Every region has its monster.

New Jersey’s got the Jersey Devil, West Virginia’s got Mothman… and here in Northeast Ohio, we’ve got the…Melon Heads?!?

This one was new to me but it turns out it’s a longtime old wives’ tale in these parts.

If you’ve never heard of them, imagine a child-sized figure darting through the woods with an enormous, misshapen head.

Deeply creepy, amirite? 😨

That’s the image seared into the memories of anyone who’s taken a late-night drive down one of Lake or Geauga County’s backroads and swore they saw something staring back from the tree line.

They’ve been said to be anything from a harmless yet reclusive bunch of humans, to hairless creatures with razor-sharp claws that eat babies.

Yikes, that escalated quickly. 🤔

The legend has been passed around for decades, and as with all good campfire stories, the details change depending on who you ask.

One story points to a reclusive physician — often named Dr. Crow — who supposedly ran a hidden orphanage or asylum somewhere near Kirtland. The rumor? He experimented on children, causing their heads to swell to abnormal sizes. Eventually, the children escaped, killed the doctor, and scattered into the surrounding woods. If you believe this one, every sighting since has been one of his victims still lurking in the shadows.

Another take strips out the mad scientist and swaps in something even eerier: the Melon Heads are the descendants of a family who lived deep in the woods, cut off from the rest of society. Years of isolation and inbreeding supposedly led to their distinctive appearance. Teenagers in Chardon and Kirtland have been daring each other to drive down those wooded backroads for years, just to see if they can catch a glimpse.

Of course, the most likely explanation is simpler: bored local teens needed a way to freak each other out. Stories spread, dares were made, and shadows in the forest became “sightings.” The prank grew into a legend, and before long, the Melon Heads belonged to the same folklore family as Bigfoot and the Hook-Handed Man. However, the myth exists in Ohio, Connecticut and Michigan, so it’s harder to imagine such a strange myth spreading so far if there’s nothing to it but a campfire legend.

Most of the sightings (or alleged sightings) are tied to Kirtland, Chardon, and Willoughby Hills — the kind of dark, tree-canopied backroads where headlights barely cut through. More than one “I swear I saw something” story has come from drivers on Wisner Road in Kirtland, which has become almost synonymous with the legend.

Over the years, the Melon Heads have slipped into local culture too. You’ll see them referenced in haunted house attractions, printed on Halloween merch, even borrowed as band names.

If you grew up here, you probably had that one friend whose older brother swore he saw a Melon Head dart across Wisner Road at midnight. (Mine also swore he bench-pressed 300 pounds in eighth grade, so… grain of salt.)

But that’s kind of the magic of this legend: it’s less about whether tiny bulbous-headed cryptids are really crouching in the treeline, and more about the way these stories stitch themselves into our Friday night dares, our nervous laughter in the dark, and our weird Ohio DNA. The Melon Heads are less “monster movie” and more “collective campfire”—a reminder that even in the age of Google Maps and Ring doorbells, the woods can still feel mysterious if you let them.

They’ve become our very own spooky mascot — a little unsettling, a little silly, but unmistakably Northeast Ohio.

Nobody really knows, and that’s part of the fun. But whether you chalk it up to genetic experiments, an unlucky family tree, or nothing more than generations of teenage dares, the Melon Heads remain one of Ohio’s weirdest and most enduring pieces of folklore.

So if you’re ever out on a late-night drive through Lake or Geauga County, roll down your windows, kill the radio, and listen. If you hear something rustling just beyond the tree line, maybe keep driving.

After all, the last thing you want is a little figure with a very large head staring back at you. 👀

If you’re the kind of person who wants to tempt fate, here are a few spots tied to Melon Head sightings. (Disclaimer: they’re still public roads — be respectful, don’t trespass, and maybe bring a friend who won’t scream too loud.)

Wisner Road (Kirtland)

The #1 road associated with Melon Head lore. Locals claim strange figures lurk in the woods and shadows dart across the pavement. Perfect for a “windows up, doors locked” kind of drive.

Chillicothe Road

Another stretch that’s earned a reputation for odd encounters, especially on foggy nights.

Windsor Road

Some versions of the story put Dr. Crow’s “orphanage” near here — though no proof has ever surfaced, it hasn’t stopped people from going on late-night hunts.

King Memorial Road

More than one “Melon Head sighting” has been reported here, usually from drivers catching a glimpse of something unusual near the tree line.

Pro tip: if you go looking, keep your phone ready — half the fun of the Melon Head legend is scaring your friends with the blurry photo you swear is real. 👀

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Each week I’m featuring one weird, wonderful, or deeply underrated place in Ohio—and I’m not telling you what it is here.

You’ll have to click to find out. 😏

👉 This week’s hidden gem is a family-friendly excursion I hadn’t heard of before that definitely deserves more hype. See what it is: