Found: The most charming small town in Ohio

Step into one of the cutest cities in the Heartland of America

Bellefontaine (pronounced Bel - Fountain) piqued our curiosities for several reasons. We have learned a few things about our small town travels and what to look for. First, we knew we wanted a hotel or Airbnb close to things so we could walk. We also looked for a place that had multiple kinds of restaurants--from fancy to casual--to take us through an entire weekend. Another must-have was a cool after-dinner hangout. And, it had to have nice shops to peruse. A bonus would be unique things to visit that we can’t find anywhere else. Bottom line, Bellefontaine hit every one of these points. Here’s why.

Places to crash

All the reviews about where to stay led to Rainbow Row. Perfect for an empty nester couple such as us, we booked the “Down Under” unit. Located on W. Chillicothe Avenue, it is right in the thick of it all. The entire block is painted in different hues and the Airbnb rooms are above the shops. The entrance is located at W. Chillicothe 116 1/2 and the Down Under unit was perfect for two. The owner, Julie, decorated the place to the nines with an Australia theme, as you can guess from the name. It was well-appointed with a full kitchen, nice bathroom and king-sized bed. The studio room had a lot of games to help pass the time if you wanted to spend time indoors, like a practice green for golfing, mini Jenga, playing cards and tic-tac-toe. Julie also left an entire basket to welcome us that included wine, water, hand sanitizer and some surprises. It really felt homey. Plus, Julie was a gracious host and that makes the biggest difference!

Places to eat

This town had a variety of places to get grub. This is important to us as we consider ourselves foodies.

1. The Syndicate. When we got in to town, the first thing we did was walk across the street to The Syndicate where we had made reservations, although it didn’t seem this was absolutely necessary. Steeped in history, it used to be Jackson’s News Stand from 1946-1993. Not to bury the lead, they had an amazing steak menu featuring Tomahawk, Delmonico, New York strip and filet mignon, with all the toppings you could ever desire. The rest of the menu had a plethora of unique plates. Eric got the cola braised short rib which was plated on top of scratch-made smashed redskin potatoes and mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions). Eric really loves cooked carrots when they taste like meat, so this dish earned a high mark. I ordered fish and chips. The cod was fresh, made with a light and crispy homemade beer batter. Coupled with malt vinegar, it hit the spot. We also ordered a bottle of Sal Do chenin blanc to pair with our meal. I have never met a chenin blank grape I didn’t like, but this wine was especially smooth and light and a great way to kick off the trip. To cap off the meal with a bang, the awesome server also delivered a piece of birthday cake with a firework on top to celebrate Eric’s birthday. Perfecto!

2. Morning Riot. When in Bellefontaine, you must go to Morning Riot for breakfast. Located about 300 steps from Rainbow Row, it's located inside the Marketplace and decorated with the coolest contemporary flair—about as cool as their menu items. I ordered The Morning After Breakfast Burrito which comes with harissa and “riot sauce”—a unique and spicy blend of spices and condiments. I could only eat half as it was so big, but enjoyed the other half the next morning! Eric had a traditional American breakfast with eggs, sausage, potatoes and selected a croissant instead of toast or an English muffin. The croissant was a behemoth and over-the-top buttery, but flakey and flavorful nonetheless.

3. Six Hundred Downtown. This place come highly recommended, and we found out why....the locale has won several national awards for their pizzas. We feel like pizza connoisseurs since I go to Italy so often (it’s where my parents and two of my siblings live) and our son goes to college in Detroit—and this style pizza is his favorite. All this to say, we can be harsh pizza critics. Anyway, we ordered a 12-piece Detroit-style (unlike the ones in Detroit, you can also get a 4-piece which is ALL corners…yum!). Called the John Dillinger, the thick crust was topped with homemade natural casing pepperoni and sausage...and it was a small pillowy slice of heaven! As we did with the food at the Morning Riot, we brought 8 pieces home and ate some for lunch the next day, and still have some in the freezer. Paid for itself!

4. Brewfontaine. Unforunately, we didn't get to eat here. We had to cut our trip short due to an historic impending storm hitting Cincinnati, but we did stop in for one of the best margaritas outside of Mexico (and our home). The menu lookws really good and I know we will stop here when we come back.

5. Sweet Aromas. One thing about us, is we REALLY like our black tea. So when we needed another hit of caffeine and something hot to keep us from getting frostbite, we mosied on in to this quaint local coffee shop on Opera Block. They also had an extensive case of baked goods with muffins and brownies staring us in the face, that we we skipped.

6. Marie’s Candies. This gem is located in West Liberty on the way to and from Cincinnati and a must-do item. It’s located in an old train depot that was moved and they have a superb collection of candies and chocolates. To add to our DeBrand truffles (see Places to shop below), we brought home chocolate-covered orange peels, chocolate- covered cherries, peppermint patties and peanut butter chocolates. No shortage of chocolate for us to ride out the storm!

7. Don’s Diner. This was also on our list of restaurants to try but couldn’t since we had to return to Cincy early. It’s on the list!

Places to shop

Bellefontaine has no shortage of really nice shops. On Opera Block, across from the Courthouse and the First Concrete Street in America, you can find the following shops next to Sweet Aromas:

1. Queen of Hearts Fine Chocolate and Gifts was our first stop. Impeccably decorated and merchandised, we found our mouths watering just looking at all the chocolates behind the glass. We ordered 4 truffles and a bar of 72% dark chocolate to take home, then made our way to the next store.

2. Naked Goat Bath and Body was right next door. I would describe this place as a high-end Bath and Body Works with soaps, bath bombs, lotions, perfumes and more. I bought some lip gloss that was shaped like a champagne bottle, couldn’t resist.

3. The Fun Company, located on S. Main, is a great place if you have nieces or nephews, or grand kids. It’s a huge toy store that even has a play area in the back set up like a toddler kitchen area.

4. Four Acre Clothing, also on S. Main, has some unique shirts, hoodies and gifts. Eric felt like he should have purchased a t-shirt with a silk screen of Jesus and ‘JK LOL BRB’ under it, but passed on it at the last minute. He now has reverse buyer’s remorse and is going to order it online.

5. A Robbins Nest Antiques & Gifts is next to Four Acre Clothing. They have an extensive selection of home décor items also displayed in unique ways. I love how they merchandised their decorative pillows in an old canoe. And, I actually found myself eyeing the large Eiffel Tower they were using to merchandise product. Where CAN I find something like that for my own house?

6. Old Mint Antiques. We always gravitate toward antique stores, so this trip was no exception. From the outside, you would never know this place has 4 floors! There were some really eclectic booths. Some sold only traffic signs and stop lights, others specialized in household items or clothes. Worth a trip to see if you can find that one treasure you’ve been looking for. If you ever see a vintage, mustard yellow rotary phone…please let me know!

Things to check out

One of the reasons why this place checked all the boxes for us was that it has an usual amount of oddities to check out. All in one fell swoop we walked on the oldest concrete street in America, stepped on the shortest street in America, AND we reached the highest point in Ohio. Additionally, in West Liberty, just 45 minutes away, you can find the Piatt Castles. Since they are closed for the winter, we were only able to see one of them from the exterior. And it was much too cold to visit the Ohio Caverns, so we will have to return to see this.

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The 20 hours we spent in Bellefontaine were really enjoyable. Since we had to cut the trip short, we plan on going there again for another overnight stay to uncover the restaurants, shops and things to do we couldn’t get to. À la prochaine as we say in French!