As the leaves turn from summer green to autumn browns and golds, tree-lined highways make ideal routes for fall driving.

Just 2½ hours from Butler, north central Ohio's Richland County offers a variety of year-round family attractions and several events geared toward Halloween.

"We have a lot of rural, scenic areas," said Jodie Puster, group tour director for the Mansfield and Richland County Convention and Visitors' Bureau.

Mansfield, the central city in Richland, sits 65 miles northeast of Columbus and can be reached by following Interstate 80 to Interstate 76 in Ohio, then traveling south on Interstate 71.

Exits for many of Richland County's attractions can be taken off Ohio's Route 30, which intersects with I-71.

Once there, countryside routes, such as Pleasant Valley Road leading to Malabar Farm State Park, are highlighted with farmers markets selling fall produce and flowers and locally based sweets.

The Ohio State Reformatory, which is no longer in operation, is also a major attraction for visitors, especially for thrill seekers who wander the facility during ghost hunts or the haunted house program each October.

Downtown Mansfield offers a historic and nostalgic Carrousel District, centered around the Richland Carrousel Park.

Surrounded by a diner, bistro, bakery and candy shop, Puster said the area is an ideal walkabout for a family.

"There's something for everybody," she said.