Ohio River Scenic Byway
This 943-mile route through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois hugs the banks of the Ohio River and passes myriad historical sites.
Leavenworth Inn in Leavenworth, Indiana.
Ohio River and Ripley, Ohio, from the Rankin House.
Sunset over Ohio River at Shawnee National Forest.
At the Rankin House, an Underground Railroad site in Ripley, Ohio, visitors stand atop Liberty Hill and look across the Ohio River to the forested hills of Kentucky. In the 1800s, slaves stood on the southern bank and looked across to freedom. Shivers? You bet. Myriad historical sites, leafy state parks and uninterrupted views make this one of the most satisfying river drives in the Midwest.
Time travels History defines this 943-mile drive: the Northwest Territory’s first settlement in Marietta, Ohio; the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Indiana; Civil War grave sites at Mound City National Cemetery in Illinois; and, yes, Superman kitsch in Metropolis, Illinois.
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