Ohio Love Staff Picks: August 2025

You love Ohio. We love Ohio. 

Each month, the Ohio Magazine editorial team shares what we adore about the Buckeye State right now. From the vintage finds of a favorite shop in Akron and the work of a renowned painter to a beloved college town eatery and a steep hike uphill, we hope you find something to love in our August 2025 picks. 

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Pop Art Masterpiece

Busting open a wax pack of Topps trading cards during the summer of 1985 meant the possibility of pulling a Dwight Gooden, Kirby Puckett or Roger Clemens rookie card; maybe even a Mark McGwire 1984 Team USA card. Even if we didn’t realize the significance of such luck at the time, the baseball-card fever that swelled as the 1980s progressed hit a pivotal moment during the summer of 1985. So did the career of Pete Rose.

On Sept. 11, 1985, the Ohio native, legendary Cincinnati Reds player and seeming shoo-in for the Baseball Hall of Fame (before gambling on the sport derailed that) became the career-hits leader. I can still recall the record-breaking number from the top of my head to this day: 4,192. (Rose went on to finish his career with a total of 4,256 hits.)

To commemorate that milestone, artist Andy Warhol — known for his pop art depictions of Cambell’s Soup cans and actress Marilyn Monroe — created a pane of four depictions of Pete Rose. Much like his “Marilyn X 100” — another favorite of mine that is in the permanent collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art —  Warhol’s “Pete Rose” silk screens acrylic onto canvas and uses alternating bright primary colors to put a different visual spin on the familiar look of the 1985 Topps baseball card design. It features an image of Rose taken by Cincinnati photographer Gordon Baer. The Cincinnati Art Museum commissioned the work, and you can still see it there today. “Pete Rose” stands as one of Warhol’s  late-era celebrity portraits. The artist died in 1987. 

For more information, visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

Flavorful Favorite

Anyone who has spent time in the southeast Ohio community of Athens knows that the town isn’t short on incredible eateries that span a world’s worth of cuisine, from Souvlaki’s Mediterranean Gardens and O’Betty’s Red Hot on West State Street to Siam Thai on West Union Street and Restaurant Salaam on West Washington.

During my time in Athens attending Ohio University, I frequented each of these spots more times than I can count. Whether I was meeting with friends, showing my family around town or just looking for a late-night pick-me-up, these establishments are at the core of life as a college student in Athens.

But none have had such a profound impact in the community (or on myself) as my personal favorite: Casa Nueva. The restaurant was founded in 1985 as a worker-owned cooperative, meaning that the employees all have a share in ownership of the restaurant. You’ll find your typical Mexican-inspired offerings on the menu but done with a uniquely spirited twist. 

The menu spans breakfast, lunch and dinner, with items that rotate seasonally to incorporate local ingredients wherever possible. Each dish is immensely flavorful and fresh, making every bite feel like a dream. My personal go-to whenever I ate there was the build-your-own quesadilla with ground beef and peppers, served with a side of the house-made black bean salsa. (I actually wish I could eat it right now as I’m writing this.)

Casa Nueva was a favorite of my mom’s when she attended Ohio University, and whenever she came to visit me at school, we would always go there. I even brought my grandparents for brunch when they came to visit me in October 2021, when this photo was taken before yet another great meal.

For more information, visit casanueva.com.

Steep Steps

Hiking was my number one pastime in 2020, and I spent a lot of time the summer of that year hitting the trails with family members as we were able.

One day in August that year, I got my sister and her roommate to come down to central Ohio from their apartment in Bellefontaine and hike with me in Lancaster. Having been to Rising Park before myself, I knew exactly what we were getting into. My sister and her friend, well, not so much.

Rising Park is just a few blocks from Lancaster’s downtown, and features plenty to do on its grounds with play equipment, picnic tables and a pond. But the crown jewel is what we were in search of, and that is Mount Pleasant.  

This path stretches just shy of a mile, but the climb leads up to a 250-foot-high point. I did not know any of this at the time, I just knew it was pretty much a straight shot up. This was also information I had neglected to admit before they made the drive, so there was no turning back now.

We made our upward trek and though there was certainly plenty of stops on the way up to catch our breath, the view was well worth it. Rocky outcroppings jut out like something from the West Virginia hills, and as far as the eye can see, southeast Ohio sprawls. The Fairfield County Fairgrounds are directly below, and the rest of the city spreads out beyond. I love to make the trek and sit down on the rocky ledge, looking out at all the places people call home, the steeple tops of the churches and the ant-sized cars driving through the city below.

I haven’t been back since this day, but believe me when I say that the trip there, and the steep trek up the hillside, have not been soon forgotten.

For more information, visit fairfieldcountyparks.com.

Old School Finds

There is nothing quite like opening The Bomb Shelter’s door for the first time. When you enter, you’re greeted with an explosion of technicolor accessories, old-fashioned clothing, mid-century modern furniture and retro photography equipment. Then, there’s a massive one-eyed green monster staring at you as you comb through vintage picnic baskets and a permanent display in the back devoted to television sets of the past.

The Bomb Shelter is one big treasure chest, an eclectic feast for the eyes that was established in 2011 in the heart of the Rubber City’s Middlebury neighborhood. Since, it’s been serving nostalgia-hungry customers wares from the 1950s through ‘70s. Pieces of the store feel almost IKEA-like in nature, with colorful kitchenware setups displayed on back-in-time tables giving examples of how the items could be paired together.

Since first visiting around 2016, I can safely say I’ve taken over 30 trips to this destination, some of them accompanied by college friends or my husband but plenty of them solo. I’ve purchased gifts for family members (vintage salt-and-pepper shakers for my father-in-law stick out!), furniture for Nick and I’s apartment, including a lime green desk chair that’s held up for three years and counting, and clip-on earrings for myself. Even afternoons where I don’t find anything to take home, it’s hard not to count each visit as a visual win.

Lest I forget to mention their working, old-school photo booth in the lobby. For $4, you can step in, pull the curtain closed, sit on the metal stool and let its vintage camera snap four images that take a little less than 10 minutes to print out. They typically turn out, but just in case you get a strip that didn’t develop, you may be in luck, since an employee will open the machine and you can see the inner workings of the old-time appliance. On a personal note, Nick and I had this happen in the middle of taking photos with one of our very first ultrasounds of our daughter! We recently took her back at six months old to get her first photo booth film developed. Teach them young!

For more information, visit thebombshelterstore.com.

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