Things to Do in Archbold, Ohio

Erie Sauder opened this nonprofit living history museum in 1976 to show everyday rural life in the Great Black Swamp. It walks you from 1803 through the 1920s, with historic homes, barnyard animals and daily farming, gardening and cooking demonstrations. Craftspeople work at glassblowing, blacksmithing, weaving, broommaking, coopering, tinsmithing and printing.

★ Good to know The Erie Express, a miniature replica of an 1863 train, circles the village from the Elmira Depot on 1920s Main Street and is included with admission. The village is open several days a week from spring through fall, so check the hours page first.

The Barn Restaurant serves hearty homestyle meals in a restored 1861 barn on the Sauder Village grounds. The Doughbox Bakery next to it makes donuts, cookies and pies from scratch every day. Neither requires Historic Village admission.

★ Good to know Inside the village, the 1920s Soda Fountain on Main Street pours cherry phosphates and hand-dipped ice cream, but you need a village ticket for that one.

Three independent artists keep studios on the Sauder grounds. Mark Matthews of Burlington Glass Works is known worldwide for intricate glass spheres collected by museums. Mark Nafziger of Brush Creek Pottery has made stoneware and porcelain since 1981, and Aaron Hampton of A.H.H. Forge makes working ironwork.

★ Good to know The blacksmith is by appointment when the Historic Village is closed, so call ahead in the off-season.

This 321-acre preserve northwest of town holds the least disturbed woodland left in far northwestern Ohio. Many of its bur, white and chinquapin oaks are 200 to 400 years old and about 4 feet across, a remnant of the old Black Swamp forest. It’s a National Natural Landmark with 5 miles of trails and a historic Goll family homestead and cemetery.

★ Good to know Come in spring for more than 40 kinds of wildflowers, including large-flowered trillium, before the mosquitoes arrive. Pets aren’t allowed.

About 1.3 miles southwest of Goll Woods, this covered bridge carries County Road I-25 over the Tiffin River. It won a 2002 National Timber Bridge Award and is a stop on the Northwest Ohio River Trail.

★ Good to know Pair it with Goll Woods; the two make an easy half-day loop.

A two-mile Wetlands Trail loops through native plants and bird habitat on the Sauder property. The campground sits a short walk from the Historic Village, and the country-style Heritage Inn is on the grounds too. Parking is free, with room for campers and buses.

★ Good to know Staying on site makes it easy to catch evening programs and the bakery when it opens.

Just west of Archbold near Fayette, this 142-acre state park is built around a lake used for swimming, fishing, paddling and camping. It also has hiking trails, disc golf, 3D archery, a dog park and a dog swim area.

★ Good to know Fall color is one of its listed highlights, and it’s a quiet add-on to a Sauder Village weekend.