One Of Ohio's Most Walkable Gems Is A Buzzing College City With An Art Scene And Waterfall Hikes

Ohio is perhaps most known for its advanced aviation innovations, a strong devotion toward American football, an inspiring musical history, its action-packed amusement park Cedar Point, and a divine dark-sky park. But Ohio is also home to a buzzing college town with a bustling art scene and outdoor activities, filled with picturesque waterfall hikes. Located 75 miles from the city of Columbus, Athens is a small, walkable town home to the public Ohio University. Established in 1804, the college is the state's oldest public university, tucked away in the rugged Appalachian mountains, welcoming around 28,000 students each year. Ohio University is a reputable campus committed to enhancing student life through engaging activities, affordable scholarships, an evolving arts center, and sustainability and wellbeing initiatives.

The town center is full of restaurants, farmers' markets, art galleries, and thrift shops. It's easily navigable, too — Athens has a higher-than-average Walk Score of 56 out 100, making it the fourth-most walkable city in Ohio. Athens also has another reason to celebrate its lifestyle: It has been twice recognized by Ohio Magazine as one of the best cities to live and work in the state — once in 2008 and again in 2022. If you don't live in Ohio, the closest airport to Athens is John Glenn International Airport (CMH) in Columbus. From there, you can either take a two-hour Greyhound trip or rent a car and drive for an hour and a half.

Athens supports artists through ARTS/West, a community arts center and performance venue hosting workshops, plays, concerts, and exhibitions. Creators can feel even more included, exchange ideas, and back each other up through the Athens Art Guild Memberships, a local artist collective that organizes artwork sales and other community events. If you want to find some more community events, head to Athens Community Center, which hosts Easter egg hunts in the spring, open-air concerts and movie screenings in the summer, and dance parties in the winter.

If you want to browse art galleries, Athens has plenty to see. Open to the public and free to enter, the Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University presents exhibitions about Native American culture, African art, and contemporary American art. Students and community members alike can enjoy educational opportunities like museum tours and open studio days. You can also view work from undergraduate students at the college's Cube 4 Gallery, located on the fourth floor of Seigfred Hall. In town, you can meet skilled artists and browse work at the Passion Work Studio. Among its upcycled products is the Passion Flower, a bright, colorful, hand-painted flower made from recycled aluminum plates. For more museums and small-town Ohio charm, seek out the trendy storybook town of Canal Winchester, located between Athens and Columbus.

About 30 miles from Athens, Hockings Hill State Park is an ideal outdoor adventure if you want to discover waterfalls and caverns. You might be curious to visit a grotto where an 18th-century hermit used to live, so head to the Old Man's Cave — a canyon-like rock formation with a series of serene waterfalls, such as the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls. Surrounded by sky-high yellow poplar trees and oaks, the Lower Falls provide the most scenic view, with a stream tumbling over a rocky precipice into a pool beneath.

If you continue on the path, you'll find two trails that lead to Cedar Falls. It will be totally up to you whether to take the shortcut or the longer path, but both pathways take you to the secluded waterfall. During the annual Hocking Hills Winter Hike, Cedar Falls serves as the designated area to cool off and enjoy the company of other hikers while eating hot soup and cornbread with some joyful ambience. The waterfall is open year-round, and you can watch the natural scenery shift from a snow-covered stream in winter to a flowing cascade in a flourishing summer forest.

Cantwell Cliffs is a hiking trail featuring narrow passages like the "Fat Woman's Squeeze," moss-covered rocks, and stone steps — a total body workout. Don't feel discouraged by the arduous walk, as you'll be rewarded with views of some scenic seasonal waterfalls. When you are out on an adventure in one of Ohio's natural parks, remember to watch out for toads, frogs, snakes, and turtles relaxing near the water's surface, and be careful of the beautiful yet dangerous emerald-green poison ivy. If you ever touch the plant, it may induce a skin reaction, causing a rash and blisters.