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Barberton chicken, fried in lard and served with a spicy tomato rice called hot sauce, is the dish that put this small city on Ohio's food map. Barberton sits on the southwest edge of Akron in Summit County, built around Lake Anna in the middle of downtown.
The city was founded in 1891 by Ohio Columbus Barber, head of the Diamond Match Company, who planned it as an industrial town; it grew so fast that it earned the nickname 'Magic City'. Barber named Lake Anna after his daughter, and the barns of his Anna Dean Farm still stand on the south side of town. Serbian immigrants who came to work in the factories created the city's famous chicken recipe in the 1930s.
Visitors come to eat chicken at the family restaurants that have served it for generations, stroll around Lake Anna and its veterans memorial, browse the brick Alexander Square district and visit in September for the Mum Festival. Portage Lakes State Park lies just to the east.
A small lake in the center of Barberton with a walking path, fountains, a gazebo, playground and benches, framed by the old downtown. The Barberton Veterans Memorial stands on its shore. It hosts concerts and festivals in summer. Allow half an hour for the full loop, and feed the ducks with seed rather than bread.
Each September thousands of chrysanthemums are arranged in colorful displays around Lake Anna Park, with a parade, craft booths, food vendors and live music over a long weekend. It is the city's biggest event. Visit on a weekday evening if you want to see the flowers with fewer crowds.
The restaurant where Serbian immigrants Smiljka and Manojlo Topalsky started serving lard-fried chicken in 1933, creating the Barberton chicken style. Orders come with hot sauce, a spicy tomato rice, vinegar coleslaw and fries. Portions are large, so share a bucket, and expect a wait on Friday and Sunday evenings.
A long-running family restaurant serving Barberton-style fried chicken with crisp golden skin, hot rice, coleslaw and fries, plus other home-style dishes. Locals pack it for Sunday dinners and carryout. It is a good choice if you want to compare the city's chicken houses side by side; call ahead for large carryout orders.
One of the best known Barberton chicken restaurants, famous for its lard-fried chicken, tangy hot rice and coleslaw served in heaping portions. Many families buy it by the bucket for parties and holidays. Seating is simple; carryout is the local habit, so take a box down to Lake Anna for a picnic.
Ohio Columbus Barber's huge model farm once had dozens of buildings; a few of the grand barns survive, including the massive Barn Number One with its long brick and stone walls. They show the scale of the industrialist's vision for his town. They are mostly viewed from outside; check with the historical society about open days.
The historic commercial core along Tuscarawas Avenue near Lake Anna, with early 20th-century brick buildings that hold small shops, bars, cafes and offices. Plaques note the buildings' history. It is a short walk from the lake, and pairs well with a chicken dinner and a stroll around the water.
A chain of reservoirs just east of Barberton with a swimming beach, boat ramps, fishing piers, campground and trails through woods and wetlands. Kayakers and anglers love the coves of Turkeyfoot Lake. Rentals are available at private marinas around the lakes; summer weekends get busy on the water.
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