By 1808Delaware
Delaware County residents hardly need a travel writer to tell them that the area offers an unusual combination of city access, small-town character, good food, and room to get outdoors. Still, the recognition carries added weight when it comes from a national publication devoted to helping readers discover their next destination.
In an Islands feature published Aug. 13, writer Kareem Gantt presents Delaware County as Ohio’s best county to call home, highlighting its independent restaurants, parks, lakes, family attractions, and continued growth. It is a portrait built not around a single landmark, but around the range of experiences available across the county.
A Travel Magazine Looks North
Islands began in 1981 as a print magazine concentrating heavily on tropical destinations, including Hawaii, the Caribbean, Fiji, Tahiti, and Japan. Its mission has since expanded well beyond island escapes. The online publication now covers destinations, outdoor adventures, dining, cruises, national parks, family travel, and other experiences around the world.
That broader focus recently brought the magazine to Central Ohio and, more specifically, to the communities north of Franklin County. Gantt describes Delaware County as one of Ohio’s fastest-growing areas, with more than 240,000 residents and an estimated annual population increase of approximately 5,000 people. Yet the story argues that the county has retained much of its relaxed Midwestern identity even as new homes, businesses, and residents arrive.
Local Flavor Across The County
The Islands culinary tour does not remain within one fashionable district. Instead, it moves through communities large and small, presenting the county’s food scene as a collection of distinctly local establishments. In downtown Delaware, the article visits Old Dog Alehouse & Brewery, where house-brewed beer accompanies burgers, nachos, salads, and other familiar American fare. The restaurant’s casual atmosphere, the story suggests, is part of its appeal. Nearby, Bun’s Restaurant and Bar provides a much deeper connection to local history. A Delaware institution dating to 1864, Bun’s is featured for its burgers, sandwiches, drinks, and comfortable surroundings.
The tour then heads north to Ashley, where the Rusted Nail Tavern combines a sports-bar menu with a full-service bar and live music on its patio.
In Galena, the Cheshire Market receives recognition as the kind of discovery travel writers love. From the outside, it may resemble a traditional country convenience store. Inside, the family-owned business has spent more than four decades serving pizzas, strombolis, and subs at the corner of Cheshire and Africa roads.
Together, the selections show a food scene built less around national trends and more around familiar places with strong local followings.
Lakes Trails And Wild Encounters
Outdoor recreation provides the other half of the magazine’s case for Delaware County. Alum Creek State Park takes center stage with nearly 12 miles of trails, the largest inland beach in Ohio’s state park system, and a changing Storybook Trail along the lake’s northern shoreline. A small lending library at the beginning of the trail allows visitors to take a free book or leave one for someone else. North of the City of Delaware, Delaware State Park adds another combination of water, beaches, trails, and camping.
The article also includes the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the county’s best-known visitor attraction. Approaching its centennial, the zoo is home to more than 600 species as well as amusement rides that include the Sea Dragon, a wooden roller coaster that has been operating for more than 70 years.
The result is a county where a day outdoors might mean hiking beside a lake, reading with children along a trail, camping for a weekend, relaxing on a beach, or coming face to face with animals from around the world.
Growth Without Losing Its Identity
Rapid population growth runs throughout the Islands story. Gantt notes that the City of Delaware has grown by more than 14 percent since the 2020 census, while Powell has expanded by more than 4 percent. Those numbers help explain the arrival of new restaurants, neighborhoods, and businesses. They also make the county’s continued sense of place more significant.
National rankings frequently celebrate Delaware County for its schools, income, employment opportunities, and family appeal. The Islands feature approaches it from a traveler’s perspective, asking what someone can actually eat, see, and do after arriving.
Its answer is a county whose appeal comes from balance. Residents can enjoy the opportunities of a growing metropolitan area without surrendering access to lakes, trails, independent restaurants, historic downtowns, and communities that still feel recognizably Midwestern. That combination helped Delaware County earn the top position among Ohio counties in Niche’s rankings. The Islands coverage now gives that distinction a national travel audience. Longtime residents may already know what makes the county special. The latest recognition shows that people well beyond Central Ohio are beginning to notice it, too.
Read the complete Islands feature and learn more about the publication.
