Findlay, Ohio, is a cultural and foodie hub in northwest Ohio. It’s a surprisingly massive metropolis in an in any other case rural space of the state, a metropolis constructed on railroads and oil manufacturing. It’s an amazing weekend getaway vacation spot with an expensive downtown lodge, regional museums and efficiency venues, and savory meals at native eating places.
I visited Findlay throughout an epic highway journey by Ohio alongside the I-75 hall between Toledo and Cincinnati. After visiting the close by small cities of Perrysburg and Bowling Inexperienced, I used to be stunned by the “huge metropolis” after I turned onto Foremost Avenue. However my time in Findlay was restricted – I used to be heading into the Nationwide Aviation Heritage Space and excited to go to Neil Armstrong’s hometown.
Findlay is about 40 miles from Toledo and fewer than 100 miles from Columbus and Dayton. It’s an amazing place to flee for a weekend, take pleasure in a present on the Marathon Middle, store for wine, and benefit from the native flavors of craft beer and meals.
Map of Issues to Do in Findlay
The best way to use this map: Click on the icon within the top-left nook to open the Map Legend, then click on on any of the legend gadgets to show extra data. If in case you have a Google account, click on the (very faint) star on the finish of the map’s title to save lots of this map to your account, then entry the map out of your smartphone throughout your journey.
Temporary Historical past of Findlay
In the course of the Battle of 1812, Colonel James Findlay constructed a stockade fort alongside the Blanchard River in a distant area of northwest Ohio. After the struggle, the fort was dismantled, and a city developed as a replacement. The fort and subsequent city had been named in honor of Findlay.
Findlay skilled a inhabitants increase within the Eighteen Eighties as the middle of a bustling oil and pure gasoline business. In 1905, the Marathon Oil Company was based in Findlay. The headquarters remained within the metropolis till 1990, when it moved to Houston, Texas.
Though Marathon Oil Company and Cooper Tires finally left Findlay, the inhabitants continues to develop. Findlay is the second-largest metropolis in northwest Ohio after Toledo, with a inhabitants of 40,000.
Downtown Findlay
Downtown Findlay is a brief drive from Interstate 75. It’s a surprisingly massive metropolis, a proven fact that took me unexpectedly throughout my epic highway journey from Toledo to Cincinnati. Happily, it’s a type of cities massive sufficient to have loads to do and nonetheless presents free parking on nearly each block.
Start your downtown exploration on the beautiful Hancock County Courthouse. Accomplished in 1888, the towering constructing options a number of bronze statues. A statue of John Hancock is fastened on the very best level. Guided courthouse excursions are provided all through the week however should be booked upfront.
Findlay is an simply walkable metropolis with large sidewalks, loads of crosswalks, and every part inside a ten-minute stroll. Park anyplace and plan to spend about two hours procuring, consuming, and sightseeing.
Elida Candle Firm
Elida Candle Firm was began in Elida, a small city close to Lima, about half an hour from Findlay. The principle road store is nice for looking for home made candles with over 300 fragrances. Verify their web site for upcoming candle-making workshops if you happen to’re spending the weekend on the town.
Axe Ventura
Axe throwing has turn out to be standard as individuals have found the joys of chucking an axe at a picket goal. Axe Ventura does one factor totally different from most axe-throwing venues: They supply every group with an Axe Grasp to show how one can throw an axe and hold rating of a recreation.
The Wine Market
The Wine Market options superb wine, craft beer, and connoisseur meals – good gadgets to take house after spending a weekend on the town. On the wine bar, it’s also possible to take pleasure in a glass of wine, craft beer, or charcuterie board. It’s the proper store and sip atmosphere in downtown Findlay.
Smarty Pants
Smarty Pants is an anachronism – it’s an area toy retailer full of video games, stuffed animals, and crafts. The youngsters will benefit from the craft tables and toys on show within the small present store. It’s inside strolling distance of downtown.
Marathon Middle for the Performing Arts
When the unique 1925 Findlay Excessive College constructing was slated for demolition, a gaggle of locals rapidly shaped a company to save lots of the constructing. After an intensive renovation of the college’s outdated auditorium, the Marathon Middle for the Performing Arts opened its doorways.
The performing arts venue hosts over 300 occasions all year long. Concert events, performs, and films captivate audiences within the attractive fashionable theater. Order tickets on their web site for a weekend present and select if you wish to sit on the principle ground or mezzanine for one of the best view.
Fort Findlay Playhouse
Contrasting the bigger performing arts heart, the Fort Findlay Playhouse is a small venue run by a non-profit group. The playhouse produces 5-7 exhibits every year. Reveals are organized by volunteers devoted to the performing arts and offering an entertaining night.
Verify their web site for data on the present present and purchase tickets to your weekend go to to Findlay.
Hancock Historic Museum
The Hancock Historic Museum was based in 1970, shortly earlier than buying the 1881 Hill-Flater Home. However the museum is greater than only one home – it’s a small campus. Guests can discover the Crawford Log Home, Agricultural Barn, Dewald-Funk Home, and the Little Purple Schoolhouse.
The Exhibit Middle options everlasting and rotating reveals concerning the area’s historical past. See vintage farm tools, study oil and gasoline manufacturing, and discover native artifacts.
Professional Journey Tip
The historic museum is simply open by appointment on Saturday and from 1 to three p.m. on Sunday. The most effective time to go to is Friday earlier than 5 p.m.
Mazza Museum
The College of Findlay is a personal Christian college established in 1882. It’s a small college with about 300 employees and 5,000 full-time college students. The college’s small campus is on Foremost Avenue, about 5 minutes from downtown.
The Mazza Museum boasts the “world’s largest assortment of unique paintings by kids’s ebook illustrators.” The spectacular assortment consists of over 18,000 items of paintings from image books. Reveals discover the historical past of image books and the artists behind the gorgeous literary creations.
Admission is free. The most effective time to go to is Sunday afternoon, though it’s also possible to go to any weekday.
Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation
The Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation was established in 1998 to interpret the area’s lengthy historical past with railroads. The preservation’s campus is about fifteen minutes north of Findlay, a simple afternoon drive.
The museum options HO and N scale mannequin trains chugging by customized surroundings. Just a few reveals interpret the historical past of railroads by Ohio and their nationwide significance as a method of cargo and private journey.
Probably the most attention-grabbing a part of the campus is the quarter-scale observe behind the museum. Guests can journey within the small automobiles on a round observe across the outside reveals. The total-size reveals embody a diesel engine, boxcar, and caboose.
Professional Journey Tip
The Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation closes every winter. Verify their web site for the spring opening date and autumn cut-off date.
Black Heritage Library & Multicultural Middle
The Black Heritage Library & Multicultural Middle was based in 1982 to protect and interpret native African American historical past. Guests can schedule a tour to discover the middle’s spectacular assortment of antiques and cultural artifacts or attend one of many applications provided all year long.
Verify their web site for upcoming occasions and celebrations, particularly throughout Black Historical past Month all through February.
Youngsters’s Museum of Findlay
The Youngsters’s Museum of Findlay is a hands-on museum for youngsters aged 10 and beneath. Reveals and interactive shows discover STEAM – science, know-how, engineering, artwork, and math. It’s an effective way for youngsters to play whereas studying beneficial core classes.
The museum is curiously situated contained in the Findlay Village Mall. Like many fashionable procuring malls, all of the anchor shops are gone. However there are a number of notable retail shops to go to, just like the Books-A-Million, the place it is best to at all times browse the native journey part.
Findlay Brewing Firm
Steven and Susan Treece discovered how one can brew beer with a pot on their range. Finally, they upgraded to a extra everlasting – {and professional} – brewing system and opened the Findlay Brewing Firm. Together with co-owner Josh Heitkamp and head brewer Aaron Osborne, the brewery has turn out to be a staple of downtown Findlay.
Upwards of two dozen craft beers are sometimes on faucet. The beers embody IPA, Porter, Kōlsch, and a German-style Hefeweizen. Findlay Brewing Firm is my favourite type of brewery – a full-service kitchen that gives savory meals paired with beer. The menu consists of burgers, flatbreads, appetizers, and child’s parts.
False Chord Brewing Co.
After rebranding in 2022, False Chord Brewing Firm gained a status for being a comfy hole-in-the-wall for having fun with craft beer in downtown Findlay. The picket high-top tables, steel chairs, and uncovered ceiling create an industrial vibe that works properly with their metal-inspired title.
And you actually have to take a look at the large gears repurposed for his or her beer flights.
Though False Chord Brewing Firm doesn’t supply any meals, they welcome exterior meals from the native eating places. Just a few eating places lower than a block away supply take-out, so you may convey one thing to eat whenever you take pleasure in their craft beer.
Espresso Amici
Espresso Amici is greater than only a native espresso store. It’s a gathering place, a group hub, and a dwell music venue. It was additionally considered one of my favourite issues to do in Findlay. I sat exterior with a frozen café mocha, watching the site visitors trudge alongside Foremost Avenue.
The espresso store is spacious, with many tables and chairs for distant staff or informal espresso drinkers. The store serves Crimson Cup espresso, a espresso roaster based mostly in Columbus, Ohio.
The menu consists of espresso, smoothies, tea, and savory issues to eat along with your favourite beverage.
We Serve. Espresso
The enterprise title shouldn’t be a typo. This native espresso store was based to serve the group as a charity fundraising endeavor. We Serve. Espresso has donated over $150,000 to charities, in line with their web site.
The menu consists of numerous espresso drinks, tea, and some meals choices for breakfast and lunch. A latest replace included a brand new workspace with ample shops for charging units and a few snug chairs. It’s an amazing place to recharge your smartphone whereas having fun with espresso and meals a block from Foremost Avenue.
Swan Home Tea Room
The Swan Home Tea Room is within the attractive two-story brick 1864 McConnell-Butler Home. The home has a protracted historical past of tea rooms, relationship again to the primary one in 1929. The tea room has modified palms a number of instances since opening within the 2010s and is at present operated by Julie Bishop.
Correct tea on the Swan Home Tea Room features a scorching, fragrant pot of tea from over twenty loose-leaf choices, a flaky scone, and three tiers of treats. It’s an attention-grabbing expertise for Fridays and Saturdays in Findlay, particularly if you happen to’ve by no means had correct tea served. Reservations are required, so plan forward for this expertise.
The Bourbon Affair
When Ryan and Staci Leonard opened The Bourbon Affair, they went all-in on the Prohibition theme for the bourbon bar. Concrete flooring and darkish wood-paneled partitions set the scene. Bartenders gown like docents enjoying characters at a Nineteen Thirties museum. When you hold your smartphone in your pocket, you’ll really feel such as you’ve walked again in time.
The Bourbon Affair options a whole lot of bourbon whiskey manufacturers from around the globe. When you’ve ever wished to discover the bourbon world, considered one of their flights and the knowledgeable recommendation of the bartenders will introduce you to the flavors.
And if you happen to’re a bourbon drinker like me, The Bourbon Affair would possibly assist you to uncover a brand new favourite.
Alexandria’s
The time period to recollect about Alexandria’s is “multi-level.” It’s a one-stop venue for meals, craft beer, and leisure that can eat your night in Findlay.
The Faucet Room on the primary ground has dozens of native craft beers on faucet and pub-style meals. The Higher Deck on the second ground is the center of the enterprise, with dwell music, a bar, and duckpin bowling – basic bowling with smaller, handheld bowls and shorter pins. The Rooftop Tiki Bar is the one rooftop venue in Findlay.
Plan to spend 2-3 hours at Alexandria’s and expertise the oddly satisfying duckpin bowling.
The Gathering
Whereas Alexandria’s spreads upward, The Gathering spreads outward. In 2010, Michael and Robin Gardner bought two buildings and started reworking them into a fancy for informal superb eating and leisure.
The chef-driven menu options home made entrees and desserts. Meals are complimented by a formidable wine checklist personally chosen by the supervisor.
The Anvil Whiskey Bar is a cushty lounge and an amazing place to finish a day exploring Findlay. The bar options a big choice of bourbon, craft beers, and cigars.
The place to Eat
One of many causes Findlay is a superb weekend vacation spot is the native meals scene. Over a dozen eating places supply lunch, dinner, baked items, and snacks to get you thru the day.
Right here’s a listing of nice native eating places in Findlay:
- The Baker’s Café makes use of domestically roasted beans within the espresso bar and some meals choices in a handy Foremost Avenue location.
- Circle of Buddies Restaurant is a chance to attempt dishes from around the globe, together with Greece, India, and Vietnam.
- Dougie John’s Pizza crafts savory pizza from scratch and serves them on “The Porch,” a small patio on Foremost Avenue on the north fringe of downtown.
- Joey Fratello’s Pizzeria makes use of contemporary substances of their New York-style pizza one block from Foremost Avenue.
- Logan’s Irish Pub presents genuine fare like shepherd’s pie, Guinness hen, and the attention-grabbing Irish Nachos.
- Foremost Avenue Deli presents deli sandwiches and salads, however it’s also possible to play basic arcade video games or get a drink within the full-service bar.
- Fricker’s is a Midwest chain of sports activities eating places with large televisions enjoying no matter video games they will discover, together with savory meals and drinks.
- Rossilli’s is a downtown restaurant that includes genuine Italian delicacies in an off-the-cuff, upscale environment.
The place to Keep
Happily, Findlay is a enterprise city. Meaning a number of good accommodations between downtown and Interstate 75 are about ten minutes away. Staying downtown will value extra, however the added comfort of strolling to drinks and dinner is likely to be value it.
The Hancock Resort is an upscale lodge with luxurious bedding, massive loos, and an on-site restaurant. You could pay additional to park a car at this downtown lodge. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
Hampton Inn is a superb lodge with an indoor swimming pool and complimentary scorching breakfast. Though it’s situated beside the interstate, the visitor rooms are quiet all through the evening. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
Vacation Inn Categorical has an indoor swimming pool and suites with a sleeper couch good for touring households. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
SureStay Resort by Greatest Western is a good, budget-friendly choice. The visitor rooms are snug, however there are few different facilities. E-book now with Reserving.com or Expedia.com
