Chillicothe
The heart of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks World Heritage Site, easily combined with the sandstone gorges and waterfalls of Hocking Hills and the mysterious Serpent Mound.
Chillicothe lies in the Scioto River valley of south-central Ohio. When Ohio became a state in 1803, it was the first state capital, and the “sun rising over the hills” on the Great Seal of Ohio was inspired by Mount Logan just east of town. Even more significant is its role as a center of prehistoric North American civilization: between about 100 BC and AD 500, the Hopewell culture built numerous geometric earthworks and burial mounds in the valley. In 2023 the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks were inscribed as a World Heritage Site, and several of its sites are in and around Chillicothe.
Climate and seasons: There are four distinct seasons. Sep–Oct brings the best fall foliage and is peak hiking season; Jun–Aug is hot and humid, but it's when you can catch the summer outdoor drama Tecumseh!; winters are cold, but Hocking Hills' frozen waterfalls have a charm of their own; spring brings wildflowers and full-flowing falls.
Areas to explore: ① North of town, Mound City Group (the visitor center for Hopewell Culture National Historical Park), Hopeton Earthworks, Adena Mansion and Great Seal State Park; ② west of town, Seip Earthworks and the Hopewell Mound Group; ③ 50–60 km northeast, Hocking Hills State Park, where Old Man's Cave, Ash Cave, Cedar Falls, Conkle's Hollow and Rock House form a sandstone-gorge hiking circuit worth a full day; ④ about 70 km southwest, Serpent Mound and Fort Hill, which can be combined into a prehistoric-sites day trip.
Getting there: The nearest major airport is John Glenn Columbus International Airport (about 80 km, a 1-hour drive). Local public transit is limited, so a car is all but essential.
Suggested stay: 2–3 days. Hocking Hills parking lots often fill up on fall weekends, so arrive early; some earthwork sites open only on ranger-led tour days, so check the National Park Service website before you go.
Top sights
- Hopewell Culture NHP – Mound City Group – 23 Hopewell burial mounds within an earthen enclosure; the national park visitor centre displays copper and mica artifacts, and the site is…
- Old Man's Cave – The signature gorge of Hocking Hills State Park, where upper and lower waterfalls, the Devil's Bathtub and sandstone rock shelters come tog…
- Serpent Mound – The world's largest serpent-shaped effigy mound, about 400 metres long, coiled along a ridge at the rim of an ancient meteorite impact crat…
- Hopeton Earthworks – Vast square and circular earthen enclosures on the east bank of the Scioto River, viewable from an overlook, and part of a World Heritage S…
- Seip Earthworks – Large geometric earthworks in Paint Creek Valley, with the 9-metre-high Seip Mound at the center, part of a World Heritage Site.
- Hopewell Mound Group – The namesake site of the Hopewell culture, where large earthen walls and mounds remain in the grass and walking trails run through the site.
- Adena Mansion & Gardens – The 1807 stone mansion of Thomas Worthington, sixth Governor of Ohio, whose garden looks out toward Mount Logan, the peak on the state seal.
- Great Seal State Park – The mountains depicted on the state seal of Ohio, with many hiking and mountain biking trails, and the Sugarloaf Mountain hike offering vie…
- Tecumseh! Outdoor Drama – One of America's most popular outdoor dramas, staged in a mountain amphitheatre that retells the epic resistance of Shawnee leader Tecumseh.
- Downtown Chillicothe – The historic district of Ohio's first capital, where Federal and Victorian buildings house cafes, antique shops and the Ross County Heritag…
- Ash Cave – The largest recess cave in Ohio, a sandstone alcove about 210 m wide where a thin waterfall falls, reached by an easy wheelchair-accessible…
- Cedar Falls – The waterfall with the greatest flow in Hocking Hills, surrounded by towering hemlock forest, reachable by hiking along the creek from Old…
- Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve – One of Ohio's deepest gorges, with an easy valley-floor trail to a small waterfall and a rim loop with 60 m cliffs.
- Rock House – The only true 'cave' in Hocking Hills, a tunnel-like rock passage cut into a sandstone cliff, with Gothic-style windows and once said to ha…
- Fort Hill State Memorial – Hopewell earthen walls about 2.6 km long encircle the hilltop, and the forest and gorge trails around it are among the best hiking spots in…
- Leo Petroglyph – Ancient rock carvings on a forest sandstone slab, with about 37 human, animal and footprint figures, and a short trail through a small gorg…
- Tar Hollow State Park – A valley park in Ohio's third-largest state forest, with a small lake, campgrounds and forest trails, and an excellent destination for autu…
Where to eat
- Old Canal Smoke House – Family barbecue joint in a historic 1850s blacksmith shop, long ranked first in Chillicothe on TripAdvisor. Its smoked…
- Carl's Townhouse – Historic burger shop in a diner car that was displayed at the 1939 World's Fair. It has been known locally for mini bur…
- Lievita – Small Italian spot run by a veteran and his wife. Its cold-fermented sourdough pizza placed 25th worldwide in the chees…
- Pour House Machinery Hall – Calls itself Chillicothe's first gastropub, with more than 30 craft beers and a rooftop terrace overlooking the Majesti…
Itineraries
- Detroit, Lake Erie & Southern Ohio – Travel east from the Motor City along Lake Erie, through the Rock Capital to the Hocking Hills gorges.