Allow at least two days for the trip east from Chillicothe, via the Leo Petroglyphs (sandstone inscriptions from the Fort Ancient era) and the Buckeye Furnace (an 1852 remnant of the early iron industry), to Athens, home of Ohio University. Just north of town are the Wolfs Plains Mounds and Earthworks, the second largest center of Adena activity in Ohio, where two large mounds remain among the neighborhood streets. An annual Plains Indian Mound Festival takes place in October.

Veterans of the American Revolution laid out Marietta, respecting grand Adena and Hopewell remains: The cemetery centers on a beautiful mound and ring; the town's library sits on one of three distinctive rectangular platform mounds. A broad avenue (named 'Via Sacra' by the settlers) follows an ancient graded way to the riverbank.

A thriving downtown, plus beautiful residential and historic districts, make this a pleasant destination. The House on Harmar Hill B&B offers great views over the town; the Levee House is an excellent restaurant beside the river. Return to Newark via the Muskingum River route, or to Portsmouth or Cincinnati along the Ohio.