Columbiana County: Trails, Ceramics and History

Columbiana County reveals itself through trails and parks with changing landscapes, as well as museums and historic sites that bring the region’s industrial and artistic history to life. The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail, the Museum of Ceramics, and the John Bishop House each offer a different focus. You can shape your trip around nature, ceramics, or history—or combine these themes.

Trails and Landscapes

The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs between the villages of Lisbon and Leetonia, following the former Erie Lackawanna Railway route through Salem and Center Townships. Along its 12-mile length, it passes through glacial outwash plains, upland fields, mature wooded ravines, and wetlands with wildlife habitats. This succession of varied landscapes makes the trail a nature-focused option for anyone who wants to experience different types of terrain along one route. It is also connected to the Great Ohio Lake to River Greenway.

Hellbender Bluff Park adds more than five miles of hiking and walking trails to this landscape. The trails offer views of wildflowers, songbirds, butterflies, open fields, and Hellbender Bluff. The park covers 732 acres and spans the West Fork of the Little Beaver Creek.

Guilford Lake State Park covers around 1,600 acres and features a lake for a variety of recreational activities. Most of the park is in Columbiana County. Beaver Creek State Park preserves visible remains of the Sandy and Beaver Canal, including old canal locks and markers. The parks offer different visitor experiences: a lake and recreational activities at one, and visible traces of the canal at the other.

Ceramics History in East Liverpool

The Museum of Ceramics in East Liverpool illustrates traditional ceramics production with life-size dioramas of a jigger workshop, a kiln, a decorating workshop, and a salesroom. The scenes highlight different areas of work—from the workshop and firing process to decoration and sales. The museum preserves the rich ceramics history of the East Liverpool region.

The museum is housed in the former United States Post Office in East Liverpool. The imposing Beaux-Arts-style building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum holds art classes every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon. Guided tours are available during regular museum hours and must be arranged at least one week in advance. These involve different planning requirements: the art class takes place weekly, while a guided tour requires advance notice.

Local History and Art

The Leetonia Beehive Coke Ovens received a historic marker from the Ohio Historical Society in 1999. The John Bishop House has been fully restored, is now owned by the City of Lisbon, and is operated by the Historical Society as a museum and educational center. In early spring, the house offers hearth cooking classes for adults. Their seasonal timing and focus on adults make these classes a distinct reason to visit, alongside a visit to the museum and educational center.

Charles Burchfield’s artistic history is also connected to Salem. A trolley tour visits locations and buildings around the city that inspired his paintings and stops at the Burchfield Homestead Society Museum. There, visitors can tour the artist’s home. Nearly half of Burchfield’s artistic life’s work was created at the Burchfield Homestead Museum.

Columbiana County lies along the Lincoln Highway and the Ohio Scenic River Byway. When choosing a hotel base, it may help to first decide what you want to focus on: the greenway and park landscapes, ceramics history, or a visit connected to Charles Burchfield.

Explore More Destinations

Explore more destinations: Wellsville, Salem, East Liverpool, Ross County, Belmont County, Delaware County, Auglaize County, Hardin County.

For the broader travel overview: Ohio.