Things to Do in Chillicothe, Ohio

The Hopewell culture built earthworks and burial mounds across the Scioto Valley between about 200 B.C. and A.D. 500. Mound City Group, on the north side of town, has the park’s only visitor center and accessible trails among the mounds. In 2023 the park became part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Site.

★ Good to know There’s no entrance fee, and March through October is the park’s busiest stretch.

The national park has five separate units covering nearly 1,800 acres, and three more besides Mound City are open to visitors. Hopeton Earthworks has a 1.1-mile round-trip trail to an overlook. Hopewell Mound Group has a 2.5-mile trail, restrooms and a picnic shelter, and Seip Earthworks has mowed-grass paths around its large central mound.

★ Good to know Hopeton and Seip have no restrooms, so stop at the Mound City visitor center first; High Bank Works isn’t open to the public yet.

This outdoor drama has told the life of the Shawnee leader Tecumseh every summer since 1973. It plays on the big outdoor stages of the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, with galloping horses, live cannon fire and staged battles. Tecumseh himself was likely born in the area.

★ Good to know The season usually runs from early June to early September; VIP packages add a backstage tour and a cast meet-and-greet.

Thomas Worthington, Ohio’s sixth governor and one of its first U.S. senators, built this hilltop house in 1807 from a design by Benjamin Latrobe. The view of Mount Logan from the property is the scene on Ohio’s state seal. The grounds also gave their name to the Adena culture, after the first mound of that type was found here.

★ Good to know The Ohio History Connection opens it seasonally for a small fee, and there’s a visitor center with interactive exhibits.

The hills in this 1,682-acre park north of town are the same ones pictured on the Great Seal of Ohio. Its trails climb to views of distant ridges and the Scioto Valley, and they’re open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. There’s also disc golf, a small campground and a storybook trail.

★ Good to know The trails are steep in places, so wear real shoes.

The county historical society’s museum covers the Northwest Territory, Chillicothe’s years as capital, the Scioto Valley’s prehistoric cultures and World War I’s Camp Sherman. Exhibits include a 1906 Logan automobile and a Conestoga wagon. Guided tours include the Knoles Log House, built in the early 1820s and rebuilt on the museum grounds.

★ Good to know The museum is open March through December; the 1907 Franklin House on Paint Street is by advance appointment only.

The Majestic’s story starts with a Masonic Hall built on the site in 1853. The local visitors bureau calls it America’s oldest continuously operating theater. Today it hosts concerts, plays and films downtown.

★ Good to know The box office is inside the visitors bureau at 230 N. Plaza Blvd., which is also the place to pick up a visitor guide.