My Neighborhood: Granville Community Foundation’s Jay Snyder on His Top Village Picks
Snyder says there’s a lot to love about this charming college town, including the annual Blues Fest, Denison’s Vail Series and top-notch coffee shops and breweries.
Historic, collegiate and bucolic, Granville is a popular destination. Jay Snyder, president of the Granville Community Foundation, spends a lot of time roaming the Licking County village’s parks, craft breweries and coffee shops and filled us in on what’s happening in the charming enclave.
Singing the Blues
The annual Granville Blues Fest draws a big crowd. “We close Main Street and put up a stage, and there are food trucks and beer tents,” Snyder says. “Everyone brings their lawn chairs and enjoys the music all day long.”
Nature Found
“We’re a college town … and Denison University’s Biological Reserve is one of my favorite places to visit,” Snyder says. “I love to watch the seasons change.” The 350-acre site north of the university features orchards, forests and ponds.
Musical Sounds
Another Denison benefit is the Vail Series, concerts hosted by the university for 45 years. “It’s in the chapel at the top of the hill, and they bring in well-known people, like Béla Fleck, who I’ve seen a couple times,” Snyder says.
Next Round
“We have three breweries and a cidery, and for a town this size, that’s a fantastic asset,” Snyder says. Three Tigers Brewing Co. recently moved across the street into the former fire station and serves Vietnamese-inspired street food; Granville Brewing Co. specializes in Belgian-style beers; The Lot Co. is housed in the former Three Tigers location and has arcade games, pinball machines and Nintendo classics. Seek-No-Further Cidery “works with local orchards for most of their apples,” Snyder says.
Books Abound
The Readers’ Garden Book Store has sentimental value for Snyder: It’s located in the site of the former SteamRoller bagel shop he owned and operated. “There aren’t a lot of places that have a quaint little bookshop like this anymore,” he says.
Top-Notch Grounds
Snyder tends to visit Station coffee shop more often than the town’s two other java joints, River Road Coffeehouse and Village Coffee Company. He praises Station’s bread and baked goods. “I love the pumpkin bread with pumpkin seeds on top, and you can get a loaf of bread to take home,” Snyder says.
This story is from the February 2024 issue of Columbus Monthly.