Inside: Follow along as we explore fun family weekend getaways in Ohio – this time in nearby Lancaster, Ohio!
My family loves to spend time exploring and traveling around. We love visiting places like New York City, nearby Michigan, and even Italy! But let’s keep it real – we don’t always have the money or the time to go on a big fancy family trip.
So we’re always on the hunt for fun family weekend getaways in Ohio! These shorter, affordable trips keep us sane and offer so much fun for the whole family.
We were getting itchy for a fun getaway, so when Visit Fairfield County invited us to experience a kid-friendly getaway close to our home in Columbus, Ohio – we were so excited!
We bundled our six-year old into her car seat, strapped on a kid’s travel tray and we were off!
Family Weekend Getaways in Ohio – Fun Things To Do In Fairfield County With Kids
Fairfield County, Ohio is located only 35 minutes from downtown Columbus. If you have young kids who hate sitting in a car, this short drive time makes it the ideal kid friendly day trip from Columbus, Ohio. If you’d like to extend the fun a bit, I highly suggest making a weekend out of it and getting a hotel.
My daughter LOVES hotels with pools, and I love that we have a “home-base” for naps and down time.
Family Weekend Getaways in Ohio – Where To Stay In Lancaster, Ohio
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Lancaster. This was a perfect choice for my family because it had a pool and a yummy full breakfast in the morning.
Some other good hotel options for a family friendly weekend trip to Lancaster:
Family Weekend Getaways in Ohio – What To Do With Kids in Lancaster, Ohio
There is so much to do with kids in Lancaster, Ohio! I have a high energy little one, and I was delighted to see so many activities that let her run around, explore and get her moving around.
Some of our favorite things to do in Lancaster included:
AHA! Children’s Museum
1708 River Valley Circle South, Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 653-1010
http://www.aha4kids.org/
Cost: $8 per person, Free for children 12 months and under
My whole family had fun at AHA! Children’s Museum! The museum had activities for all age groups, was well staffed, and very clean. It reminded me of a mini COSI – as it was extremely hands on. There were several “pretend play” stations, along with a fun dress up corner and stage to perform!
There were LEGO tables, sand tables, blocks, foam construction, crafts, trucks, a fishing station, and so much more.
They even had a water room with fun water tables and cups for splashing!
There was also an entire outdoor space to explore – my little one fell in love with the outdoor mud kitchen, “pirate ship” and sand play areas.
Fairfield County Covered Bridge Trail
Various Locations
https://www.visitfairfieldcounty.org/coveredbridges.php
Cost: FREE!
Did you know that Fairfield County has the MOST original covered bridges in Ohio?
Want easy, turn-by-turn directions to the FAVORITE covered bridges? Check out this handy guide!
Want to see them all? Then print off this map, grab your camera, and go find some gorgeous covered bridges!
Alley Park
2805 Old Logan Rd SE , Lancaster, OH 43130
(740)-687-6651
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/ohio/alley-park–2
Cost: FREE!
We stopped by Alley Park for a family friendly hike through the beautiful trails.
This 2.4 mile trail is great for all ages and the setting is stunning, especially views of the lake!
Jolly Hoppers
730 S. Ewing St., Lancaster, Oh 43130
(740) 652-5867
https://www.jollyhoppers.com/
Cost: $7 per child
**Must wear socks, check times as some limited weekend availability
The name says it all! This is a fun place for your little “jolly hopper!” My daughter loved this bounce house (inflatable park) and didn’t want to leave. It’s great for all ages, and even has a separate toddler space. If you’re looking for bouncing fun, slides, obstacle courses, climbing wall, and ball pits, you’ve come to the right place. My little one especially loved the laser light show!
If you are into shopping, downtown Lancaster has some fun boutique shops to wander through.
Tracie Lynn’s Collection
113 N Columbus St, Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 653-6044
https://www.explorehockinghills.com/recreation/tracie-lynn-s-collection
We loved wandering through Tracie Lynn’s Collection and looking for treasures. I was very surprised at the low prices! Usually antiques = $$$ but this shop had lots of fun treasures at affordable prices. My daughter was delighted to find a book about pirates (she’s obsessed with pirates!)
We also loved looking at the antique doll house furniture and the entire collection of toys. In addition, there were cool pieces of furniture, artwork, and all kinds of dishes and housewares to check out.
We found Cabbage Patch dolls! It was a walk down memory lane for me, so much fun!
The Paperback Exchange
201 W Main St, Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 654-5856
https://www.facebook.com/paperbackexchange.oh/
The Paperback Exchange is an independent book store located right in downtown Lancaster. We have a special spot for books in my family and one of our favorite past times is finding a good book store and searching for something new to pick up.
The Paperback Exchange regularly has sales where you can fill up a bag of books for $20. What a deal! I’d make the drive from Columbus just for that deal alone.
Family Weekend Getaways in Ohio – Where to Eat in Fairfield County With Kids
All that jumping and bouncing and hiking and shopping works up an appetite, so I wanted to share some of my favorite places to eat in Fairfield County with kids.
JB’s Downtown Grill
111 N. Columbus St.
Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 422-8422
https://jbsdowntowngrill.com/
The moment we walked into JB’s Downtown Grill – we were in love. Our sweet server Sarah won us over with her smile and all her recommendations. We listened to every suggestion and she did not lead us astray! She recommended the house balsamic dressing, and my six year loved it so much that she ate her entire salad. It was nothing short of a miracle!
The owners of JB’s Downtown Grill, Chef Jamie and his wife Beth are incredibly passionate about what they do. Their restaurant features made-from-scratch everything – sauces, dressings, hand-ground meat, and they even cure their delicious pork belly in house! They are determined to keep their prices low and their quality high so they remain accessible for families to gather around their tables.
Also – they have a JUKE BOX! We had so much fun picking out songs and dancing around.
They have a great kids menu and my six year old DEVOURED her grilled cheese sandwich. My husband and I loved our crunchy cod sandwich and Italian sausage sandwich.
Also – pro tip: make sure to try their pork belly slider!
We also loved El Pedregal for Mexican food for the whole family!
El Pedregal Mexican Restaurant
44 E Columbus St
Lithopolis, OH 43136
(614) 829-2394
http://www.pedregalrestaurant.com/
We were blown away by the quality and freshness at El Pedregal. Delicious flavors, and everything made-from-scratch. Even the tortillas are made-to-order!
Stop in and say “hi” to the owner, Efrain!
El Pedregal is full of regulars, and some drive the 30 minutes from Columbus just to dine, so you know it’s delicious food! I have so many favorites that I wrote an entire post dedicated to El Pedregal … you can read about it here!
They have a great kids menu ($5.50 – includes an entree, side + drink) as well as lots of things for mom and dad.
I highly recommend their fiesta guacamole, queso fundido, fried-grilled burrito and their CHURRO SANDWICH!
Cherry Street Pub
202 N Cherry Street
Lancaster, OH 43130
740-654-7828
http://cherrystreetpub.com/
Cherry Street Pub was delicious! We went there for brunch and it did not disappoint. You should plan on getting their early, because we arrived about 15 minutes after they opened and they were already on a short wait and the pub was hopping!
My six year old loved their funky, eclectic decor and mommy and daddy loved the $4 make-your-bloody-Mary bar!
I highly recommend starting off with their Polliwog Dip.
And then pretty much anything on their brunch menu is fantastic, so close your eyes, point your finger, sit back and wait on something magical to make it’s way to your table.
Like their take on chicken and waffles (Waffle-y Good Pig n Chicken)
Or maybe an order of their Hangover Burger? (Served with tater tots!!!!)
Some other spots to check out:
Bob’s Backyard BBQ
157 W Main St
Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 422-8848
https://www.bobsbackyardbarbeque.com
Nick’s Restaurant & Pizza
702 W Wheeling Street
Lancaster, OH 43130
740-653-3268
https://www.facebook.com/nickspizzalancaster/
And when you’re ready for a sweet treat, I suggest either a stop at Donut World or a scoop of Gypsy’s Ice Cream. For an allergen-friendly treat, check out the Happy Goat!
Donut World
601 N Broad St
Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 653-4888
https://m.facebook.com/donutworldlancasterohio/
It’s not a real family weekend getaway unless there are DONUTS, amirite? Donut World is a small shop that smells heavenly and has tons of donut flavors for you to try.
If you’re indecisive like me, and your little one just wants “one of everything” then I recommend asking for the friendly folks behind the case to just put together a box of their favorites. That’s what we ended up doing and we weren’t disappointed!
Sadly, my hubby has a tough time with gluten. So I was delighted to find the Happy Goat in downtown Lancaster.
Happy Goat Gluten-Free Bakery & Bulk Foods
608 Forest Rose Ave
Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 621-4628
happygoat.biz
We loved the treats we sampled here, and they truly did not have a “gluten-free” taste like so many allergen-friendly items do. If you didn’t know they were gluten-free, you would just think you were sampling something decadent and delicious!
Gypsy Joe’s Ice Cream
2237 W Fair Ave
Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 687-2400
http://www.gypsyjoesicecream.com/
In addition to scoops of ice cream, Gypsy Joe’s also has donuts, shakes, sundaes and specialty treats. We only sampled their ice cream, but were surprised at the generous scoops! For $2.50, you get a GIANT scoop!
Check out the size of my daughter’s cone. That was ONE SCOOP! Crazy, right?
I hope you enjoyed reading about all the fun we had on our day trip to Lancaster, Ohio! You should definitely put Fairfield County on your list of family weekend getaways in Ohio! Whether your family likes to visit museums, hike trails, eat delicious things, or spend time shopping – you’ll find plenty to do in Lancaster, Ohio.
Looking for some other fun things to do with kids around Ohio? Check out my favorite family weekend getaways in Ohio:
Amish Country Family Fun in Berlin, Ohio
Visiting Granville, Ohio with Kids
How to Travel with No Itinerary
Do you have any other fun family weekend getaways in Ohio to share? I’m always looking for ideas so leave me a comment and let me know where I should head next! Happy travels!
Accommodations, food and tickets were provided by Visit Fairfield County. All pictures and opinions are my own.
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Looks like a fun time! Can’t wait to go in a couple weeks.
I’m sure you’ll have a totally different experience! Can’t wait to hear about it!!
That GF bakery was a great find! Were all the bulk goods GF too?
It was delicious! Everything I saw was gluten free 🙂
There is so much information here! I need to plan a trip for this summer with my family. Thanks so much for sharing!
You’re welcome! We had a great time – I know you will, too 🙂
How fun! I have driven through Lancaster many times on my way to OU. I will have to take a road trip and explore. It looks like a lot of fun.
If you liked Alley Park, you should check out the Pumpkin Hike they have every fall. It is a night hike through the woods and the trail is lined with hundreds of lit pumpkins. There are bonfires for roasting hot dogs or even making smores. This years hike is on Saturday, October 19, 2019. For more information, go to https://www.ci.lancaster.oh.us/283/Pumpkin-Hike
Thanks for the tip! That sounds like SO MUCH FUN!