The Best Ohio Bookstores to Visit on a Mini-Road Trip

As we head at light speed through fall and into winter, some of us struggle to find outdoor activities that keep us engaged. I wouldn’t say I love hiking in snow, muck, and ice, so I switched my plans towards mini-road trips for winter and good books to read while curled up in a blanket, drinking my favorite warm beverages.

So, what’s a mini road trip? It’s a journey where you can return home the same day or have a single overnight adventure. It’s about discovering new restaurants, experiencing different weather, and exploring unique places. In Ohio, we have the perfect setting for these adventures. Winter mini-road trips often lead to surprises, like stumbling upon a charming bookstore or finding a cozy spot to warm up after a hike. Hiking in winter is not off the table I just become more picky about when and where I do it.

For the last few years, a friend and I have made single-night road trips a thing. We have visited Bourbon Country in Kentucky, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Bourbon Country is much more relaxed in the off-season. There are Fewer Bachelor parties, fewer crowds, and fewer minutes waiting in line for both bourbon and food.

Cleveland and Cincinnati have fantastic sports teams, outstanding food places, and out-of-this-world bookstores. Cleveland also has Lake Erie; We love a Great Lake at Tripping Vittles.
Please get out and do a mini or one-night road trip. You can find one of the fun fall mini-trips that I wrote about here

A big part of any Road Trip for me is a bookstore. Winter, summer, spring, or fall, you will find me searching out great bookstores.

The following is a list of Ohio bookstores worth visiting on a mini-road trip. Note that we have some great bookstores in Ohio please leave a comment if your favorite is missing from the list so I can make the trip.

Quick note: these are mini-road trips from central Ohio and Columbusland outward. Columbus has some fantastic bookstores, from the behemoth 36-room monster The Book Loft in German Village to My favorites, Gramercy Books in Bexley and Prologue Bookshop on North High. If I want to walk, I head uptown Westerville via the bike path to Birdie Books. If you live outside of the Columbus area, you can go right with all of these, and all of them have great food and coffee shops close, so you can sit and peruse your purchases while eating and drinking well.

Drum Roll…….

This is Loganberry books. A super incredible bookstore in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Just east of downtown Cleveland. It is such a fun trip you can not only enjoy book buying, but there is Ohios only National Park. Cuyahoga Valley National Park is close by, and the food scene in and around Shaker Heights is fantastic.

This is Wheatberry Books. A small, sweet bookshop in Chillicothe, Ohio. As my friend Val says, “It is a small but extremely well-curated bookstore.” Find any local place to eat, but the Mexican restaurants are delicious.

This is the king of used bookstores, Dollar Book Swap! All books are $1.25, and you would not believe the number of books in this warehouse. Located in Dayton, Ohio, you are close to fantastic restaurants and fabulous outdoor activities. If you can escape with less than ten books, you are a better human than I am.

I look forward to hearing about your favorite book stops. And this is just one state. I still have 49 states, Washington DC, five Major Territories, and various Islands under the United States umbrella. That’s a lot of reading!