With its brick-paved streets, charming downtown, and tree-covered hills, Granville is picture-perfect. It’s the kind of small town where the garden club hosts flower shows and the local grocer knows you by name. But there isn’t anything typical about Granville. This terrific community is home to Denison University, a liberal arts college founded in 1831, and the Ohio State University at Newark is just east of the village.

Settled in 1805, Granville is home to some fascinating historic sites, as well as a prehistoric one. The Alligator Effigy Mound, located on Bryn De Drive, is about 2,000 years old and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The mound is now a small park. Another more recent historic landmark, the Bryn Du Mansion, was built in 1865. This mansion and its buildings are popular for special events, private events, and community activities. The Old Colony Burying Ground, which dates back to 1805, contains the final resting place of veterans from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War.

The charming downtown is very walkable and includes the Granville Town Square, several shops and businesses, the Robbins Hunter Museum, and popular restaurants like the Pub on Broadway and Three Tigers Brewing Company. With its top-performing school system, access to universities, beautiful neighborhoods, and proximity to both Columbus (30 miles southwest) and Newark (six miles east), Granville lives up to its motto, “One of Ohio’s Best Hometowns.”