While a road can merely be a way to get from one place to another, scenic byways are an entirely different matter. Scenic byways are about the journey, giving wanderers unique travel experiences full of fellow enthusiasts, stories, and places that can’t be found on the interstate.
According to the National Scenic Byway Foundation, there are about 900 scenic byways nationwide. There is remarkable appeal to traveling these roads because they tell America’s story. In fact, that appeal is so strong it attracts people from all over the world.
One of the country’s most significant National Scenic Byways is the National Road and its sibling, U.S. Route 40. The National Road’s legacy spans back to Thomas Jefferson’s day - a good reason for making an entry on your bucket list. On the National Road/Route 40 in western Ohio, you can find the Natural Spring RV Resort.
The National Road and U.S. Route 40
Construction of the National Road started in Maryland in 1811; within 26 years the road spanned 700 miles through Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and almost to St. Louis. In the automobile era, the National Road became part of an improved route - the National Old Trails Ocean-to-Ocean Highway - which would extend the roadway east to New York and west to California. By the 1920’s the National Old Trails Road was re-imagined and redesignated as U.S. Route 40, one of the first routes in the numbered U.S. highway system. Today, the combined old National Road and U.S. Route 40 span from Atlantic City to Park City, Utah.
With the coming of the interstate in the 1950’s, travel on older and slower roads like the National Road and Route 40 dwindled. Today, fueled by nostalgia, there is a resurgence of interest in historic routes by people who want to experience them. Travelers are purposefully seeking out old roads like Route 40 with their quaint towns, historic buildings, and hometown businesses.
So, what does this have to do with Natural Springs Resort in New Paris, Ohio other than location? Let’s first introduce the park...
Antiquing businesses in New Paris, Ohio. [Photo/William Flood]
The Natural Springs Resort is a family-friendly RV park situated around a crystal-clear freshwater lake. The lake and rock formations that surround it are remnants of an old limestone quarry that was part of the legacy of the area.
In the 1870’s, promoters marketed the natural springs in the area which were thought to have medicinal qualities. People came countrywide to partake of the waters and the 100-room Cedar Springs Hotel was eventually built as an early health spa.
In addition to the springs, the town of New Paris flourished due to local limestone quarrying. The quarrying industry is now gone, as is the Cedar Springs Hotel, but echoes of both can be found in the Natural Springs Resort with its centerpiece spring-fed lake that was the quarry which existed on the property until early 20th-century.
In the mid-1960’s, the property became a campground. Today, the park offers 240 sites; 200 are full hookup with 30/50 amp service. Four of the sites are pull-throughs that have accommodated 44’-46’ vehicles.
The resort offers a pool, beachside grill and ice cream shop, camp store, mini-golf, and even golf cart rentals. Swimming is allowed in designated areas of the lake as is diving by certified divers or in conjunction with local dive schools (depths are up to 38’). Catch-and-release fishing is also permitted. Paddle boats, kayaks, and canoes are available to rent and management is working on installing a Wibit (an inflatable floating water park) for guests.
There is a weekly roster of activities like movie nights, live entertainment, ice cream socials, Saturday kids’ crafts, and even themed weekends like Christmas in July.
Natural Springs attracts lots of repeat travelers and there is a waiting list for seasonal rentals. Jim Pheanis, assistant manager says that “The draw is the beauty of the park itself. It’s the kind of place where people feel very safe. Kids take off on their bikes as soon as they get here.”
So, back to those byways...
Natural Springs Resort is located right off Ohio’s stretch of the National Road/US 40 at the Ohio-Indiana line. That made it an ideal location for a portion of the 2018 Midwest Scenic Byways Conference, which occurred August 22-24. The event brought leadership and guests from 15 states and several national organizations, like the National Scenic Byway Foundation, to discuss promotion, preservation, and travel on America’s scenic byways.
A main topic of discussion was why scenic byways are becoming so popular as travel destinations. Maree Forbes, principal of the National Travel Center says, “Visitors go on Byways to escape their lives, to experience the destinations’ stories.” Keynote speaker Sheila Scarborough of Tourism Currents discussed the value of byways providing authentic experiences in small towns and destinations along the way: “Travelers want the real deal and make the trek along these routes to get an experience they can’t get anywhere else.”
Leon Younger of Prose Consulting pointed out that scenic byways are a huge motivator for people to take their vehicles out road tripping. “It’s like when people buy a boat and only use it twice or buy a golf membership and only use it 10 times and realize they probably paid $200 a round. Scenic byways provide a reason to travel, a reason to get that RV or motorcycle out on the road,” he said. Sheryl Prentice, Executive Director of the Noble County Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureau, recognized that many of those travelers are in motor coaches or pulling trailers, noting “Locations along byways are learning to plan for large vehicles. A 55’ bus or RV needs a place to turn around, a place to unload.”
Natural Spring’s hometown of New Paris, Ohio, is about a mile north of the National Road. Its quaint downtown has a handful of restaurants and businesses, including a nice collection of antique shops. Among them is the 3-story New Paris Antique Mall in a former 19th-century Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) lodge - a building that eventually became an opera house, then a dance hall - before becoming home to 23 antiques and collectibles dealers.
One of New Paris’ claims to fame: Reverend Benjamin Handy wrote the Christmas classic, “Up On The Housetop” in New Paris in 1864. The area is also home to several covered bridges.
Kayaking at Natural Springs Resort. [Photo/Natural Springs Resort]
Five minutes east of Natural Springs, along Indiana’s stretch of the National Road, is Richmond Indiana, a small city of about 40,000 residents, and where the rest of the conference took place. Its downtown and historic areas are a step back in time, home to dozens of restaurants, shops, and galleries housed in historic buildings. Also, be sure to visit Historic National Road Visitors Center on the south side of U.S. 40 about a mile after crossing the state line.
Both New Paris and the areas in/around Richmond are renown as Midwest antiquing destinations. There are antique trail guides available at the Visitors Centers.