Ohio’s tourism slogan is “The Heart of It All.”
The state that is a day’s drive from about 60% of the U.S. population is 44,825 square miles of historical sites, natural landscapes, and local favorites – and at the heart of the Heart of It All is Licking County, 687 square miles of amazing things to see and do.
Whether you want to explore a UNESCO World Heritage site, stay at an inn that hosted three presidents, eat comfort food at a small-town diner, or see natural wonders, the Explore Licking County staff is ready to help visitors find their way to these sites and more.
The tourism staff at Explore Licking County has two big reasons to be excited about 2025. They’re expecting a bump in tourist traffic in the county because the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization designated the Newark Earthworks and related Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio collectively as a World Heritage site in 2023. That puts the earthworks on par with the Great Wall of China and the pyramids of Egypt.
The Octagon Mound, which has been off limits to the public since 1910 because it had been leased by Moundbuilders Country Club, at 125 N. 33rd St. in Newark, will be open to the public regularly beginning this week. An “open house” will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 1, including guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and welcoming remarks from Ohio History Connection CEO Megan Wood.
The second reason for excitement by the Explore Licking County staff, which was recently honored by the Ohio Travel Association for achievement in marketing and advertising, will soon move into its new home in the renovated Louis Sullivan Building – a jewel in the heart of downtown Newark.
The 110-year-old building is known as a “jewel box” design due to its ornate artwork and design features on the boxy building – one of only eight in the United States. It’s located on the corner of W. Main and N. 3rd streets, across from the recently renovated Licking County Courthouse, built in 1876.
The Sullivan Building, built for The Home Building Association Bank, was designed by Louis Sullivan, a Chicago-based world-renowned architect known as the “father of skyscrapers.” With 21 buildings designed by Sullivan marking the Chicago skyline, these jewel boxes have become attractions to the small towns in which they are built because of their intracity and uniqueness.
Dan Moder, executive director of Explore Licking County, said that “this past year, tourism generated $588.6 million” for Licking County and its residents.
Because of “tourism and its adjacent industries, one in every 12 Licking Countians are being put to work,” he said.
With the transition into their new home, Moder wants the building to serve as a “hub for the community,” and he mentions he uses the term community as a broad one to sort of “encompass the worldwide community” that will be drawn to the current and future sites and offerings of Licking.
With tourism growth comes economic growth for the local community.
The other newest addition to the City of Newark: The Arcade.
Built in 1909, it is now one of Ohio’s four remaining glass-enclosed shopping areas, said Patrick Sullivan, executive director of Newark Development Partners, which bought the building in 2019 and has led the renovation efforts.
Read more: $19 million renovation breathes new life into historic Arcade
The Arcade is expected to reopen to the public in January, but in a reinvented form.
The project spans a city block from N. 3rd to N. 4th Street and will house about 20 retail spaces, ranging from restaurants to boutiques, and 18 residential lofts. Sullivan said the addition of these spaces will promote economic growth in the area.
As a long-time resident of the Newark area, Sullivan said he has noticed “a sense of excitement and positivity being pumped into Newark when seeing such an old building come back to life.”
Asked about the economic impact, he said, “that with the presence of high-quality retailers,” community leaders hope it will continue to contribute to the “increasing quality and development of the City of Newark.”
A block east of the Arcade on Courthouse Square is the Midland Theatre, at 36 N. Park Place, which opened in 1928 and in 2025 will be celebrating its 25th anniversary since reopening after extensive renovations. Midland offers movies, comedy acts, and musical performances in all genres.
Around the square are a host of shops and restaurants, many of them in historic buildings that have been restored in recent years.
Not far from the historic Courthouse Square is The Works, a center for history, art and technology. One of the features there is a replica of the airplane piloted by Jerrie Mock, the first woman to fly solo around the world.
She was born in Homer, on the northern edge of Licking County, and departed Columbus on her historic trip around the world on March 19, 1964. She returned 29 days later.
Her plane, the Cessna 180, named “Spirit of Columbus,” was Mock’s companion on this journey.
Sadie Burger, director of education and museum programs at The Works, described Mock and her connection to Licking County as a special one, and that her story is one of several key features of The Works.
Burger describes The Works, at 55 S. 1st St., as a “museum for everyone, whether you are 3 years old or 103 years old, we have something that’s going to appeal to every single demographic.”
That includes the SciDome Planetarium and its glass-blowing studio.
To the west of downtown are the Great Circle Mound and the Octagon Mound, two parts of the eight-part network of earthworks that make up the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which were built more than 2,000 years ago by Native Americans and earned the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in September 2023.
Moder noted that the UNESCO designation has already increased visitors to the Great Circle Mound by almost twofold, and he knows the Octagon Mound will attract a similar number of visitors when it reopens to the public on Jan. 1.
Beyond Newark, there are many other sites that tell the stories of Ohio’s rich past, and all can be visited during a visit to Licking County.
Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve, east of Newark, is the site where the native people who built the earthworks quarried flint. The 533-acre preserve includes hiking trails, quarry pits, and the stone that Native Americans used to make tools and weapons, and also to trade with other native groups.
Not far from there is The Dawes Arboretum, which was established in 1929 by Beman Dawes and his wife, Bertie. The arboretum covers 2,000 acres and its collections include 15,400 plants representing more than 5,300 different types of plants. It offers many special events and a series of hiking trails and driving paths to view the collection.
Moder said that the thing “most residents take for granted is the natural elements Licking County is ripe with.”
The Village of Granville is a destination in itself. Founded in 1805 by settlers from Granville, Massachusetts, it was built on the model of a New England town and allows visitors to travel back in time.
The Buxton Inn, completed in 1812 and one of the oldest inns in Ohio, has hosted three U.S. presidents – Abraham Lincoln, William Henry Harrison and William McKinley – along with musical talents including John Phillip Sousa and Yo-Yo Ma.
Across the street is the Granville Inn, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024, and another inn that has hosted actors, musicians and political leaders.
A walk down Broadway, the village’s main street, takes visitors to coffee shops, boutiques, and restaurants, many in historic buildings dating to the 1800s.
North of Granville and Newark is the Village of Utica, founded in 1815, and the home of Watts Family Restaurant, the sixth oldest continuously operated restaurant in Ohio. It offers its customers a chance to experience dining reminiscent of times past. Having survived the Great Depression and 18 recessions, Watts has stood the test of time, and its future continues to look promising.
Regulars and new visitors are greeted by smiles from the wait staff and a seemingly endless selection of baked goods, especially its famous pies.
Back at the Explore Licking County office, Moder said there is “never a lack of things to do” in Licking County – for both the visitor and the long-time resident.
Abby Schneider writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.