What to do in Woo?
Great shops & delicious food await you in Wooster! The downtown area is just a 10 minute walk (or short drive) away. Parking is free and usually easy to find. Wooster was named one of the best places to live by Money.com. Here are some (of our favorite) reasons why:
Eat
Wooster has a great food scene with one of a kind shops like Local Roots Market & Cafe, Spoon Market, Sure House Coffee Roasters, Tulipan Hungarian Pastry and Coffee Shop, and Hartzler’s Ice Cream Shop (5 miles north of town)….just to name a few!
Ready for breakfast?? Start your day at one of our local downtown shops: Sure House, Undergrounds, Tulipan, and Boo Bears Brew (in Local Roots). All open early at 7/7:30am and have excellent treats in addition to a good cuppa :)
(Of course we also have Dunkin' and Starbucks in town!)
For a sit down breakfast/brunch try The Leaf, grab a sandwich or smoothie at Spoon, or find all the diner-style classics at Buehler's Towne Market Café (7am-2pm),
The Downtown Wooster Farmers’ Market on the square each Saturday from 8am-noon (June-October).
Enjoy dinner downtown at City Square Steakhouse, Broken Rocks/Rox Gastro Pub, Basil Asian Bistro, The Leaf, TJ’s, Salsa Roja, or the new Mariola Italian.
Check out local institutions - The Hero House, Matso's, Lerch's Donuts, or grab a Coccia House Pizza…if you can!!
Drink
Visit award winning JAFB Brewery (take your own food or enjoy a food truck), have a glass of wine or craft cocktail at Grigio, schedule a tour at Minglewood Distilling Company, enjoy tastings, live music & events at Blue Barn Winery or Troutman Vineyards. Check out stop Lincoln Way Vineyards or sip some cider at Bent Ladder.
Downtown Wooster is also a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA. Many establishments offer drinks "to go" to sip as you wander or enjoy festivities. (Main Street Wooster hosts free weekend concerts on the square all summer!)
Shop
Downtown Wooster has several fun antique stores including Friendtique/NEST, Uptown/Downtown, and Great Finds Resale.
Find a gift for someone special (or yourself ;) at JK Gift Shop, the Gift Corner, or from the Artisan Room at Local Roots.
Pick up a new outfit at Jodi’s Closet Consignment or Blue Spruce Boutique,
Visit the Pine Tree Barn (5 miles south of town) for home interior, holiday decorations, and scenic lunch.
Make some time to browse at Books in Stock and Blackbird Records or sample your way through Olive Lane!
Get out!
Enjoy the great outdoors at Wooster Memorial Park or stroll along the paved trails at Secrest Arboretum, visit the Wilderness Center in Wilmont (30 minute drive).
Visit a local farm like Moreland Fruit Farm, Bauman Orchard, or Rittman Orchard. Many have farm markets, seasonal pick-your-own and events.
Gear up at Vertical Runner or Ride On Bicycle.
Take a class at Flex Yoga or relax at The Salt & Serenity Grotto.
Fun with kids…or without!
Ride the slide at Secrest, visit our amazing library (featuring many special events), cool down at one of our 2 city pools or splash pad, release some energy at a park & playground.
Get your geek on at Operation Fandom!
Have lunch and feed the ducks & fish at The Barn, grab an ice cream, play at Jump & Shout, and visit Toyrifix...all in one stop in Smithville!
Visit the Wayne County Historical Society (guided tours: Fridays & Saturdays from 1-4pm March through October).
Spend the day at Ramseyer’s Farm (September & October).
Need an indoor activity? Try open skate at Alice Nobel Ice Arena or dive in at the Ellen Shapiro Natatorium (both on Wooster H.S. campus).
See a Show
The Ohio Light Opera show produces six to eight light opera favorites each summer season...and is just blocks away from the INN!
Support a local production!
Check out an art exhibition at the Wayne Center for the Arts or The College of Wooster Art Museum (CWAM).
Find the latest release at Movies 10 Movie Theater.
Experience
Come and enjoy one of the many annual events like The Wayne County Fair (September), Woosterfest (which features a costumed wiener dog race!), Annual Shreve Spring “Migration Sensation”, biennial Festa Italiana, Summer Cruise Ins, Downtown Church Holiday Walking Tour, and more!
See what’s coming up at Main Street Wooster, Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau & The Wayne County Calendar of Events
Take a Trip
Wooster is just miles away from the largest Amish settlement in North America. Swing by Millersburg, take in a magic show at the Catalpa Trading Company in Berlin, or see the World’s Largest Cuckoo Clock in Sugarcreek!
Head east towards Kidron and visit Lehman’s Hardware and The J.M. Smucker Company Store and Café.
Love cheese?? Stop by Shisler’s Cheese House (Kidron) or Guggisberg (in Millersburg)…both have Sunday hours!
A little farther out is The Wilderness Center in Wilmot or head to Dover for the Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens.
Go west and follow the Shawshank Trail in Mansfield or stroll through the beautiful gardens at Kingwood Center.
If that is not enough, we’re just 45 minutes away from Akron/Canton (football hall of fame, anyone?), 1 hour from Cleveland, or 1.5 hour away from Cedar Point - the roller coaster capital of the world!
Getting Around
While Uber and Lyft are not abundant in Wooster, your can call our local Swoop Express.
Sunday, Sunday...
Many of the downtown shops, restaurants, and anything in Amish Country is CLOSED ON SUNDAY. Please plan accordingly. Click HERE for a list of some of the places that are open (thanks to Books In Stock).