My mom grew up in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and as a kid, we regularly loaded into the family Suburban (a ’70s vintage with hot vinyl seats that left sticky imprints on my legs) and spent many weekends road tripping between Cincinnati and Knox County. The region of central Ohio from whence my mom hailed was, and is, one of the most beautiful places in the state, filled with rolling farms and sections of thick forests and lush foliage. If I close my eyes, I can recall the drive — the verdant views and stomach-flipping curves along Route 229 and Route 62, two scenic and oft-overlooked stretches in Central Ohio.

Mt. Vernon is a portrait of Small Town, USA, with a bustling downtown district full of local shops, historic buildings, and oodles of charm.
Nyttend/Wikipedia
And just outside this delightful downtown district, you'll find farms and fields and foliage in abundance -- some of the most picturesque and serene landscapes in Ohio, in fact.
Ruger, A.; Merchant'S Lithographing Company; Ruger & Stoner/Wikimedia Commons
There are a few scenic routes you can take in this area, each offering a sublime slice of Buckeye State scenery. The first is State Route 229, which runs through portions of five counties: Marion, Delaware, Morrow, Coshocton, and Knox.
Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau/Facebook
When it was first established in 1930, State Route 229 ran from its junction with State Route 61 west of Marengo to downtown Mount Vernon. Later, this scenic stretch was expanded to Route 23 at the west and Route 62 at the east.
Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau/Facebook

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As such, if you drive Route 229 through Mt. Vernon, you can join up with Route 62, another gloriously scenic drive in Ohio.
Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau/Facebook
Lush and lovely, Route 62 passes, quite literally, over the river and through the woods. During the autumn, the Mohican River is surrounded by shockingly vibrant fall foliage that makes for a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
Justen Knape/Google Local
The Bridge of Dreams is a delightful discovery along this route; it's a 370-foot covered bridge that's one of the longest in Ohio and the entire country, in fact.
Jared Cohee/Google Local
With Mt. Vernon as your "home base," Routes 229 and 62 offer unlimited road trip potential and unbelievably beautiful scenery. Carpe diem and explore the beauteous Buckeye State!
Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau/Facebook

Have you driven this scenic stretch through central Ohio before? Route 229 and Route 62 are two glorious and immensely scenic road trips that showcases some of the most beautiful and iconic landscapes in Ohio. Why embark on one scenic drive in Ohio when you can experience two?

If all those hills and turns have you feeling a bit carsick (hi, it’s me!), be sure to stock up on nausea bands before heading out!

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