Neon at the Rest Stop: Cincinnati's Sign Museum Now Glows Along I-75

Here's a small, bright thing: a brand-new rest area on I-75 in Ohio now has its own glowing neon installation, hand-bent by Cincinnati craftspeople. As Signs of the Times reported in early October, Klusty Sign Associates of Cincinnati worked with the American Sign Museum to create a custom neon installation inside the newly opened northbound I-75 rest area in Liberty Township. In other words: a highway pit stop in Butler County just became a tiny museum of American light.

What happened

This wasn't a kit ordered from a catalog. Klusty coordinated the printed graphic and back panel on the neon sign, partnered with Tom Wartman of NeonWorks in Cincinnati on the custom-bent neon, and handled the electrical components and installation — real glass, really bent by hand, by people who do this for a living a half hour down the interstate. The dedicated space lets travelers explore selected imagery and sign pieces that tell the history of the museum and of signage itself. The timing is sweet, too: the rest areas along I-75 just south of the OH-63 interchange reopened after a complete rebuild that had them closed for two years, so drivers who've been holding it since Monroe get both relief and a little art.

Why it matters

Rest stops are usually the most forgettable square footage in America. This one decided to be memorable instead. Neon is one of the great American folk arts — loud, warm, a little showy, built to be seen at 65 miles an hour — and it's fitting that Ohio chose it to welcome people off the road. The new buildings aren't just about the glow, either: the reimagined rest areas include information about local attractions, outdoor picnic tables, a Storybook Trail where visitors can read a book on panels down a path, a dog walking path, rocking chairs, and Ohio native plants, trees and shrubs. Rocking chairs at a rest stop. Somebody in Ohio is doing their job with heart.

The museum behind the glow

If the installation charms you, the source is worth the detour. The American Sign Museum at 1330 Monmouth Ave. in Cincinnati covers more than 100 years of American sign history, and it's been growing: the museum doubled in size in the summer of 2024, adding 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. Inside, over 200 signs and other objects are on display, with over 3,800 items cataloged, ranging from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s. Best of all, NeonWorks of Cincinnati operates inside the museum and features a live exhibit showing visitors how they restore neon signs — the same shop whose hand-bent glass now greets travelers in Liberty Township. It's the kind of place that makes you proud of the odd, specific things this state keeps alive, the same spirit behind our whole Ohio collection.

Go see it

The easiest way: drive north on I-75 through Butler County and pull off at the rest area just south of the OH-63 interchange. Stretch your legs, find the neon, sit in a rocking chair for a minute longer than you need to. If that lights something up in you, keep going — the museum sits at 1330 Monmouth St. in Cincinnati, right off I-75 at exit 3, an easy add to any trip through the southwest corner of the state. Wear your O-H Tee and somebody in the parking lot will finish the cheer for you. That's just how it works here.

Common questions

Where exactly is the new neon installation?

It's inside the newly opened northbound I-75 rest area in Liberty Township, in Butler County between Cincinnati and Dayton — just south of the OH-63 interchange.

Who made the neon?

Local hands. Cincinnati's Klusty Sign Associates partnered with Tom Wartman of NeonWorks on the custom-bent neon, and handled the electrical components and installation, working with the American Sign Museum on the display.

Is the American Sign Museum worth a full visit?

Yes — plan an hour or two. It covers more than 100 years of American sign history, and you can watch neon restoration happen live at the NeonWorks shop inside the museum.

Reported by Signs of the Times. Details as published at the time of writing.