Mark Arminio
On The Road: 5 Great Stops Along I-75
by Mark Arminio - August 20, 2009 - 7:45 AM

“Behind us lay the whole of America and everything Dean and I had previously known about life, and life on the road. We had finally found the magic land at the end of the road and we never dreamed the extent of the magic.” – Jack Kerouac.

There is indeed something magical about road trips.  Something modernly, yet mythic about jumping into a car with friends and lovers and speeding toward a destination, music sweeping out of car speakers as a soundtrack to quickly changing landscape.  In celebration of taking to the highways this summer, we are highlighting specific cities and the hidden gems that can be found in between, just off the beaten path.  We start with I-75 between the Motor and Queen Cities: Detroit and Cincinnati.

Crowning Of St. Catherine1. Glass City Art – Toledo, the glass capital of the world, has a fantastic museum located in Old West End.  Founded by Edward Drummond Libbey, a prominent glassmaker in the early 1900s, it contains several works by classic and modern artists, most notably Peter Paul Rubens’ “The Crowning of Saint Catherine.”  But the real gem is the glass pavilion which houses a Center For Visual Arts, designed by famed architect Frank Gehry.  This fantastic building is also home to the University of Toledo art department and features several works of art, comprised of (what else?), glass.

2. Flag City (and more patriotism than you can wave a flag at) - Feeling patriotic?  Make sure you hit up Findlay, OH, Flag City USA.  In the mid-1960s, local businessman John B. Cooke wanted every single residence and business in town to hoist the stars and stripes on Flag Day.  After creating a fund to purchase 14,000 small flags, Cooke’s dream was realized and Findlay became known as Flag City, USA.

65th_InvHowever, if you’re looking for a bit more historical flavor, be sure and stop at The Flag City Flag Museum in Van Buren, OH, just outside of Findlay.  Vexillologist (vexillology = study of flags) Robert McKee collected more than 1,000 flags in his lifetime and many of them are still on display today, including an American flag employed by the 65th Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.  It contains five white and four red stripes, 34 randomly scattered blue stars on a white background and a large eagle clutching four arrows with a wide blue ribbon in its beak.

lima3. You’d Be Insane To Miss This – Tucked away in Lima, OH (pronounced like lima bean, not the capital of Peru), you will find the Lima Hospital For The Criminally Insane.  At the time of it’s construction it was the largest poured-concrete structure ever created and would only be outdone by the Pentagon in the 1940s.  It was eventually shut down in the late 1970s after a judge ruled that the conditions there were inhumane.  It was replaced by a medium-security prison, which has also since been shuttered.

Oh one other thing: it’s haunted.  There are numerous reports and documents from hospital workers, visitors, committed individuals, prison guards and prison inmates that the ghosts of previously abused “guests” at the insane asylum show up from time to time to terrorize the living.

If you’re interested in ghost hunting, you can also check out the Lima tuberculosis Hospital (although it’s abandoned now), another site where spooks roam the halls.  Must be something they’re putting in the water.

Neil4. Wapakoneta And The Stars – The first man to ever flub a line on the moon, Neil Armstrong calls Wapakoneta, OH, his hometown.  Sitting along I-75 you can stop at the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum, which features, among other things, the Gemini VIII spacecraft Armstrong commanded in 1966 as a precursor to the moon landing.  Also there, you can see an actual moon rock…an object so rare and priceless that it is normally guarded with the same measures as national treasures.  To give you an idea, NASA keeps all it’s collected moon rocks at Building 31 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.  This building is built to Class 100 standards, meaning it can, among meeting other incredible durability metrics, withstand 1000 years of water submersion.  Seriously, go check out the moon rock.

sunwatch5. Who Loves The Sun? – The SunWatch Indian Village is located in Dayton, OH along the banks of the Great Miami River.  Excavated in 1971-1988, the site has been recreated to provide a glimpse at what life was like 800 years ago when it was inhabited by the Fort Ancient native americans.  Scholars believe that a series of engraved posts at the site were a way of making astronomical measurements and that the inhabitants planned rituals and events around the solar calendar.  The site has revealed an incredible amount about the day-to-day lives of the Fort Ancient tribes and it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

Bonus – What would a great road trip be without at least one fantastic culinary endeavor?  Make sure you check out Le Crepe Boheme in Dayton, OH, Located in the Second Street Market, open Thursday – Sunday every week.  You can chat with the owner, Sabine, and discuss everything from culture to the French countryside as she makes delicious crepes.  Definitely a treat!

OK, now it’s your turn. Have you traveled between Detroit and Cincinnati? What sights do you recommend?

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Comments (20)

  1. It’s a little east of I-75 but the National Museum of the United States Air Force, outside of Dayton is a trip worth taking. From the Wright Brothers (who did all their research in Dayton) to today’s planes can take all day (or more to look at).

    Also they have a behind the scenes tour that you have to sign up in advance for, but it’s neat to see them working on museum pieces including the Mephis Belle.

    posted by michael on 8-20-2009 at 7:55 am

  2. Not to be missed: the giant Jesus sculpture. It’s in Monroe, Ohio just north of Cincinnati and can be seen from the I-75.

    posted by diane on 8-20-2009 at 8:16 am

  3. Thanks, Michael, for adding that info. I was thinking about the same place as a must see for anywhere who will be near Dayton.

    posted by Hyacinth on 8-20-2009 at 8:40 am

  4. I second Diane. The big butter Jesus. You don’t even have to stop….but you may want to to take pictures.

    posted by jenny on 8-20-2009 at 9:28 am

  5. I may be mistaken, but when I was traveling up 75 this spring, someone mentioned that the John Glenn museum had closed. There is a historic home site of the house he grew up in, but that all now. Kinda sad.

    posted by Leeah on 8-20-2009 at 9:43 am

  6. I live on I-75, but it’s way south of Ohio!

    posted by Miss Cellania on 8-20-2009 at 10:45 am

  7. Touchdown Jesus!

    posted by K on 8-20-2009 at 11:00 am

  8. Big Butter Jesus can never be seen to much.

    Also, keep your eyes peeled for Engagement, OH. It’s halfway between Dayton and Marion.

    posted by James on 8-20-2009 at 11:10 am

  9. Aw, you’re making me homesick! My hometown is Monroe, MI, which is about 15 miles north of Toledo. I love the Toledo Art Museum (and the Toledo Zoo is worth a trip, too!). I also lived in Tiffin, OH, for 5 years as a kid, which is not far from Findlay.

    recaptcha: announced tomboy

    posted by Krie on 8-20-2009 at 11:45 am

  10. A trip through Ohio on I-75 wouldn’t be complete without stopping in Bowling Green. Stop by the university’s ice rink to see where Scott Hamilton learned to skate. Drive a couple miles out of town to see some wind turbines. If you’re lucky, you can catch the Black Swamp Arts Festival downtown. (And if you’re unlucky, the National Tractor Pulling Championships!)

    posted by EJ on 8-20-2009 at 12:19 pm

  11. The exit at Bowling Green is also home to the northernmost Waffle House that’s directly off of I-75. (There are a few in Toledo, but none directly off the Interstate.) So if you’re heading north, grab some coffee there while you can. It’s great stuff!

    One other worthwhile stop, if you’re traveling on Fri/Sat/Sun and like to shop: Gibraltar Trade Center, off the Eureka Road exit between Detroit and Toledo. You’ll find hundreds of booths filled with bargains, and special events almost every weekend (computer shows, gun & knife shows, antique shows, celebrity signings, and so on).

    posted by Sandy Wood on 8-20-2009 at 12:36 pm

  12. Well if you’re in Toledo anyway be sure to go to Tony Packo’s restaurant, made famous by Corporal Klinger in MASH. The original one on the east side though, not any of the satellite one strung around town. It’s not too far from 75.

    posted by crocostimpy on 8-20-2009 at 1:23 pm

  13. I never knew I drove by such interesting stuff each week! I moved to Dayton a year ago, and drive to Ann Arbor nearly every weekend to see my girlfriend.

    I always wondered what the heck that was in Wapakoneta, but never in a million years would I have guessed that it contained a moon rock. Thanks Mental_Floss!

    I also have to give a nod to the Touchdown Jesus. It isn’t on my weekly route, but I shake my head in disbelief every time I pass it. It’s truly… amazing.

    posted by John on 8-20-2009 at 4:03 pm

  14. I just moved out to LA from Cincinnati, so this article is a pleasant surprise! I also enjoyed that even though this included about 90 miles of Michigan.. there were no Michigan sites noted ;)

    Of course I’m with everyone on touchdown Jesus.

    COSI is always a fun stop in Toldeo.

    Devou Park (okay it’s in Kentucky) has the best overlook of downtown Cincinnati (first exit over the bridge).

    posted by mandy on 8-20-2009 at 7:00 pm

  15. Nobody mentioned the Cornfield Mosque? It’s the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, and it’s right at the junction of I-75 and US-23. My wife and I always joke about how it just rises from out of nowhere and looms over the highway.

    posted by Daniel Wilson on 8-20-2009 at 7:59 pm

  16. Mandy, COSI closed a year or 2 ago :-(

    I’m familiar with most of the places mentioned in the article and comments as I was raised in Findlay, went to school at Bowling Green, lived and worked in Toledo for a couple of years, my grandparents were from Lima and I dated a guy while I was in college (and a few years after) who was from Wapakoneta.

    I live in Ann Arbor now but we belong to the Toledo Zoo rather than the Detroit Zoo. We like it better, it’s more compact!

    posted by Lola on 8-20-2009 at 10:47 pm

  17. Sadly, the best Michigan stops off I-75 are north of Detroit. Amazing pines at Hartwick National Park, beatiful scenic views between Gaylord and Mackinaw City, the stunning Mackinaw Bridge and of course The Mystery Spot in St. Ignace – the definition of kitchy tourist trap!

    posted by Jane on 8-20-2009 at 10:51 pm

  18. If you are gonna stop at Touchdown Jesus, over the weekend you have to check out Trader’s World right next door – 12 buildings of flea market goodness and awesome people watching. Also – Buffy, Ohio’s Largest Buffalo and the chance to win a late model used truck! Can it get better?

    Hillbilly kettle corn from the shelter is awesome!

    posted by Clevegal42 on 8-20-2009 at 11:17 pm

  19. Another shoutout for the Big Butter Jesus (Olio Lord)!

    posted by Margaret on 8-20-2009 at 11:59 pm

  20. Sadly, Butter Jesus was struck by lightning and burned down. They are going to replace him with something though….

    posted by Summer on 2-1-2012 at 2:59 pm

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