Experience the campus of Ohio's oldest private college and the town of Gambier.

Like colorful kites, scarlet leaves spin down from mammoth old maples above the Middle Path. This walkway bisects the Kenyon College campus and meanders into the center of Gambier (45 miles northeast of Columbus).

It's hard to tell where the campus of Ohio's oldest private college ends and downtown begins. Couples stroll hand in hand through the college's stone gate, erected in 1824, then on past columned Greek Revival-style buildings that line the block-long business district.

Contributions of English lords built the college's original Old Kenyon, a massive hall that has walls 4 feet thick. Drifts of leaves scatter across green lawns that surround venerable college buildings. A walking-tour map points out historic structures, including Rosse Hall, built in 1829.

On a corner downtown, chatting groups spill from Kenyon College Bookstore, a warren of shelves packed with texts and best-sellers. Bikes line up outside the Gambier Deli, where you can rent one to ride the nearby 14-mile-long Kokosing Trail.

The Kenyon Inn across from campus is as peaceful as the town. Deep-cushioned chairs grace the lobby, and the aroma of apple pie, a specialty at the inn's restaurant, fills the halls.

Side trip: Go east 7 miles on State-229 to US-62; south to Martinsburg, an Amish community; then south and west 6 miles to Utica. Stops: In Martinsburg, Yoder's Cider Barn, and Plain & Fancy Shoppe for cheese; in Utica, Ye Olde Mill, an ice cream parlor and museum.

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Reviewed April 2004.

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