor. 

Almost every state has its interesting attractions. People from all over the country and from outside of it will travel far distances to see some of these attractions up close. Most of the time, people visit the places that are most popular and most frequented. They become tourist hot spots and it is clear why, but not every attraction is as regular as these destinations. Some are awkward, some are fascinating, and some are just plain weird. Ohio has many unique attractions that fit this description that aren’t widely known. 

If you’re looking for a unique adventure where you get to see places you would not normally consider, this list will be a great guide for you! We have put together a guide of Ohio’s coolest and strangest spots to visit. Make your trip a unique and memorable one by visiting some of these awesome places!

Crystal Cave

Make your way through a giant crystal. 

Put-In-Bay, Ohio

Crystal Cave is an amazing sight to see. It is not actually a cave, but the inside of a single rock crystal. It is the world’s largest geode, and you can find it right in Ohio. You can take a tour through the Crystal Cave seven days out of the week. Walking through a cave studded with large crystals is not an experience you’re soon to forget. 

Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick 

This home of occult paraphernalia will fascinate you. 

Cleveland, Ohio

The Buckland Museum of Witchcraft and Magick is a museum founded by the leader of the Long Island Coven. It is a Wiccan group that practices witchcraft together. The founder collected hundreds of pieces, which include occult paraphernalia, witchcraft objects, and oddities. Many of the objects were originally owned by the founder of “Gardnerian” Wicca. You’ll also see several other fascinating items. They showcase items from the Salem Witch Trials, Egyptian funeral figurines, and artifacts owned by magicians and pagan community elders. There is no shortage of interesting things to discover in this museum. 

The Great Serpent Mound

Walk around a grass mound that’s shaped like a giant snake. 

Peebles, Ohio

The Great Serpent Mound is the largest earthwork effigy in the world. It is 1,330 feet long and three feet high. It’s one of the very few surviving remains of the Adena people, an indigenous group that thrived from 1,000 BCE to 200 BCE. It is a long stretch of land that looks like a large grass covered snake. The earliest records related to this mound say it represents a snake that is swallowing the moon. There have been other theories of what the snake represents throughout the years. You can judge for yourself when you take a close look of the mound yourself. 

Toy and Plastic Brick Museum 

These Lego sculptures will amaze you. 

Bellaire, Ohio

The Toy and Plastic Brick Museum is an unofficial Lego museum. Their sculptures are made up mostly of Legos and other plastic building toys. Many of them are larger than the average person. It would be an amazing experience to get to see these tall masterpieces in person. Some of the figurines you will come across are replicas of popular characters. For instance, you’ll find Lego Darth Vader and Lego Hagrid from the Harry Potter Universe.  

Jungle Jim’s International Food Market

This grocery store is an adventure.  

Fairfield, Ohio

Jungle Jim’s International Food Market is a super-sized grocery store that is an adventure to walk through. This store is nearly 300,000 square feet and sells items from several international countries. This market is so big, they give you a much needed map at the entrance! 

It is a draw for foodies everywhere who want to try some of the unique food items this market offers. They have hundreds of thousands of products, all of which come from a total of 70 countries. The atmosphere is full of fun and animal replicas, and they hold fun events throughout the year! 

Merry-Go-Round Museum 

This museum will give you a unique experience. 

Sandusky, Ohio

This museum will show you all kinds of merry-go-rounds. There are carvers on-site that will tell you the stories of the wood carvings and how they go about making them. You’ll see many old animal carvings used for past merry-go-rounds. You’ll get to learn about history and in the end can even get on an indoor merry-go-round! This place opened up in 1990 and has been a popular destination ever since. 

This museum actively restores antique carousel figures and other related items. They are also willing to help other private collectors restore their damaged art pieces. They make sure to use the same methods to restore the items that were originally used to create them. 

New Richmond Alpaca Farm

These unique animals can’t be found everywhere. 

The New Richmond Alpaca Farm is a family owned farm that has been around for 175 years. A few decades after it was founded, the farm purchased their first alpaca and made them the farm’s focus. They offer private tours that can be taken with up to five people. You’ll get to see the alpacas up close, feed them, and take selfies with them! 

National Museum of the Great Lakes

This museum is sure to give you a unique experience. 

Toledo, Ohio

The National Museum of the Great Lakes shows off the interesting history of our Great Lakes. You’ll get to learn a lot about these lakes, which make up about 84% of the freshwater in North America. Your tour guide will also show off some of the boats once used to traverse these lakes. You’ll get to see canoes, schooners, and steamers, some of the oldest boat models. You also get to see the types of items and pieces of equipment that were kept inside of these boats. 

This museum is open every day except on Tuesdays and on certain holidays. There is an option for a virtual tour on the website, but it is likely to make you wish that you were there in person! The Great Lakes will be an enjoyable sight, but you’ll also get to see the Maumee river when you visit this museum. 

Judy’s Jungle

Discover a parking lot filled with all kinds of jungle animal replicas. 

Mentor, Ohio

Judy’s Jungle is a makeshift jungle in the Cleveland suburbs. It is a parking lot with a garden that is filled with fiberglass versions of animals you would find in a jungle. Judy’s Jungle has been in this parking lot for 50 years and was established to solve a problem. Vehicles could not tell where the parking lot ended and the deep snow began in the wintertime, so the owners planted a garden. It wasn’t quite enough, so they introduced these life size fiberglass animals. It is a fun sight to see. 

Nelsonville Brick Park

Explore a park filled with beautifully made brick structures. 

Nelsonville, Ohio

Nelsonville Brick Park pays homage to this Ohio area’s history of brick making. It was created in 1980 to help preserve the remnants of two brick kilns. These kilns are where brick manufacturing used to take place back in the day. There used to be many of these structures throughout the area, but you can now only find two. This will be a really interesting park to walk through. 

Ohio River Museum

Explore the inside of a 1918 Paddlewheel Steamboat. 

Marietta, Ohio

The Ohio River museum offers many great sights, and their Paddlewheel Steamboat is their greatest attraction. It's a steam powered towboat that sits on the bank of the Muskingum River. It is one of the last remaining boats of its kind left in the country. Visitors get a chance to tour through the entire vessel, from the bow to the stern. It is sure to be a one of a kind experience. 

Dickens Victorian Village 

See hundreds of life size 19th century characters take over an Ohio town. 

Cambridge, Ohio

Dickens Victorian Village is built for a creative celebration of the holiday season. The life size characters are inspired by the works of Charles Dickens. Every year, from November until New Years, you will find these figurines all throughout main street in this town. Seeing live images of these figurines celebrating the holidays is sure to get you in the spirit! The further down the street you go, the more figures there are to see. 

World’s Largest Loaf of Bread

This is the largest loaf of bread you will ever see. 

Urbana, Ohio

This giant loaf of bread is located right in Urbana! It has been in the same spot for years, and after a revamp in 2016, is looking better than ever. This large bread replica sits outside of The American Pan Factory. It is made out of fiberglass and steel. The origin of this loaf is completely unknown. Its age is also a mystery. 

This giant loaf of bread is not the easiest to find despite its size. It sits in a tree-filled area that isn’t very close to the main shops. But if you do find this loaf, you’ll likely want to take plenty of pictures!

World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock

This cuckoo clock is far from average size. 

The World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1977. It sits right in the center of Swiss Village inside of Sugar Creek. It stands over 23 feet tall and is over 24 feet wide. A cuckoo bird pops out every half hour and plays Swiss polka music. A band and a dancing couple also emerge from the clock once the cuckoo bird does.

World’s Largest Rubber Stamp

You won’t see a stamp this large anywhere else. 

Cleveland, Ohio

The World’s Largest Rubber Stamp was built as a nod to the Civil War. The stamp contains the word “free” on its bottom. It is 59 feet tall and originally stood in front of an otherwise plain office building. It now stands tall in Cleveland’s Willard Park. It is a beloved local attraction that makes for a great photo companion!

World’s Largest Basket

This basket is the largest one you will get to see in person.

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Newark, Ohio

The World’s Largest Basket was originally built as the headquarters for the Longaberger basket company. It is a much larger replica of a medium basket produced by the company. It is 29 feet tall and can be spotted from a distance. It is empty from now and no longer being used as office space. For now, you can always make a visit and admire the basket building from a close distance. In the future, you will be able to stay inside of this cool building once it is turned into a hotel!

American Sign Museum

This museum is filled with fun signs you would not expect to find in the same place. 

Cincinnati, Ohio

The American Sign Museum is devoted to showcasing the art and history of sign making. It is the largest museum dedicated to signs in the country. This museum takes up over 20,000 square feet and covers over 100 years of American sign history. You get to learn a lot about our country’s history with signs while getting to see so many cool ones that were made throughout the past hundred years. 

Amish Country Byway 

The Amish Country Byway is 160 miles of road that takes you on the most scenic route through Ohio’s Amish Country. On the route, you will drive past different homes and small resorts. You can stop in one of the Amish restaurants along the road or even pick up fresh produce like meats and cheeses from one of the roadside stands. You’ll get to experience a quiet country lifestyle among people who live the simple life. 

Findlay Ghost Town

Explore a place that appears to be a real abandoned town. 

Findlay, Ohio

Findlay’s Ghost Town is a replica of an 1880s ghost town. It looks very real and can give you the chills just as much as a real ghost town. It opened in 1950 and has since been used for a number of things. When you go during the fall, you’ll find a haunted attraction. Walking through will be an exciting and creepy experience. But if you go in the springtime, you’ll find a flea market!

German Culture Museum

Experience what living in a 19th century German home might have felt like.

Walnut Creek, Ohio

The German Culture Museum will show you how Germans and those influenced by their culture used to live in the past. It has a collection of Amish, Swiss, and German memorabilia that they put on display. Life in the 19th and 20th centuries is brought to life in this museum that shows off old German home replicas. If you visit, you’ll get to see kitchen and bedroom displays, school rooms, churches, barns, and vehicles. They even house old tools, glassware, and newspapers. 

Cornhenge

Walk through a field of giant corn. 

Dublin, Ohio

Cornhenge is a field of giant corn that was created to pay homage to the inventor of several different hybrid corn species. This field of corn contains 109 six feet tall ears of concrete corn. They appear as if they are coming straight from the ground. It even sits on what used to be an actual corn field. This field is so iconic in this neighborhood that people have all kinds of events there, including weddings. If you’d like to visit a place with incredible corn art throughout, Cornhenge awaits you!

Mike’s Place

Have a crazy fun dining experience you won’t get elsewhere.

Kent, Ohio

Mike’s Place is a unique restaurant that makes dining out a fun experience. The décor is completely different from any other restaurant you will come across. You’ll find colorful buses, small planes, and many signs used as decoration. It is a colorful mix of decorative objects and rooms that make for a fun and creative ambiance. Simply being inside of this awesome place is likely to brighten your day. Their food is also all homemade and labelled with funny names on the menu. They specialize in serving delicious breakfast meals. This is a great place to stop by with family and friends!

Things Swallowed Exhibit

Find out about interesting things people have swallowed over the years. 

Lima, Ohio

Sometimes people swallow things they shouldn’t and end up in the E.R. so that a doctor can remove it. You may be amazed at what some of these objects happen to be. At the Allen County Museum you’ll find the Things Swallowed Exhibit, which showcases items that a doctor removed from his patient’s bodies. The items displayed were removed from patients bodies for over 20 years and are labelled with the name and age of the patient. 

Great Wolf Lodge

At this place, you can enjoy a water park during any season!

Sandusky, Ohio

What’s unusual about the Great Wolf Lodge? It is a large indoor water park that you can go to all year round! There are plenty of fun activities for adults and kids to involve themselves with. There are pools, hot tubs, and plenty of water slides. You can relax on your way through the lazy river and even play interactive games. They even offer great dining options right on site. 

This place is kept at 83 degrees all year round so that it always feels like summer. You can have a great time splashing around there even during the winter!

Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum

This is where you get to see lots of awesome motorcycles. 

Pickerington, Ohio

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame welcomes visitors daily. It features two exciting floors for visitors to enjoy. The first floor exhibits motorcycles while the second floor honors cyclists who found their way into the motorcycle hall of fame. They host individuals and groups.   

The AMA chooses the people who get honored and holds induction ceremonies to honor them. You can send in recommendations if you know of anyone who should be honored. They are also welcoming to motorcycle groups who want to start rides to and from the Hall of Fame.

Ohio is a state that can be underrated when it comes to unique activities to do, but there are lots of fun and offbeat things that you can do when you’re there. The state possesses many great venues that provide for wonderful and interesting experiences. Offbeat places and attractions are not at all lacking in this small state. You should make sure not to miss out on all the creative activities Ohio has to offer!