This post is sponsored by Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

We took a weekend trip to Springfield, Ohio, and had such a great time. It is such an easy drive from Columbus and is filled with many family-friendly things to do. We spent the weekend eating at the local spots, listening to live music outside of our hotel, sipping on delicious coffee, petting the friendliest goats, searching for local murals, flying kites at the beach, and so much more.

To help you plan your trip, I put together a guide with all the info you need on where to eat, play and stay in Springfield.

Mike + Rosy’s

When in Springfield, Mike + Rosy’s is a must stop as it is a Springfield staple. An old-school mom-&-pop shop offering soups & unique steamed sandwiches for over 35 years and several big screen TVs to watch sports. They make the sandwiches as you order them, which means they are super fresh! I typically go with a pizza bagel and my husband a pastrami hoagie. Both great choices. As they’re also a full deli, I typically get pepperoni slices for the girls to share, grab a few chips from the shelf and a pasta or potato salad. It makes for the perfect picnic, which we had at Buck Creek State Park.

Address: 330 W McCreight Ave, Springfield, OH 45504

Clifton Mills

This is the perfect spot for breakfast. Breakfast is served all day with a menu that includes pancakes, omelets, fried potatoes, cornmeal mush & more! The pancakes were AMAZING and HUGE. The views from breakfast were gorgeous. The staff were incredibly sweet. You can check out their menu here.

Address: 75 Water St, Clifton, OH 45316

CoHatch Marketplace

You’ve probably heard of CoHatch. It is a co-working space that has been popping up all over Columbus for awhile now. However, this location is a bit different. It has a Marketplace on it’s main floor, which includes a number of local restaurants, as well as a delicious hand-crafted cocktail bar. Sort of reminds me of a smaller version of the Dublin North Market. Everything looked and sounded amazing. We enjoyed a delicious waffle breakfast at Ironworks Waffle, a late night pizza from Crust & Company, Chips & Guac from The Painted Pepper, as well as a well-made cocktail and beer from The Market Bar. This a great spot for families because there are a number of options, surely to please everyone.

Address: 101 S Fountain Ave, Springfield, OH 45502

Young’s Dairy Farm

The menu features many homemade ice cream treats, sandwiches of all kinds, a full breakfast, and delicious treats from their own bakery. Everything is wonderful, but I am a huge fan of the cheese curds. We typically get them plain, but make sure to grab a side of hot sauce and sweet chili. They have a TON of Homemade Ice Cream and Sorbetto flavors, which are all made right on their farm. You can even get a glimpse of them making it.

Address: 6880 Springfield-Xenia Rd, Yellow Springs, OH 45387

Winans’s Coffee

Located in the center of downtown, Winan’s is your spot for coffee and a delicious chocolate treat. This may look familiar to you and that’s because we have a few right here in Columbus. My favorite drink to order is the iced karamel kiss latte, but can’t say no to their speciality drinks!

Schuler’s Bakery

When I mentioned we were going to Springfield on Instagram, Schuler’s Bakery was the number one most repeated spot that I was told we had to visit! Schuler’s Bakery “The Home of Homemade” has been around since 1937 and once you take a bite of anything on their menu, you’ll understand why. There menu  offers a variety of treats, but my favorite was the donuts! All fo them. I can’t pick a favorite.

Young’s Dairy Farm

If you follow along on my social media, you know that we love Young’s Dairy Farm. We visit a few times a year and have such fun each time. What I didn’t realize was how close the farm was to Downtown Springfield. It was maybe 15-ish minutes from our hotel, making it the perfect opportunity to explore in the evening. Watching the sunset while eating ice cream, mingling with the friendliest goats, and sliding down slides was wonderful.

Throughout the year, they have special events and fun things like pumpkin picking – but, a constant source of entertainment is their Udders & Putters area.Two farm-themed miniature golf courses, a driving range with 40 natural grass tees & 20 artificial grass tees (10 of which are heated/covered), a 9 position batting cage with softball & baseball, Cowvin’s Kiddie Corral, Cowvin’s Fast Slide and Moovers & Shakers. Fun for the whole family can be found at Udders & Putters! Find out more information here.

Address: 6880 Springfield Xenia Rd, Yellow Springs, OH 45387

Buck Creek State Park

Located in west-central Clark County, Buck Creek State Park encompasses C.J. Brown Reservoir and is surrounded by rich agricultural lands. The reservoir is large enough for unlimited horsepower boating, but we mostly stayed on the shore flying kites, building sand castles and watching the boats go by.

You’ll also find miles of multi-use trails passing through meadows and wetland, disc golf, volleyball and basketball courts, shuffleboard and playground equipment. You can even rent bicycles seasonally from the Camp Store. Our weekend was pretty jammed pack, so we didn’t take advantage of any of theses amenities. Hopefully next visit!

I will say the bottom was VERY ROCKY. They were mostly smooth, but did not feel great on bare feet. Highly suggest wearing water shoes if you plan to go in the water. Also, this was not the cleanest park we went to. There was goose poop and trash close to the shore.

Address: 1976 Buck Creek Ln, Springfield, OH 45502

Clifton Mills

Home to an incredible and legendary light show, Clifton Mill is one of our go-to holiday spots. Did you know The mill is one of the largest water-powered grist mills still in existence? The first mill at this site was built in 1802 by Owen Davis, a Revolutionary War soldier and frontiersman miller. The Little Miami River powered five other mills that were built within a mile of Historic Clifton Mill: a woolen mill, saw mill, paper mill, barrel mill and another grist mill. Historic Clifton Mill is the only one still standing.

During Spring and Summer, for $3 per person, you can tour the inner workings of the mill to see first hand one of Americas earliest industries. Inside is a collection of over 300 flour bags from mills around the country.  Many of these bags are over 100 years old and are beautiful, colorful examples of some of America’s first advertising practices. This visit, we explored on our own after breakfast – which was perfect for the age the girls are at (2.5 years). We were able to walk across the 90 foot authentic wooden bridge across the Little Miami River and enjoy the spectacular views of Historic Clifton Mill, Clifton Gorge, the Little Miami River and its waterfalls. There is also a 1940s Gas Station Museum, completely stocked with original products. The old gas station is covered with authentic signs from the era, which you can see by walking by.

Address: 75 Water St.,Clifton, OH 45316

Hartman Rock Garden

Such a hidden gem on the corner of an unassuming street. Built by Ben Hartman during the Great Depression, the Hartman Rock Garden started off as a small project with the intention of being a little stone and concrete fish pond in his yard. However, he enjoyed doing the work and liked how it looked, so he kept going. He collected the stones from a nearby construction site, broke it with his hammer, added stones/pottery/mirrors, and turned them into cathedrals, little houses, and more.

The girls loved exploring the garden! Everything was right at their eye level. They seemed to really enjoy looking at all the details and telling each other what they saw. It was super cute to watch.

Throughout the garden you will see many replicas – Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, a White House, a Mount Vernon, a large castle with a drawbridge and moat, a “Tree of Life,” Oregon Trail, a Nativity scene, a line of stone animals marches up a bridge to Noah’s Ark: all made of pebbles and more. Make sure you grab a paper tour guide when you get there. It gives a bit more information on what you’re looking at, as well as a fun scavenger hunt for kids.

Address: 1905 Russell Avenue. Springfield, OH 45506

Find the Public Murals around town

There are several amazing public murals around town. Searching for them is a fun way to get to know the downtown area of Springfield. The girls LOVE finding them and then pointing out their favorite colors and what they see.

The first mural we found was the Greetings from Springfield mural, part of a cross country project by Artists Victor Ving and Lisa Beggs, who make it their living to bring vibrancy to communities across the country. Ving and Beggs have painted more than 40 such murals across 20 states during their Greetings Tour. The murals are done in the style of classic postcards, the big block letters spelling out a community’s name, while its landmarks are illustrated throughout. Perfect place to take a selfie when exploring a new town. 

The next set of murals were probably the most impactful to look at. They were created by Project Jericho, a non-profit organization that brings hands-on performance and visual arts experiences to local children and their families. One of the programs focuses around public murals that include and lift up the community. The goal is to allow the youth to be a part of something bigger than themselves, to help create something that is accessible to all and brings people together.

If you look closely, the mural contains positive messages such as “You are valued, smart, courageous…., realize your greatness, etc.” You’ll also read things that hit a little deeper, “I love when my mom is happy. At the end of the day, your family is always there for you. On the good days and the bad days. United we stand to break down the violent walls. I show my smile, but my pain, I hide it from the world.” Keep in mind these are written by kids 12 – 18.

My favorite mural was the Rose City mural, a colorful array of roses aside the Starrett and Fried building downtown. The Rose City mural was painted by Colorado-based artist Mariah Kaminsky and about two dozen Project Jericho students. The mural is HUGE. The flowers are nearly 12 feet high and 73 feet across.

The Rose City Mural depicts Springfield’s history of once being known as the Rose City from the late 19th Century through the Great Depression when it nurtured around 20 million flowers a year including the McGregor Brothers Co. Several area businesses still use Rose City in their names.

---

Other Ideas: Explore the Ohio Caverns, Tour a Frank Lloyd Wright House, Look at art in e only Smithsonian Affiliate art museum in the state of Ohio, grab a beer flight at the spectacular outdoor beer garden at Mother Stewart’s Brewing Company or discover the great outdoors by canoe at Mad River Adventures.  

---

Our must recent visit, we stayed at Courtyard Marriott and had a fantastic experience. The staff is fabulous and accommodating. Everything listed above is within a 5 – 20 minute drive of the hotel, making it an ideal location. Doesn’t hurt that the views from our room at all times were pretty great. The girls loved looking at the mural in the hallway by the elevator, watching the Farmers’ Market set-up in the morning, swimming in the indoor pool and seeing the “castle” lit up at night. If you notice the lights in the picture on the right, that is right out side of CO-Hatch Market.

Address: 100 S Fountain Ave, Springfield, OH 45502

We’ve also stayed at the Simon Kenton Inn, which was a lovely and unique experience.

If you have any questions or need help planning a trip to Springfield, I highly suggest checking out The official visitors guide to Springfield, Ohio. They have a TON of information and have all the info you need on upcoming events and local attractions.