Like Hudson, Ohio, with better hills
Granville: 48-Hour Escape from Cincinnati
A New England-style village square transplanted to Ohio hills: a steepled church, Denison's hill, and a UNESCO earthworks nearby.
Granville: A New England-style village square transplanted to Ohio hills: a steepled church, Denison's hill, and a UNESCO earthworks nearby.
At a glance
Granville, Ohio is a 1 hr 45 min drive from Cincinnati, best visited September-November. Like Hudson, Ohio, with better hills. Top things to do: Broadway and the Bryn Du Mansion, Denison University and Swasey Chapel, Newark Earthworks. Where to eat: Granville Inn Dining Room, Buxton Inn Restaurant, Granville Brewing Company. Stay at Granville Inn or Buxton Inn.
Why here
Granville is a village of about 5,800 in the rolling hills of Licking County, founded in 1805 by settlers from Granville, Massachusetts, who rebuilt their New England town on Ohio ridges: a broad green main street called Broadway, a white-steepled church at its head, Greek Revival and Italianate storefronts, and the campus of Denison University climbing the hill above it all. It is the rare Ohio village that looks like Connecticut, and it has the dining and inn scene to match.
The deeper history is older still. Thirty minutes west in Newark, the Newark Earthworks preserve the largest geometric earthworks built by the Hopewell culture 2,000 years ago, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Closer to town, the Bryn Du Mansion estate hosts horse shows and farmers markets, and the trails of Infirmary Mound Park and the Licking River greenway stitch the hillsides together.
A weekend in Granville is a village-and-history weekend. Stroll Broadway and its shops on arrival, climb Denison's hill for the Swasey Chapel sunset view, and spend day two at the Newark Earthworks or on the Bryn Du grounds. Come September through November for fall color over the Licking River valleys. Two nights is the right pace; the village rewards slow mornings.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Granville
Granville Inn
The 1924 English manor-style inn on Broadway, with stone-and-timber rooms, a tavern, and the village square at the door. The classic pick.
Buxton Inn
Ohio's oldest continuously operating inn, from 1812, with period rooms, a famous haunted history, and a restaurant on the square. The historic pick.
Cherry Valley Lodge
A lodge-style hotel 5 minutes away in Newark, with spacious rooms and a quieter price when the inns fill. The practical pick.
What to do
Broadway and the Bryn Du Mansion
Free. The broad New England-style main street of 19th-century storefronts, then walk 10 minutes to the Bryn Du Mansion estate, a 52-room mansion grounds with horse shows and a Saturday farmers market.
Learn more ↗
Denison University and Swasey Chapel
Free. Climb the hill above town to the 185-acre campus; Swasey Chapel's steps give the best sunset view over the Licking River valleys. The observatory opens to the public on scheduled nights.
Learn more ↗
Newark Earthworks
Free. A UNESCO World Heritage site 30 minutes west: the largest geometric earthworks of the ancient Hopewell culture, 2,000 years old, including the Great Circle and the Octagon. Allow half a day.
Learn more ↗Pack for Granville
Trail & waterfall kit
Curated for waterfalls, trails, and summit days in Granville.
Lightweight hiking daypack
Room for layers, snacks, and the camera, without weighing you down.
See price on Amazon →Insulated water bottle
Cold water past the last switchback, hot coffee at the overlook.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof hiking boots
Grippy and dry through creek crossings and muddy gorge trails.
See price on Amazon →Rechargeable headlamp
For early trailheads and that one hike that ran long.
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Where to eat
Granville Inn Dining Room
The manor inn's own restaurant, with Ohio comfort plates, a stone-walled tavern, and Sunday roast worth planning around. Reserve for weekends.
Buxton Inn Restaurant
Dinner in Ohio's oldest inn, in candle-lit period rooms with a resident-ghost reputation that packs the bar. The experience dinner.
Granville Brewing Company
The village's craft brewery near Broadway, with small-batch ales, a patio, and a relaxed local crowd. The easy afternoon stop.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Granville. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
Granville Inn Dining Room
American, Taverns
Buxton Inn Restaurant
American
Granville Brewing Company
Breweries
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Granville
Once you've settled into Granville, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
5 min from Granville
Newark
5 minutes west, the bigger town with the Newark Earthworks, affordable lodging, and the Works museum for families.
20 min from Granville
Buckeye Lake
20 minutes south, a historic lake resort town with state park beaches and summer boating.
On the calendar
Coming up in Granville
Events happening in town, refreshed weekly.
Refreshed weekly
Dec 12
Christmas at the Mansion
Granville · Bryn Du Mansion Estate
Celebrate the holiday season on the historic Bryn Du Estate with festive seasonal displays and community activities. It provides an ideal centerpiece for exploring historic Granville during the holidays.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Cincinnati, take I-71 North to Columbus, then OH-37 East through Granville. About 125 miles, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes. Broadway parking is free and easy. The Newark Earthworks are 30 minutes west, and the drive stays on fast highways almost the whole way.
Drive time
1 hr 45 min
Best time
September-November
Questions & Answers
Granville weekend FAQ
Granville is about 125 miles northeast of Cincinnati, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes by car via Columbus and OH-37 East.
Yes. At under 2 hours, Granville is a New England-style village weekend with a 1924 manor inn, Denison University's hilltop campus, and the Newark Earthworks UNESCO site 30 minutes away.
Its Connecticut-transplant village plan around Broadway, the white-steepled First Presbyterian Church, Denison University on the hill, the 1812 Buxton Inn, and the nearby Newark Earthworks, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Yes. September through November brings peak color over the Licking River valleys, Saturday farmers markets at the Bryn Du grounds, and the village's most atmospheric weather on the Denison hill walks.
Yes. A Broadway stroll, a sunset from Swasey Chapel, dinner in the candle-lit Buxton Inn, and a morning at the Earthworks make it a relaxed, bookish couples weekend.
Often, yes. Cherry Valley Lodge in nearby Newark almost always has rooms, and the Granville Inn opens up midweek, making a 1-hour-45-minute drive an easy spontaneous trip.
Yes, at 1 hour 45 minutes. It is the farthest of Cincinnati's small-town escapes but the most surprising, a New England-style square with the Newark Earthworks UNESCO site nearby.
Yes. The Great Circle and Octagon sites are free to visit, with an interpretive center at the Great Circle. The Octagon sits on a golf course but offers public access days; check the schedule before driving out.