We had an awesome family day in West Liberty, Ohio. Hubby took a day off during my kids’ spring break and we decided to get out of Columbus for a bit. Ohio Caverns had been on my list for quite some time, and with the sun finally shining in Central Ohio I figured, why not go deep beneath the earth where it is dark and damp?! Really, it was amazing. Plus, while we were out that way, we stumbled upon some hidden gems…such as castles, a delicious chocolate store, and a “down home” restaurant complete with homemade pickled beets (I am a huge fan of homemade pickled beets if you are sharing!). And, in case you didn’t know, my undergrad is in history, so I was excited to see markers with information about the Shawnee that settled in that area years ago. This was a great day trip that wasn’t too far from Columbus.
Our drive was only about an hour and full of farmland scenery. I almost hit a chicken driving out…eek! We arrived at Ohio Caverns just in time for their 11:00 
a.m. tour, which took us over 100 feet below the earth’s surface and lasted an hour. Ohio Caverns is one of Ohio’s top tourist attractions and offers two miles of surveyed passageways and tons of beautiful crystal and rock formations. My daughter was very interested in learning about stalagmites and stalactites, and the tour guide explained that the formation of iron-oxide and calcium crystals were quite rare. My son just wanted to see bats and got a little bored near the end…he’s five.
The caverns were lit and the tour guide kept visitors on a designated path. He reminded us it was very important to NOT touch anything. Oils from our hands could halt the growth of the crystal formations for a minimum of 50 years. We are talking about formations that have taken hundreds to thousands of years to form – so I was watching my kids closely! We got to see two bats (they were tiny and sleeping) and amazing underground “artwork.” I will state, this is not a cheap tour so do your homework and see if you can find a coupon to go. The tour cost our family of four $48, but totally worth it. If it was warmer we could have hiked for a bit, had a picnic lunch, and mined for gems!
After the tour it was lunchtime, and we asked the locals for lunch suggestions. They recommended a “down home” restaurant in the little town of West Liberty called “Liberty Gathering Place.” On our way into town we passed the Piatt Castles. They were closed for the season, but I made hubby stop for pictures and added visiting them to our summer bucket list. The Piatt Castles offers tours to two mansions which opened to the public in 1912. More information here: Discover Ohio.
We had a fine little lunch that was pretty inexpensive and went off to check out Maries Candies. Maries candy shop is a restored train depot and has been making chocolates since 1956. It was a hopping place with Easter around the corner! We got out of there with two chocolate suckers and a couple items for my children’s Easter baskets.
Great day trip with lots of history, good food, and plans for a return visit!
Get out of dodge for a day – you’ll be back in time for supper:
Ohio Caverns
2210 East State Route 245
West Liberty, Ohio 43357
937-465-4017
Piatt Castles
10051 Township Road 47
West Liberty, OH 43357
937-465-2821
Liberty Gathering Place
111 N Detroit St
West Liberty, OH 43357
937- 465-3081
Maries Candies
311 Zanesfield Road (also St. Rt. 68) (go straight about 1/2 mile up from Liberty Gathering Place and it is on the right)
West Liberty, OH 43357
937-465-3061
