Newark

Parks and trails

• The Dawes ArboretumJust south of Newark on Jacksontown Road, the arboretum covers nearly 1,800 acres with eight miles of trails, an auto tour, a Japanese Garden and an observation tower. The grounds open 362 days a year from 7 a.m. to dusk, and admission is free.
• Blackhand Gorge State Nature PreserveAbout 12 miles east of Newark, the preserve protects more than 950 acres along a gorge roughly 4 miles long, formed where the Licking River wore through Black Hand Sandstone. Trails pass the remains of an Ohio and Erie Canal lock and an old interurban railroad tunnel.
• T.J. Evans and Panhandle TrailsPaved bike paths that together cross Licking County roughly 30 miles from Johnstown to Nashport, passing through downtown Newark, with a stretch that runs beside the North Fork of the Licking River.
• Riverview PreserveA 110-acre Licking Park District preserve at 375 Ohio Street, with about 3 miles of trail along the Licking River through woodland and wetland, plus fishing and a canoe launch.
• Taft ReserveA 425-acre Licking Park District reserve of meadows and woodland with more than 8 miles of trails, reached from Flint Ridge Road on the north side and Fairview Road on the south.

Local favorites

• DowntownDowntown Newark and Courthouse SquareThe center of downtown, built around the Licking County Courthouse, with the Midland Theatre on the square and the Newark Historic Arcade and local restaurants close by.
• AttractionNewark Earthworks: Great CircleA 30-acre circle enclosed by a tall earthen wall with a deep ditch inside, part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Site. The grounds are free and open during daylight hours, and the Great Circle Museum sits at 455 Hebron Road in neighboring Heath.
• AttractionOctagon EarthworksA 50-acre octagon joined to a 20-acre circle above the Raccoon Creek floodplain, open for full public access since January 1, 2025, after more than a century as a golf course. The visitor center is at 125 N. 33rd Street, and admission is free.
• MarketCanal Market DistrictDowntown's farmers market, held Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., May through October, rain or shine under the historic Ohio Canal open-air pavilion at 36 E. Canal Street, with an indoor winter market at the Newark Historic Arcade from November through April.
• VenueMidland TheatreNewark's historic theater on Courthouse Square, operating since 1928, with a calendar of concerts, touring shows and holiday performances.
• AttractionThe Works: Ohio Center for History, Art and TechnologyA downtown museum at 55 S. First Street with a glass studio for live glassblowing and make-your-own-glass sessions, the SciDome Planetarium, science labs and local history collections.
• BreweryDankHouse Brewing Co.A Forry Street craft brewery open since 2017, known for hazy IPAs and barrel-aged beers, with Shakedown Street Food in the kitchen and a nine-hole disc golf course.
• EventLicking County Courthouse LightingA free downtown celebration the day after Thanksgiving, held for more than 75 years, with vendors, performances and a finale when the courthouse is lit for the holidays.

Everyday

• Licking Memorial HospitalA 227-bed hospital at 1320 West Main Street and the center of Licking Memorial Health Systems, with roots going back to 1898.
• Licking County Library, Downtown NewarkThe largest branch in the county system, at 101 West Main Street in a building that opened in 2000, with study rooms and meeting rooms.

School districts

• Newark City School District

District lines don't always follow city limits. Confirm the district for a specific homesite with the district or the county auditor, and I'll check it for any home you like.