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This post is sponsored by Ohio. Find It Here. and Lawrence County Ohio. All words and opinions are completely my own.
Did you know that Ohio has a southern coast? We do! Lawrence County, Ohio, is located on the southernmost tip of Ohio, bordering the Ohio River. The cities and towns in Lawrence County are home to some of Ohio’s richest history and natural wonders. Our family recently got a chance to take a quick weekend trip to Lawrence County and it was everything we needed – a chance to explore the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and to learn about some of Ohio’s earliest history. Whether you’re a history buff, an adventurous OHV rider, or are just looking for a place to get away and relax for a bit, Lawrence County is the place to go.
Here are 10 reasons why you need to plan a trip to Lawrence County, Ohio!
Wayne National Forest
Wayne National Forest is where Lawrence County shines. If you love the outdoors, this is the place to be. Wayne National Forest actually makes up a third of the county. It’s full of great hiking trails, fishing spots, campgrounds and backcountry hiking. What I didn’t know is that they also have extensive OHV riding trails, and horseback riding trails. Basically it’s a giant natural playground. We spent most of our time at Lake Vesuvius, named after the Vesuvius Iron Furnace, a 143-acre lake in Wayne National Forest.
One of our favorite things about this lake is the boardwalk, which allows you to walk along the lake from the boat ramp to the dam spillway.
It was a great place for fishing, even though we didn’t catch anything while we were there. Maybe next time.
There are also some great hiking trails around the lake. You can take the lakeshore trail (8.25 miles) all around the shore. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also do the Vesuvius backpacking trail, which is a 17.28-mile trail. There were a few backpackers heading out on the trail while we were there. We did a portion of the lakeshore trail, which was beautiful.
We also did the rockhouse trail. This one was short – only three quarters of a mile, but it took us past some great rock formations. It also had a number of signs discussing natural rock houses and erosion from the iron industry. The trail is paved, so it’s accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.
Ironton Farmers Market
I love a good Farmer’s Market. You never know exactly what you’re going to discover – maybe some kind of produce you’ve never had before, delicious baked goods or homemade canned jams and jellies. The Ironton Farmer’s Market had several vendors with all kinds of fruits, veggies and goodies. There was also one vendor with a truck full of pumpkins.
The Ironton Farmer’s Market is open from May-October on Fridays and Saturdays from 7-3. It’s also Hannah-approved.
Tanks Memorial Stadium
Did you know that Ironton has a rich football history? I had no idea either! Ironton is the home of the Tanks Memorial Stadium. It’s one of the last covered stadiums still in use for high school football today.
Tanks Memorial Stadium used to be the home of The Ironton Tanks, a semi-professional team formed in 1919. They never joined the NFL – we were told it was because the cost was too expensive – but reportedly they were one of the best teams around and beat both the Chicago Bears and the NY Giants in 1930. Some of the Tanks players went on to join a team that would eventually become part of the Detroit Lions.
Other fun facts about Ironton’s football history: this is also the birthplace of the NFL Thanksgiving Day game tradition. Apparently playing games over the Thanksgiving weekend was an Ohio league tradition started by the Tanks and their crosstown rivals. Those same Tanks players that joined the Detroit Lions suggested doing this to help with ticket sales. Also, Tanks Memorial Stadium was built through crowdfunding. How cool is that?!
If you get a chance to visit the Lawrence County Museum (read below), you’ll actually get to see old photos of the stadium before they enclosed the back. This is also where we learned a lot of this history about the stadium and the Tanks. Today, on the back of the stadium, you can follow the original history of the stadium and the Ironton Tanks.
And because I’m a band geek, here’s a photo of their band shelter.
Collins Bridge
There are 5 bridges that extend from Lawrence County over the Ohio River. You’ll find the Collins Memorial Bridge in Ironton, which connects it to Russell, Kentucky. Not only is this bridge beautiful in the daytime, but at night, it’s illuminated with blue LED lights.
You’ll definitely want to plan to drive across the bridge at night. Talk about a light show!
The food scene
There are some local hidden gems in Lawrence County – you just need to know where to look or who to ask. One place you can’t miss if you’re in Ironton is The Armory Smokehouse. It’s actually located in the old Ironton National Guard Armory that was built in 1937. The restaurant has dedicated itself to honor veterans and current members of the military. While you wait, you can look at military memorabilia – much of which is donated by the Lawrence County Museum.
The food is also well worth the visit. We tried the brisket, ribs, stuffed mushrooms, sweet potato casserole and smoked mac ‘n cheese and it was all delicious.
If you’re looking for a good brunch spot, stop at Peddler’s Home Cooking. To us, it looked like there were a lot of regulars. Order the french toast, you’ll be glad you did.
Our favorite meal was at the new Yummy Express in South Point, Ohio. The sushi was fantastic – even our kids loved it and they’re generally picky eaters. My recommendation is to order a few different dishes and share them with each other. Otherwise, it’s just too hard to choose just one thing to order.
Other local restaurants you might want to check out are The Depot (sushi), Melini Cucina Italian Restaurant and Shake Shoppe.
Hatcher’s Greenhouse
Located in South Point, Ohio, Hatcher’s Greenhouse is another place you need to visit in Lawrence County. It’s choc full of beautiful flowers, trees and more. While we were there, they had an adorable setup with wild west-themed buildings and a whole dress up station.
Liam tried to rob the bank, but Caleb caught him and threw him in jail before Liam could run off with the money.
Hatcher’s had mums in so many different colors and all the different varieties of pumpkins.
You can also walk through several of their greenhouses. I imagine these are full of beautiful flowers in the springtime. There are a lot of different Instagrammable spots all over Hatcher’s, but the greenhouses were probably my favorite.
Classic Car Shows
If you’re into classic cars, you’ll have to schedule your visit when there’s a classic car show in Ironton. They have several of these throughout the summer and takes place in the farmer’s market area. Admission is free.
Our visit to Lawrence County happened to be the same weekend of their Halloween-themed car show. Not only was it fun to see all the classic cars, but we were able to look at old fashioned hearses too. Super unique!
The entire event was a truck-or-treat. Car owners had their cars all decorated and handed out candy to kids. We loved it.
Lawrence County Museum
Lawrence County has so much history. A visit to the Lawrence County Museum is a great way to get a good introduction to the whole area. The museum is located in a historic house and is run by the Lawrence County Historical Society. We had a guided tour of the museum and learned so much. One important thing to note is that almost everything in the museum is either original to the house itself or to the county – donated by residents as they’ve renovated their own historic homes.
At the museum, you’ll learn more about the iron industry. They even have models to show how the iron ore was processed.
You’ll hear about Nannie Kelly Wright, the only known female ironmaster in America. She’s also said to have been the second wealthiest woman in the world at one point – only second to Queen Victoria.
The museum also has an entire room dedicated to the area’s military history.
And information about the Underground Railroad in Lawrence County. Apparently, ironmasters were known abolitionists and the whole area served as a place where freedom seekers could find refuge and help to travel north.
And, of course, you can learn more about the sports history of the area while you’re here in this upstairs hallway.
Fun fact: the upstairs bathroom in the Lawrence County Museum is thought to be the first indoor bathroom in town.
Iron Furnaces
Speaking of the iron industry, Lawrence County once led the country in pig iron production. You can still see remnants from southeastern Ohio’s iron production via some of the Iron Furnaces that still stand. There are five located throughout Wayne National Forest, including one at Lake Vesuvius. Other Iron Furnaces are located on private land throughout the county and Hanging Rock region.
This view of Ironton from Historic State Route 75
I learned about this last spot from someone at our hotel. She was telling me all about it as we were riding the elevator together down to breakfast and I knew that we had to go. This is the Historic State Route 75.
The tunnel used to be the only way people could get in and out of Ironton in the 1800s. Much of it was filled in when they built the current highway into town, but now the tunnel is used as a haunted tunnel attraction every October. If you’re into spooky ghost stories, you’ll definitely want to research the legend of the haunted tunnel and then plan your visit around Halloween.
There’s now a park above the tunnel which gives you an incredible view of downtown Ironton. We even spotted a bald eagle from the overlook. Just a heads up – there are a lot of stairs to get to the top, but the view was worth it.
Where to find Lawrence County
Lawrence County is a 2-hour drive from Columbus, under 2.5 hours from Cincinnati and Dayton, and 3 hours from Louisville, KY, making it the perfect weekend getaway! Whether you love history or exploring, or you simply want a place to relax for the whole weekend, Lawrence County, OH, is exactly where you want to be.
Where to stay
Planning a visit to Lawrence County, Ohio? Stay at the TownePlace Suites in Ironton, Ohio! This hotel is brand new – I spoke with several Ironton residents and they all said that this hotel opened less than a year ago. It’s one of the nicest hotels we’ve been to in quite a while. The rooms were spacious and bright with a kitchenette, and the kids loved the pool. We also discovered that they had a Weber grill and fire pit on their back patio. Guests can spend time enjoying the fire pit and if you stop by the front desk, you can pick up a cookbook, grilling tools and seasonings. We are definitely doing this on our next trip to Lawrence County.
We loved our visit to Lawrence County and we can’t wait to go back!
Thank you for the wonderful article about my hometown. I haven’t been there in a few years but I think I need to make a visit.