Did you know the OhioHealth Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center is now an OhioHealth member hospital? To help celebrate this exciting news, we’re sharing some of the best family-friendly things to do in the Cambridge area.
About Cambridge
According to their website, Cambridge, Ohio, is the “Crossroads of Southeastern Ohio” because it is located where Ohio Interstate 70 and 77 intersect. While the area is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the city is only 80 miles east of Columbus.
Cambridge claims to fame
Cambridge, Ohio, is known for three things: Glass, Glenn and Cassidy.
Cambridge Glass
The Cambridge Glass Company was in business from 1902-1958 and built a worldwide reputation for quality colored glass. Antique and glass lovers can visit the National Museum of Cambridge Glass, where over 10,000 pieces of vintage glass are on display. Your family can experience what it was like to dress as glassworkers and hold the original tools used to create each piece.
Colonel John Glenn, U.S. senator and American astronaut
The first American to orbit the earth was born in Cambridge and grew up in nearby New Concord. His childhood home is now the John and Annie Glenn Museum, where your family can experience John Glenn’s life through costumed historians, a living history tour and a guided tour of special exhibits.
William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd
William Boyd, who lived in Cambridge during childhood, portrayed the wildly popular Hopalong Cassidy in films, radio and TV shows in the 1930s-1950s. The Hopalong Cassidy Trail displays a selection of memorabilia throughout downtown Cambridge including a mural at the Longinie-Gibson Agency, a statue at the Guernsey County Senior Center, and an exhibit at the Cambridge/Guernsey County Tourist Information Center.
Dickens Victorian Village
Every holiday season, downtown Cambridge is transformed into a Dickens Victorian Village. If you’re in town between November through December, you’ll get to experience 92 scenes which include 180 lifelike figures. To learn more, check out the Dickens Victorian Village webpage.
Outdoor family fun
If your family loves the outdoors, you’ll always find exciting things to do in and around Cambridge, Ohio. It is the perfect location for outdoor family fun. Here are just a few of the many options available.
Cambridge City Park
The local park offers picnic shelters, playgrounds, the city pool, fishing in the pond, walking trails, sand volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball, baseball, football and city events.
Great Guernsey Trail
This 14-mile round trip paved and flat pathway is popular for road biking, trail running and walking. The best time to visit is in the spring for the wildflowers and in the fall for the leaves.
Ohio Belly Boat Fishing
Belly boating is a unique way to catch a fish, and it’s all very hush-hush. You’ll carry a lightweight paddle boat to a hidden lake and paddle out across the water to catch the “big one” on some of Ohio’s best-kept secret waterways.
Jesse Owens Wildlife Area and the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area
The region is blessed with a multitude of state-run outdoor activity areas. The Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area encircles the Jesse Owens Wildlife Area and is located in Guernsey and the surrounding counties. These public lands provide hunting, fishing, birding, trapping and other forms of wildlife recreation.
Jesse Owens State Park
Located in the Jesse Owens Wildlife Area, the park offers four free campgrounds. There are a variety of ponds and lakes to fish, paddle and boat.
Salt Fork State Park
Salt Fork State Park is about 10 minutes north of Cambridge and features thousands of acres available for family fun. There are two marinas, hiking trails, a nature center and a top-rated 18-hole golf course. For overnight stays, choose from a full-service resort lodge, vacation cabins or a campground. This is a year-round destination with snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, sledding and ice fishing available in the winter.
Education centers
If your family is looking for things to do that broaden the mind in Cambridge, Ohio, there are quite a few options. Here are two that follow the outdoor fun theme.
The Wilds
The Wilds is truly a local gem. Run by the Columbus Zoo, this unique wildlife conservation center is home to many rare and endangered animal species. Guided safaris take visitors to the animals living in open-range habitats, even in the winter. Your family can even spend the night in the private lodge or in cabins.
Deerassic Park Education Center
Your family can enjoy 70 acres of beautiful nature, a pond, a shooting/archery range, a nature center, trails and event areas. The Education Center also houses an actual herd of deer to learn about and the Whitetail Hall of Fame, a museum for hunters.
Looking for more things to do with your family around Ohio? Click on over to our Active Ohio series today!
