Bellefontaine: Theater, Trails, and Landscapes

Bellefontaine brings together distinctive theater architecture, a downtown tour, a multi-use trail, and a notable high point in the state. If you’re looking for a hotel in Bellefontaine, these themes can help guide your travel plans: architecture and local history meet a trail for biking, walking, and running, as well as an Ohio geographic landmark. Each place offers a different perspective on the area.

Theater History and Architecture

The Holland Theatre in downtown Bellefontaine is a historic atmospheric theater. It is the only atmospheric theater in the United States with 17th-century Dutch architecture. On February 12, 1931, the Schine’s Holland Theatre opened as a movie palace with 1,400 seats. This building brings together a distinctive architectural style and a clearly dated history as a movie palace.

The Historic Walking Tour runs through downtown and includes buildings with architectural styles ranging from the 1850s to new construction. Bronze plaques on building facades introduce visitors to Bellefontaine’s history. The tour thus connects different architectural styles with an account of local history. If you’d like to look beyond a single building, it offers a broader view of downtown over time.

A distinct link to construction history can be found on Court Avenue: the first block of the street in Bellefontaine to be paved with concrete was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1976. This designation adds an engineering-history perspective alongside the theater’s architecture and the range of styles on the walking tour.

Trails and Recreation

The Simon Kenton Bike Trail offers another way to explore Bellefontaine and nearby communities. The 35-mile trail begins in Bellefontaine and runs through West Liberty, Urbana, and Springfield. It is partly paved and partly unpaved and is used for biking, walking, and running. In Bellefontaine, there is an access point on Carter Avenue. Its length and route through several communities set it apart from the Historic Walking Tour, which focuses on downtown buildings and history.

The activities offered also make the trail more than a route for just one type of travel: you can consider it for biking, walking, or running. The description includes both paved and unpaved sections; the access point in Bellefontaine is on Carter Avenue. This makes it easy to distinguish between the downtown walk with historical information and the longer trail that accommodates several types of activity when planning your trip.

Landscapes and Geographic Features

Myeerah Nature Preserve covers 450 acres and is maintained by the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District. Another natural feature is Campbell Hill: at 1,549.09 feet above sea level, it is considered Ohio’s highest natural point. The preserve’s acreage and Campbell Hill’s elevation describe two different geographic aspects of Bellefontaine.

The historic marker for Campbell Hill is located at the summit beneath the Ohio Hi-Point Campus, at 2280 OH-540 in Bellefontaine. Since campus access conditions may change, check them before visiting. This allows you to plan a visit to this geographic landmark while keeping local access conditions in mind.

Discover more destinations: East Liberty

Back to the main travel overview: Logan.