Wooster, Ohio is a charming city that kind of takes you by surprise.
Wooster is located in Wayne County which is a little over an hour’s drive from Cleveland, 1.5 hours from Columbus, and a little over 3 hours from Cincinnati.
I’m sharing more about the top things to do during a visit to Wooster.
On the drive into town, you will see rolling hills and farming communities. The downtown in Wooster is a tight-knit community, full of life with unique shops and eateries.
My friend Heather from The Food Hussy describes the downtown of Wooster to be kindred to the fictional town of Stars Hollow from the television show Gilmore Girls.
She absolutely loved it!
How Do You Pronounce Wooster?
It’s also important to note that Wooster is pronounced (WUSS tur) NOT (Woo-ster).
If you pronounce it wrong, it’s a given that you are from out of town.
Top Things to Do in Wooster, Ohio
You can’t help but notice all of the great architectural details on the buildings as you walk the sidewalk or step inside the shops downtown.
If you look closely at the image above, you will see a face on the building located above a window.
Downtown Shopping in Wooster
With dozens of stores downtown, you will find something for everyone’s interests. (antiques, books, boutiques, fitness, furniture, art, and jewelry)
A few of my favorites of the day were the Blue Spruce Boutique and Poppy by Pursesnickety that both had great merchandise and creative presentation of their merchandise.
At Motts Oils & More – you can sample more than 50 different varieties of extra virgin olive oils and balsamic vinegar and get inspired for your next meal or personalize a gift.
Organizers, or those who need organizing supplies, will want to stop at the Everything Rubbermaid Flagship Store.
There are four floors filled with the largest selection of Rubbermaid products anywhere.
Downtown Restaurants in Wooster
With all of that shopping downtown, you will definitely work up an appetite. Wooster has a lot of options when it comes to downtown dining for all price points.
The Faithful Little Cupcake
4146 Burbank Rd Ste B, Wooster, OH
For a sweet treat, you will definitely want to try the creative specialty cupcakes at The Faithful Little Cupcake. The hardest part is making a selection because there are a LOT of delicious combinations and all of them sound amazing.
Here is a small sampling of some of the options:
- Almond Joy
- Banana Split
- Birthday Cake
- Black Forest
- Blueberry Cobbler
- Blueberry Swirl
- Boston Cream Pie
- Buckeye Blitz
- Butterfinger Crunch
- Buttery Turtle
- Carrot Cake
- Caramel Apple Streusel
- Cherry Cobbler
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Chocolate Salted Caramel
- Cinnamon Caramel Pecan Roll
- Confetti Fun, Cookie Monster
- Cookies and Cream
- Curly Q,
- Death by Chocolate
Now you understand why it’s hard to pick!
City Square Steakhouse
City Square Steakhouse boasts “2014 Best Steakhouse’s in America,” by OpenTable. This is the perfect spot for a nice evening out with friends or a loved one.
During my visit, I tried the City Square Signature Seafood Bisque which came highly recommended (With Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops, Crabmeat & Crayfish) and the Twin Center-Cut Filet Mignon Medallions.
You can’t go wrong with either of those choices! Mike Mariola, owner, and restauranteur has also started The Rail, a popular gourmet burger joint based in Cleveland, Ohio.
You can opt to sit in the dining area or enjoy the large seating area by the bar with a late-night happy hour from 9-10pm.
Tula
Next time, check out P. Graham Dunn. Amazing place!
Judi Arntz
Been there, love The Barn, going back!
MVE
Helpful article – thank you, will be visiting COW with my daughter this weekend and added a few places to our list. You can’t name every business in a blog post so don’t let the complainers bring you down 🙂
Laure
You guys are so rude! She visited out lovely county and shared a story about her experience here. We have lots of amaOng businesss here. Don’t insult her because you favorite isn’t on here.
Don
Not to mention Henry Station, Omahoma Bob’s Barbeque, a Hungarian Pastry shop, Bosco’s Pizza Kitchen, Farmer Boy, Greenleaf, Fiore’s, and on and on.
Don
Other non-franchise restaurants you missed were Meathead’s, Bishop’s, The Wooster Inn, Local Roots, The Parlor, Troyer’s bakery, Holcomb’s Gourmet Popcorn, SureHouse for coffee, another down town coffee shop, Basil Asian Bistro, the Olde Jaol, Gouda, Matsos, Jake’s, Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen in Mt. Hope, other Amish restaurants in the area, several bed ‘n’ breakfasts, Wild Ginger and more. Please come back.
Don
It’s great for down home country cooking but it is many miles from Lehman’s.
Chris
Great article with good choices. Of course there are plenty more great places to visit but you did get many of my favorites. Coccia House, Rox( next to Broken Rocks), Wooster Inn, JAFB Brewery, Walnut Street Antique’s, Etc. The focus is that Wooster has a great downtown and the surrounding area is beautiful. Wooster is a “Little City” and not a suburb. The people are friendly and proud to share their recommendations to anyone that asks. Please come back anytime!!
George Roberts
I disagree with some of your judgements. City Square Steakhouse is an overpriced, overrated, restaurant. Rubbermaid abandoned the town that gave it it’s name. Everything Rubbermaid is no longer owned by Rubbermaid. It is owned by the Newell Rubbermaid company and should not be lauded for anything related to Wooster. Many, many people lost their jobs when they moved away.
Mike Sommers
The Barn is nowhere near Lehman’s.
Barb Houmard
Not near Lehman’s. It’s on SR 585 NE of Wooster in Smithville.
suejane smith
Dennis yrs is the best.
David
Sorry auto correct “Kidron” not kids in
David
sorry but the Barn restaurant is not near Kids in and Lehmans, the Barn restaurant is in Smithville, 20 minutes north.
Fred Strock
A big miss here…no mention of Coccia House…a “benchmark” for Wooster!!
Nedra McDaniel
I felt that Wooster was a good starting point for someone not familiar with the area or region. I wanted to make a point to also include areas that were a close driving distance from Wooster for out of town guests. Thank you for sharing.
Lynnette
Your article was great however I think you need to correct the title to Wayne Co., not Wooster. Yes, Wooster is the county seat, but you can’t include Lehman, Pine Tree Barn and Shishlers when they aren’t in Woo. Anyone who was born and raised here would agree. Those are al great places to visit but they are not all in Woo. “Wayne County” would be a better fit.
Carlin
Understandably so, thanks again for a great article! If you do happen to stop by The Barn, I would highly suggest the buffet on the weekends and at check out, grab a bag of Pop’s Country Kettle Korn!
Nedra McDaniel
I was there for less than 48 hours and didn’t have time to fit it in. I’ll have to check that out during my next visit! Thanks for sharing!
Julie Keevins
What?! Why isn’t Secrest Arboretum on the list? Secrest Arboretum is the Ohio State University’s primary research arboretum, and contains over 2,000 native and introduced species and cultivars of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Covering 115 acres, this gorgeous landscape will take your breath away any time of year!
Judy
Just east of Broken Rock Cafe is a fantastic jewelry store called Makenzie’s Silver Linings. Makenzie creates the most wonderful one-of-a-kind pieces!
Nedra McDaniel
I will definitely have to add that to my list the next time I come back. I was only there for less than 48 hours so I had to cram in a lot in a little time. Thanks for sharing!
Carlin
Great article, so well written and descriptions of our little town were so spot on! I was a bit disappointed you missed The Barn Restaurant!! Not for the articles sake entirely, but your own! Located near Lehman’s it’s an old farm barn renovated as a restaurant with all original timber inside. Beautiful inside and out as the property also boasts a wonderful campus including duck pond, gazebo, toy store, and more! Check it out the next time you come through 🙂
Nedra McDaniel
Thanks for sharing. I’ll correct it.
Dennis Shisler
Correction to this post: Shislers Cheese House, the one pictured here, is located at 55 Kidron Rd. Orrville, OH. The one in Copley is owned by another family member and is significantly farther away from Wooster.