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Things to Do in Newark, Ohio

For a city of its size, Newark has an unusual amount to do, starting with a World Heritage site inside the city limits. The community events calendar lists what is happening this week; this page covers the permanent attractions.

The Newark Earthworks

Built by the Hopewell culture around 2,000 years ago, the Newark Earthworks are the largest set of geometric earthen enclosures in the world. In 2023 they were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks. Two major pieces survive in Newark: the Great Circle, a public park with a visitor center, and the Octagon Earthworks, which has been opening to full public access after decades as a golf course. Both are free to visit.

Parks and the outdoors

  • The Dawes Arboretum. Nearly 2,000 acres of gardens, woodland, and trails just south of Newark. Seasonal events and a well-known Japanese garden.
  • Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. A sandstone gorge on the Licking River east of town with a paved trail through the cut and hiking on both sides.
  • Buckeye Lake. Ohio's oldest state park, about 15 minutes south. Boating, fishing, lakeside restaurants and bars.
  • T.J. Evans Trail. Paved rail-trail from Newark through Granville to Johnstown. See Commute.
  • Infirmary Mound Park and the rest of the Licking Park District system.

Downtown Newark

  • The Midland Theatre. A restored 1928 theater on the courthouse square with a year-round concert and performance schedule.
  • Canal Market District. An open-air farmers market and event space a block off the square, open seasonally.
  • The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology. A Smithsonian-affiliated museum with a glass studio, hands-on science exhibits, and local history.
  • Restaurants, breweries, and bars around the square. See the Food & Drink directory.

Oddities and landmarks

  • The Longaberger basket building. The seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket on OH-16 east of downtown, one of the most photographed buildings in Ohio.
  • The Licking County Courthouse. The 1876 Second Empire courthouse that anchors the square.

Granville

Seven miles west, Granville's Broadway is a New England-style village street with restaurants, shops, the Granville Inn, and the Denison campus on the hill above it. Denison's Eisner Center hosts concerts and theater that are open to the public, and the Robbins Hunter Museum and Granville Historical Society are on Broadway.

Sports

High school football and basketball are a big deal here. Denison Big Red and OSU Newark athletics are free or inexpensive. The calendar filters by school so you can follow one team's schedule.

Part of the Moving to Newark, Ohio guide. Spot an error? Let us know.