A Day in Bellefontaine and West Liberty, Ohio

A Day in Bellefontaine and West Liberty, Ohio is a destination day trip. These two small towns have a surprisingly lot to offer. We felt like we were on a real vacation!

Bellefontaine (Pronounced Bell Fountain)

We started out in Bellefontaine and visited the oldest concrete street in America. We then went across the street for lunch at Six Hundred Downtown to have some of their amazing Detroit-style pizza. From there, we drove up to Campbell Hill to take some pictures at the highest point in Ohio.

From there, we drove to Zane Shawnee Caverns. The sign said we were now a guest of the people of the Shawnee Nation. Welcome to Indian Country. Once inside, we were told that the museum (free with cavern admission) is undergoing renovations and is closed, and a reservation (that we didn’t have) is required to see the caverns ($16 per person). We decided to just walk around and explore the grounds. The grounds were very interesting and strange. There were people camped there in what looked like updated cabins. Beyond that, was a semi-dilapidated pioneer village that would have been great for kids to explore in the 1980s, but dangerous for kids in the 2020s. The playground and pond looked like something out of a horror movie. The creepiness of the whole place was awesome.

West Liberty

Next, we drove down to West Liberty. We stopped at Jones Country Store and browsed a bit. Then we went on to visit the Piatt Castle – Mac-A-Cheek and paid too much to tour inside. I would suggest visiting the grounds and outdoor exhibits which are free. We also snapped a photo of the nearby Mac-O-Chee. This other “castle” was auctioned off in 2019. Afterward, we headed to the nearby Ohio Caverns.

The Ohio Caverns were the highlight of our day. We were very impressed by the whole experience. There are two tours, the Natural Wonder and Historic tours. We are glad we decided to do the combo tour which is a discounted ticket to do both ($30 per person).

On our way out of town, we stopped at Marie’s Candies to get some chocolate for later. I recommend the Peanut Butter Fancies! Returning back to Bellfontaine, we stopped for dinner at Brewfontaine. We were very impressed by the food and ambiance. I highly recommend it!