Just above Lebanon is the village of Waynesville, a major antiques capital with more than fifty shops. Farther north past Xenia is Yellow Springs, a picturesque college town and former spa. Nearby are John Bryan State Park and Clifton Gorge, a three-mile-long canyon of the Little Miami River sheltering rare plants and wildflowers. The adjacent Clifton Mill is one of the nation’s oldest and largest water-powered grist mills; the restaurant serves traditional foods.

In Indian Mound Park near Cedarville are the Williamson Mound and Pollock Earthworks. The large, Adena-era mound stands atop a hill and affords sweeping views. A wooded trail leads to the Hopewell-era earthworks, where walls and gateways enclose the western end of a prominent limestone plateau. The site offers dramatic stone cliffs, rock shelters, beautiful streams and groves, and the overgrown remains of early 20th century industry.