Tour Guide To Canton Ohio

This guide will tell you about Canton Ohio the city I used to live in and its surrounding areas.

Is It Safe

Often times when people think of Canton Ohio they'll think of the crime rate or the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Like with many cities yes there are certian places you stay away from at night, but most of the city really isn't bad off. I'd say Akron is much worse off from my experiance. That being said be especially cautious around the area directly east from the Canton Walmart as this where the worst of the hood begins and the area directly east from the Canton Pizza Oven you best not stop at night. Once you get to downtown Canton you are past the worst of it even so better to be safe than sorry so use common sense especially if you plan on driving around the area listed.

Things to do

You may now be asking yourself what is there to do around Canton. The places I'm about to list are all places I've been to myself at some point. Not every place listed here is dirrectly in Canton some of these places are within the surrounding areas of Canton. There are some places that won't be listed here either because I haven't been there myself and therefore can't tell you if it's worth your time or not or because it is closer to Arkon or Cleveland Ohio which one of these cities desreves its own guide for. That being said let's get down to the list in no perticular order

Pro Football Hall of Fame

2121 George Halas Dr NW, Canton, OH

Easily the most iconic stop on this journey. If you are an NFL fan or even just a football fan in general this is a must vist for anyone who wishes to see the history of footballs all time greats. If get the chance to do so check out the induction ceremony held every August or the Hall of Fame game which yes is just a glorified preseason game, but it is the first NFL game of the preseason and there is at least some novelty of having seen two teams play at the hall of fame.

MAPS Air Museum

2260 International Pkwy, North Canton, OH

Located right next to the Akron-Canton Airport if you are intresseted in miliatry flight history then this place has you covered. You even get to climb in some of the planes unlike some other flight museums out there. Overall cool experiance that you should check out.

William McKinley National Memorial and Mckinley Presidential Library & Museum

800 Mc Kinley Monument Dr NW, Canton OH

Quick history lesson for you William McKinley was the 25th President of the U.S. who served from 1897 - 1901. Despite the name of this place William Mckinley was not actualy born in Canton Ohio, but rather Niles Ohio, but he did have connections to Canton Ohio as a lawyer . Sadly this museum serves more as an Ohio/general museum than an actual presidental museum. Sure there is some stuff related to William McKinley but not as much as the name would like you to believe. If you have kids they will probably either enjoy it or will be absoulty bored and beg you to take them else where. If you do come here though be sure to check out the National Memorial which serves as the final resting place of William McKinley.

AMF Hall of Fame Lanes

5155 Tuscarawas St W, Canton OH

I know what you thinking. Wait this is just a bowlling alley how is this worth seeing? Of all the bowling alleies out there this one is actually one of the more well kept bowl alleies out there. If you wanted to just go bowling and the options in your town were either sub par, dated, or nonexistent AMF has you covered. The food is not half bad either allbeit a little on the expenseive side for what you are getting.

Berlin Ohio

There are so many stores within this street of Amish Country (mostly furniture) that it is near impossible for me to list them all so I'll leave you with one store you defiently got to try out.

MainStreet Fudge & Popcorn Company

4799 E Main St, Millersburg, OH

Defiently a must stop if you are craving good popcorn with so many flavors out there you are bound to find one you like. Just a note if you have a fear of bees and you happen to be out here between September - Mid October please stop here last before getting in your car. Trust me I know from experience.

Heini's Cheese Chalet

6005 Co Hwy 77, Millersburg OH

Move over Wisconsin because this is a great place for good cheese. If the Main Street stores aren't your thing then this store just minuets away (by car) might be worth while. The best part is that unlike many other places out there the cheese here isn't too expensive. Plus you even get to sample most of the options for sale and the cheese is made there. Because this is a perticualry popluar stop I recommend getting here early if you want to beat the traffic.

Ashery Country Store

8922 OH-241, Fredericksburgh, OH

Yes this may be a glorified grocery store, but don't let that deter you from stoping here. There are plenty of goods this place sells that you can't find anywhere else besides maybe the other store on this list. Some of this stuff is Ohio local products such as Bertmans Ball Park Mustard which is the same mustard the Cleveland Guardians use. Other products such as the entier seasoning shelf is exculsive to this area. And yes you can also buy some of the cheese offerings that Heini's has here as well as the must try trail bologna

Troyer Market

5201 Co Rd 77, Millersburg, OH

Almost the store as Ashery just owned by different people in a different part of amish country so everything I said about that store aplies here as well. One advantage this store does have is that it does have an ice cream stand in store.

Fort Laurens Museum

11067 Fort Laurens Rd NW, Bolivar OH

A hidden gem in the otherwise uneventful town of Bolivar. This fort has the special novelty of being the only Revolutionary War fort standing in the entire state of Ohio. Even if you don't care about history it is still worth visting purely for the novelty of it. Also includes a good walking path and if you get here around the 4th of July they will even do a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. Not the biggest Revolutionary War site by any means, but still a cool place to vist.

Places to Eat

Like with any location out there you gotta eat something. Note that this list will not contian all restaurants in the area. This will just inculde some of the highlights of the local joints around the area.

El Campesino

4048 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH

Don't get this joint confussed with the other El Campesinos with the same name. With such a lack luster Mexican food scene in Canton this place is a breath of fresh air. If you want fast service at a sit down restaurant you can't get much faster than this place. Very popluar during high school football season so try to get here early on fridays from late August - early-late November depending on how well the football team is doing.

Pizza Oven

3153 Tuscarawas St W, Canton OH

The original Pizza Oven which is local chain throughout the area is a must try. Great for takeout. If you do go be sure to try their wings and Broasted Potatoes sometimes called as jojos amoungst locals. The only downside to this location is that it is not in the best area of town so if that bothers you try this location instead.

3314 Lesh St NE, Canton, OH

as it is the closest to the original I have found personaly. Their other locations are hit or miss in terms of quailty

Eadies Fish House

6616 Wise Ave NW, North Canton, OH

For not being directly from the coast and a mere hour away from Lake Erie this really is not a bad seafood joint at all. One area that Eadies does very well is their family fish deal. For just $42.50 you get 6 pieces of beer battered cod, a basket of handmade onion rings, a basket of beer battered fries, & homemade cole slaw making this a pretty good deal if you have a group of 4-6 people and your stuck paying for everyones meal inculding your own. If alone though you can still get the beer battered cod on the dinner menu. One local fish to keep an eye on though is the yellow lake perch prices for this perticular item does fluctuate so your price my very.

The Twisted Olive

5430 Massillon Rd, North Canton, OH

If you are craving a more elaborate italian/pizza joint and the pizza shops just ain't cutting it The Twisted Olive might be what you are looking. Their pizzas are really good if you are more into sit down pizza places. Just be aware that this place can get expensive so make sure you pay attention to the prices of the menu items. Also reservations are recomended and can be done so on their website.

Danny Boy's

6081 Dressler Rd NW, North Canton, OH

If The Twisted Olive sounds too expensive or just want something different from your average itailan joint then Danny Boy's which is another local chain thourgh out north east Ohio. Decor wise this place defiently stands out amoungst the crowd in a sense of going for The Godfather styled decor. Compelete with a poster of said movie, Frank Sinatra posters, record vinyls, and even a deck of cards on the table to help pass the time of your food being cooked. Once again the pizza is king, but don't sleep on their woogies either as both are incrediable for a sit down restaurant.

B & K Cafe

3355 Lincoln Way E, Massillon Oh

For those wanting a more homestyle restaurant or a good brunch place to eat then the B & K Cafe is probably the best option in the main part of Canton without having to drive all the way to Amish Country. Not really much to say here just your standard family restaurant which isn't a bad thing at all.

Swensons Drive-In

5815 Wales Ave NW, Massillon, OH

This is another local chain throughout the state of Ohio (mostly north east) the city of Canton has two locations. Prefect for those wanting an old school drive-in serveing burgers, fries, and shakes. I will also inculde the other location right here

1558 N Main St, North Canton, OH

Mint & Lime Asian Bistro

7180 Fulton Rd NW, Canton, OH

A fusion asian restaurant fetauring offerings of China, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. Most asian restaurants in Canton are pretty weak for the most part with a few exeptions. The Mint & Lime is one of them and won't disapoint. The variety is what really makes this place stand out.

Amish Restaurants

I'm grouping the following three restaurants together as they are more or less the same in terms of offering

Amish Door

1210 Winesburg St, Wilmot, OH

Dutch Valley Restaurant

1343 Old Rte 39 NE, Sugarcreek, OH

Berlin Farmstead

4757 Township Rd 366, Berlin, OH

All three of these places include an all you can eat buffet of homestyle cooking. If the thought of eating at a buffet bothers you then you can always order something of the menu. Not everything on the menu is worth ordering, but one thing that is is their Broasted Chicken. I will say this normaly I don't recomend ordering dessert from restaurants as more often then not they are overpriced, not made in house but rather in a box, and or just wastes time. That being said this is one of the rare exeptions to the rule as their pies are so good. Also for those who do get the buffet defiently try their bread pudding. Yes you can find this for sale else where in Amish Country, but this is a good way to try it before you spend money on it. Staying true to the Amish community each menu with the exeption of the Amish Door does come with a prayer written on it. Of the three if I had to rank them I'd say from least to greatest 3. Amish Door 2. Berlin Farmstead 1. Dutch Valley Restaurant Also there is a hotel in all three of these for those looking for some where to stay.

Sublime Smoke Fine BBQ & Craft Brew

110 Water St SE, Bolivar, OH

Ok I'm just going to come upfront about this now I have only ever been here one time for my cusions wedding rehearsal dinner.That one time however the food was really enjoyable. If you are looking fora more local BBQ joint this is one of few I have found as most of the others are franchise chains thourgh out the country, however unless you have a reason to drive through Bolivar then it is a little out of the way distence wise for me to recommend to everyone.

Final Thoughts

There are so many other resturants through out the area includeing your chains that are littered through out the country. I just wanted to highlight some of the local establishments to give you a good variety of options to pick from. I'd be here all day if were to list every pizza joint, every sitdown restaurant, and even a few donut shops that make their home here. Then there is the fact that Canton is only about an hour drive north to Cleveland which is its own destination for some. Going eastward there isn't a whole lot to see till you hit Pittsburgh aside from a few small towns. Going south you slowly start to get into mountian territory which truly begins once you cross the Ohio River into West Virgina (an area I'm all too familar with thanks to numerous road trips to Florida) with not a whole lot to see. The westbound there is truley nothing to see if you go directly west. Go southwest and you eventauly reach Columbus Ohio where as going northwest will lead you to Lake Erie and the likes of Sandusky home of Ceder Point nicknamed the roller coaster captial. I hope this helps you understand the city of Canton a little better.