Between Columbus And Fort Wayne Is Ohio's Scenic Village With Shops, Canal Views, And A One-Of-A-Kind Museum
If you're curious about what lies in the underexplored farmlands of Ohio beyond its main cities, you might be surprised to find some historic villages harboring truly special museums. New Bremen, in the northwestern quadrant of Ohio, is a perfect example.
Though not directly near major cities — Columbus is over a 1.5-hour drive away — New Bremen was once an important settlement along the Miami-Erie Canal, a stopover about midway between the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Lake Erie at Toledo. The canal brought in new traffic to the area and gave New Bremen an economic boost to become a proper town, per the New Bremen Historic Association. Though the canal is no longer used, the town that formed around it remains, and its lingering waterways give it a scenic touch you don't find in the average rural village.
What might really surprise visitors to New Bremen is how specific its attractions are. It's where you'll find the Bicycle Museum of America, an eccentric collection with over 200 bicycles displayed from throughout history. Along New Bremen's main streets, you'll find some unique local businesses, including a gift shop and café/bookstore, housed in some of the city's historic buildings. Beyond its shops, the town connects to the Miami-Erie Canal Towpath, a pretty cycling path with views of the old canal and parks.
Bikes and books in New Bremen's downtown
New Bremen's main streets have a fairly well-preserved, historic look to them, part of what could place it among the most charming small towns in Ohio. Many of its buildings date back to the 1800s and early 1900s, as the New Bremen Historic Association documents. The town owes its historic integrity in part to the manufacturing company Crown Corp., as The Vindicator reports, which bought many of the buildings and restored them. This includes the Bicycle Museum of America, housed in a beautiful, 1910s-era movie theater. What's inside is equally exceptional: a sprawling collection of hundreds of bikes and bicycle-related paraphernalia, including a wooden bicycle from 1816. The museum charges a very reasonable admission fee, and past visitors have consistently remarked how helpful and knowledgeable the staff is.
Along the same strip, there are a couple of lovely local shops worth popping into. Just a minute by foot down the street is the New Bremen Coffee Company, a dual coffee shop and bookstore with 4.7 stars on Google Reviews. It's also located in a historic building — a 19th-century opera house, per the New Bremen Historic Association. The shop sells muffins (a customer favorite) and books from local authors. Across the street from it is the Crown Store, where you can pick up a unique souvenir like Miami-Erie Canal playing cards.
Views along New Bremen's old canal route
One of the best ways to experience New Bremen is to walk along its canal towpath. Like the Ohio and Erie Canal route connecting Cleveland and Akron, the Miami-Erie Canal was turned into a pretty recreational trail, spanning nearly 40 miles. New Bremen is significant along this extent because it's home to the canal visitor's center, located inside a preserved Lockkeeper's House. This could serve as a convenient starting point for setting off on the towpath, whether you choose to wander it on foot or by bicycle. You'll get views of canal locks and old canal buildings along the way.
Enveloping the Lockkeeper's House and astride the towpath is the Komminsk Legacy Park. You can stick around here for a more local option, rather than venturing out on the towpath. The park is well-equipped for kids, too, with a splash pad, fixed musical instruments, and swings. You might notice that an old-looking bridge spans over the canal from the park. That would be the Bowstring Bridge, and it's actually the oldest bowstring-type bridge in Ohio, per Ohio Magazine.
Visitors coming from Fort Wayne, Indiana, or Columbus can drive to New Bremen in about 1.5 hours from either city. However, if you're looking for a bigger hub to fly into for exploring the region, the Dayton International Airport is your best option, about an hour by car from New Bremen. After stopping in New Bremen, you could discover more of the area and drive 15 minutes to one of Ohio's oldest state parks with peaceful lake fishing and swimming, Grand Lake St. Marys.