Honestly, if you think that Ohio only offers endless corn fields and boring suburbs, you haven't experienced Farmersville yet. Founded in 1817 by a few brave pioneers who probably thought a “Farmersville” sounds like success, the town in the heart of Jackson Township, Montgomery County, has developed a unique flair over the years. I usually travel across State Route 48, because the highway noise is almost calming here, and as soon as I cross the old wooden bridge over the Little Miami River, you can feel the cracking echo of history. The city does not have a glittering skyscraper, but that's exactly what makes the charm – there are more honest conversations on Main Street than in some hip metropolis.
I don't understand the hype around the big amusement parks nearby, but the small local cafés and the annual Harvest Festival are the real Farmersville sights for me. A short trip to the nearby Montgomery County Courthouse will let you immerse yourself in the history a little more, without the usual tourist waste. No joke, this is a place where you can taste the real Ohio – and that without a snuck.
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The first stop I never miss is that National Museum of the United States Air Force on the outskirts of Wright-Patterson AFB – a monument for everything that goes beyond the sky and is surprisingly well parked, as long as you don't come on Saturday night, then the field becomes a battlefield for car park seekers.
A short detour over the I‐70 leads me to the heart of Dayton, where the Carillon Historical Park looks like a huge playground for historians. I stripped back and forth between the original 1905 Wright aircraft and the imposing 151 meter carillon, and every time someone asks me why I don't want to watch it from home on the Internet – no joke, the real metal smells like history, not dust from the basement.
Directly next to the park Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. I don't quite understand the hype about Huffman Prairie, but the open field where Wright's brothers turned their first circles has something magical that you can only feel when you stand there and hear the wind blowing over the fields – and that while a few youngsters swirl over the sky.
If I have enough of planes, I'll send in Oregon District – a quarter that has more bars than I have good jokes. There are no tourist traps here, just honest pubs where the beer is so cold that it would almost be a crime not to drink it. I once met a bartender who told me that the neighborhood was an industrial area before; Today it is the heart of the city, and you can immediately see that when you combine the old brick buildings with modern neon lights.
A bit of nature always does well, so I always make a detour to the Five Rivers MetroParks, more precisely to the Beaver Creek Trail. The path is lined with trees that offer a fireworks of red and yellow shades in autumn – and that, although I never touched a leaf, because I prefer to sit on the wheel and flap the track in a slide. Parking is usually a Klacks, except when the annual music festival starts, then the field becomes a car park chaos.
Another highlight I can't leave is that Dayton Art Institute. The collection is so wide that I ask each time whether I attend an art museum or a museum for everything. I once discovered a painting that reminds me of the fields around Farmersville – only with more colour and less cows.
And because I need some sport, I'll get a ticket for the weekend Dayton Dragons in Fifth Third Field. The stadium is practically in the center, parking is a bit of a patience game, but this is part of the charm – nothing goes beyond the sound of cheerful fans when a Home Run flies over the wall.
Whether you are looking for aircraft, art, nature or a cool beer, the surroundings of Farmersville offer enough variety to inspire any modern traveler – these are my personal Farmersville SightsI put to everyone who wants to experience the real Ohio.
I must admit right at the beginning that I would never have thought that a place like Farmersville has something to offer – until I have the old school building of the Farmersville Historical Society entered and realized that history is not just a dusty word here. The museum is a tiny, but lovingly restored block, in which old school benches, a dusty gramophone and a bunch of photos from the 1900s are arranged. I found a letter from 1912 where a villager complained about the harvest of the year – a real eye-catcher if you really need a little nostalgia. Parking is usually a Klacks as long as you don't come on Saturday night, then the small car park in front of the museum suddenly becomes the most desirable piece of asphalt of the city.
A short walk further leads you to Farmersville Community Park, the only place where you can observe the real “small-city” life without a tourist hanging around the neck with camera. The playground is not exactly an architectural miracle, but the children scream louder than in every big city and that is kind of liberating. The baseball fields are well maintained – I even made a picnic with a friend there, while a local team lost a game because the pitcher was suddenly “too tired”. This is the true flair: here there are no overcrowded stands, just a few benches, a barbecue and the occasional “Hey, did you see that?” runs.
If you're looking for a place where you can take a short walk without stumbled into a café in Dayton, then this is Farmersville Library That's right. I spent more time there than I would like to admit, because the small reading room setup with its cracking door and the shelves full of local history is almost a magnet. The staff knows every regular guest in the name – no joke, they even have a small notebook in which they hold down who borrowed what novel. And yes, the Wi-Fi works, so you can post your Instagram story while you can learn about the latest editions of the “Farmersville Gazette”.
Another highlight that I do not want to conceal is the United Methodist Church from Farmersville. The building is a real relic from the 1880s, with a stone facade that could tell more stories than some guides. I took part in a Sunday divine service – not because I am religious, but because I needed the acoustics for a spontaneous guitar solo. The pastor has acknowledged me with a friendly nap, and that's it – no sermon that weighs you into sleep, just a bit of community feeling and a few old benches that are more fooling than an old tractor.
Now comes what I would personally call the true heart of Farmersville: the weekly Farmersville Farmers Market. Every Wednesday, when the sun just rises above the fields of Jackson Township, the streets are filled with stands that offer fresh vegetables, homemade jams and handmade artisans. I bought a pumpkin there that was so big that I could almost not carry it through the door – a real proof that the locals still know how to grow something that does not come from a supermarket. Parking is a bit tricky here, because the road quickly gets full, but a short walk away from a few houses is still feasible.
A little away from the usual paths lies the old Grain elevator on the edge of the village, a rusty colossus, which today serves more as a photo motif. I spent a few hours there to make a few Instagram shots while a tractor passed and shimmered the silos's slices in sunlight. It is not exactly a museum, but the structure reminds that Farmersville was once an important hub for grain production – and this is at least an interesting contrast to the modern supermarkets that we otherwise see everywhere.
And because I don't just want to mention what you can see here, but I want to give you a real feeling, here is a little insider tip: If you're next in Farmersville, look out for the little sign "Farmersville Sights" on the Main Street and County Road 5 intersection. It is not particularly artistic, but it reminds you that you are just in a place that has more to offer than you would suspect at first sight. And while you're standing there, take a moment to enjoy the silence – this is the real highlight I find here and again.
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