UNSERIOUS STOPS

While driving through Ohio, check out these odd attractions 

By Madeleine Colbert | Design by Elizabeth Dickerson

Make it stand out

In many ways, Ohio has become synonymous with quirky behavior and strange attractions. Recent trends such as, “Only in Ohio,” have taken off on social media apps such as TikTok and X – adding to the state’s elusive reputation. Ohio is full of artistic, offbeat and downright bizarre roadside attractions that spark awe, curiosity or confusion in those who have experienced them. Ohio truly is one of the best states to take a road trip full of strange stops at the most unusual places. 

Hell is Real Sign: 

The ominous Hell Is Real sign on I-71, created by Jimmy Harston. Photo courtesy of @mindthebat on X. 

Between Columbus and Cincinnati on I-71 is the iconic and ominous “Hell is Real” sign. This enigmatic sign has become an Ohio cultural landmark in the twenty years since its construction, and it has become something people across the country associate with the state. Its notoriety has grown to the point where it even inspired the rivalry between the Columbus Crew soccer team and FC Cincinnati, which is known as the “Hell Is Real derby.” 

Unlike most other roadside attractions, it is not a stop nor does it offer any financial gains for its creator, Jimmy Harston. So, why was it created in the first place? According to an interview with Columbus Monthly, Harston erected the sign because he felt a calling to spread the “word of God” using the wealth he had acquired through real estate. Although the original intent of the sign was to share a religious message, the weathered, eye-catching sign has evolved into an inside joke for those who drive by. 

The World’s Largest Basket:

The world’s largest picnic basket in Newark, Ohio. Photo courtesy of Heritage Ohio. 

Life may not always be a picnic, but for the residents of Newark, Ohio, it certainly is – at least when it comes to the world’s largest picnic basket. According to the World Record Academy, this massive structure is 208 feet long, 142 feet wide and spans a total of 180,000 square feet. The basket was built by the Longaberger Company in 1997 as an unorthodox office building for the company that, unsurprisingly, made baskets. 

The Longaberger Company used the basket as its headquarters and hosted tours until 2016, when they moved out of the building. Since then, the giant picnic basket has had a tumultuous history, with a final tour held that same year and plans to turn it into a convention center and hotel in 2020. However, after the company went out of business in 2018, the basket has remained standing – albeit now semi-abandoned and up for sale in Newark. 

Field of Giant Corn:

The Field of Giant Corn, constructed by Malcolm Colchan, in Dublin, Ohio. Photo courtesy of Dublin Arts Council. 

Many may think of Ohio as just a vast cornfield, and for Ohioans, this is just seen as a snide remark. However, for the creator of the Field of Giant Corn in Dublin, Ohio, it is something to be celebrated.  

Malcolm Colchan, a sculptor and retired art professor at The Ohio State University, is the mind behind the Field of Giant Corn, which was created in 1994 to honor Ohio’s agricultural roots. Each ear of corn is six feet tall, made of white concrete, and, according to the Ohio Sculpture Center, the design resembles the white graves at Arlington Cemetery. This art installation is free to the public and includes signs that explain the history of agriculture in Dublin and Ohio as a whole, honoring the past that made the state into what it is today. 

World’s Largest Rubber Stamp:

The Field of Giant Corn, constructed by Malcolm Colchan, in Dublin, Ohio. Photo courtesy of Dublin Arts Council. 

Although many famous roadside attractions in Ohio are situated in the southern part of the state, the northern half also has its share of unconventional attractions. Situated along the Cleveland harbor is the world's largest rubber stamp. According to the World Record Academy, the stamp stands at 49 feet. Another key feature to the stamp is the word “free” printed at the bottom. It was commissioned in 1985 by the Standard Oil of Ohio company, and installed in Cleveland in 1991 in front of their former office building. 

According to an interview by Roadside Attractions with Nicholas T. Giorganni, who worked on the construction of the sculpture, the iconic “FREE” on the bottom of the stamp was chosen because the stamp faces the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. It honors soldiers who fought in the Civil War who worked to free enslaved people. The stamp pressing down on the word “free,” symbolizes the ongoing struggle for freedom around the world. 

World’s Largest Bobble-head: 

The world’s largest bobble-head, located outside of the Buckeye Express Diner. Photo courtesy of Northeast Ohio Family Fun. 

Ohio is home to many “world’s largest” attractions, and the world’s largest bobble-head is certainly no exception. Located in Bellville, a giant 35-foot-tall fiberglass bobble-head of a chef holding two burgers stands outside the Buckeye Express Diner. 

The oversized bobble-head is created from the remains of an old statue that once resided in Mansfield but was taken down in the 1970s. According to an interview by the Cincinnati Enquirer with the manufacturer and restorer of the bobble-head, Terry Byrne, the idea to make the restored statue a bobble-head was inspired by the way the statue in Marblehead had deteriorated, losing its head. This bobble-head continues to inspire awe in adults and kids alike when they visit. 

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